For plenty of New Yorkers, Christmas day means a Chinese food feast.
Chinese cuisine on Christmas is a long-loved Jewish tradition, and there are plenty of theories as to why, some of which the Atlantic rounded up.
While many restaurants are closed on the holiday, Chinese restaurants (and movie theaters, another part of the tradition) are often open. There’s little-to-no dairy in Chinese food, which theoretically can make it easier to keep kosher, at least if you don’t order pork or shellfish.
And as Jennifer 8. Lee, producer of “The Search for General Tso” noted to the Atlantic, Jews and Chinese immigrants made up the largest block of non-Christian immigrants on Manhattan’s Lower East Side — where today you can still take a meandering walk along Grand Street and watch Chinese restaurant storefronts give way to kosher bakeries.
But Jewish or not, Chinese food is a fine option for anyone who doesn’t feel like cooking or perhaps isn’t making a trip home for the holidays this year.
Here’s a selection of restaurants that are open on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to fuel your holiday, whether you celebrate or not. Be sure to check back for more.
