7 Places to Enjoy the Feast of the Seven Fishes Across the U.S.

Coming from the tradition of fasting on Christmas Eve until nighttime and then dining on seafood to reflect abstaining from meat until Christmas Day, the Feast of the Seven Fishes can be traced back to Southern Italy, where they celebrate La Vigilia (The Vigil) to commemorate the wait until the midnight birth of Jesus.

Today, the meal typically consists of seven different seafood dishes, although the number of dishes is often flexible, as well. Luckily, if you’re not up for cooking your own Feast of the Seven Fishes, restaurants around the country are offering the meal—some on Christmas Eve itself, and some in the days right before.

Here are seven of our favorites this year.

Coperta - Denver, Colorado

Celebrating the food of Rome and Southern Italy since 2016, Coperta is hosting a weeklong Feast of the Seven Fishes every night from December 18 to 24. Guests will enjoy a three-course meal of antipasti, primi, secondi, and dessert, featuring seven dishes focused on seafood. Chef Paul Reilly’s menu includes gonfietti, a fried Napolitano snack of anchovy fritters and lemon agrodolce; crispy dogfish with cipollini onions and polenta; and paccheri pasta with monkfish sugo. Wine pairings by sommelier J.P. Taylor, Jr will be available, as well. $69 per person for lunch or dinner.

Providence / Connie and Ted’ s - Los Angeles, California

James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Cimarusti is a seafood expert with Italian roots in Bari, and on December 24, he is offering a Feast of the Seven Fishes menu at two of his restaurants, Providence and Connie and Ted’s. Providence, which has two Michelin stars, will host La Vigilia, Feast of the Seven Fishes, a seafood dinner with dishes like capasante with black truffle and sunchoke; arrogosta with fennel, green olives, and apples; and pasta mista with cozze, vongole, and camarone. Across town, Cimarusti’s New England-inspired seafood eatery, Connie and Ted’s, will offer a more casual Feast menu that includes oysters, grilled calamari, crab cake, cacciucco alla livornese (classic Italian fish stew), and latte alla portoghese al cioccolato (chocolate flan). Providence: $175 per person; Connie & Ted’s: $39 per person.

RPM Italia n - Washington, D.C.

A modern Italian restaurant in a sleek, retro-chic dining room, RPM Italian will offer a special Feast of the Seven Fishes menu all day from noon to 10pm on December 24. The menu will include an array of antipasti and appetizers and entrees such as whole roasted Maine lobster, Nantucket Bay scallops, and center cut filet mignon with king crab bearnaise. $85 per person.

L’Oca D’Oro - Austin, Texas

A perennial favorite in Austin, L’Oca D’Oro features regional Italian food by Chef Fiore Tedesco, who previously cooked at Gramercy Tavern and Roberta’s in New York City. Pastas and breads are made in house from freshly milled grains and most ingredients are sourced locally. The restaurant will offer its family-friendly Feast of 7 Fishes—seven sumptuous seafood dishes condensed into four courses—on December 23 and 24. The menu includes antipasti like fresh mozzarella with marinated anchovies, baccala mantecato, and pickled vegetables; appetizers of eel caponata with rosemary focaccia, insalata di frutti di mare, and shrimp cocktail; entrees like stuffed squid, shrimp and guanciale Bolognese and spaghetti con vongole; and tiramisu for dessert. $75 per person for adults; $25 for children ages 2-10.

San Morello - Detroit, Michigan

Recently opened by Chef Andrew Carmellini and his NoHo Hospitality Group inside the design-forward Shinola Hotel, San Morello is the first Detroit restaurant for the acclaimed New York group. The regular menu features Southern Italian cuisine like wood-fired dishes, pizzas, and house-made pastas using local and seasonal ingredients. On December 24, the restaurant will offer a Feast of the Seven Fishes pre-fixe menu that includes antipasti like tuna crudo with green olives and crispy faro, stuffed calamari, and oreganata style littleneck clams; a pasta course of cannelloni with shrimp scampi and squid ink risotto with crab claws; and secondi of olive oil poached cod and grilled swordfish. Dessert is a choice of warm chocolate torta or holiday panna cotta with a gingerbread cookie crunch. $85 per person.

White Bull - Atlanta, Georgia

The constantly changing menu at White Bull is dictated by what’s in season across the state, and features house-milled grains, farm-fresh produce, and grass-fed meats. The restaurant is offering a special Feast of the Seven Fishes menu for a full week leading up to Christmas (December 16-23) and it features seven seafood courses that hearken back to tradition but have a modern twist. The courses are roasted oysters with breadcrumbs, pecorino, chives, and ikura; fritto misto of fish and veggies; pickled mussels with sunchokes, and fromage blanc; Sicilian fisherman style squid with couscous, capers, and olives; burrata cappelletti with crab, shallots, and burnt onion brodo; spaghetti alla chitarra with sea urchin, lobster, and scallions; and crispy baccala with marinated peppers and hot oil. Best of all, 10 percent of your bill will be donated to The Giving Kitchen Initiative, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides financial assistance to those in need within the local restaurant community. $85 per person; $55 for wine pairing.

Liberty Kitchen at The Treehouse - Houston, Texas

For those who want to eat their feast at home, Liberty Kitchen at the Treehouse is preparing a take-home banquet that will serve eight to 12 people. Culinary Director Lance Fegen is tapping into his Italian-American roots to with a menu of fried smelts, cod, mussels, clams, and whole roasted snapper, along with side dishes like lobster bisque, roasted vegetables, and Caesar salad. Additional appetizers and desserts are available a la carte. Pick-up dates are December 22 and 23 from 11am– 9pm and December 24, 11am–3pm. $289 for entire meal.