9 Amazing Thanksgiving Dinners That You Don’t Have to Cook
And you could have a view like this while you enjoy the feast.
BY KRISTY ALPERT
Although the holiday is all about gathering with family and friends, Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be confined to the home. From room service in a hotel along the parade route to an American fête in the City of Lights, break free from the kitchen this Thanksgiving and gather to feast with friends or family on the road at one of these lavish Thanksgiving tables around the world.
Lautrec
Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania
Courtesy of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
Located on the grounds of the 2,000-acre Nemacolin Woodlands Resort—often referred to as the Mid-Atlantic’s best-kept secret—Lautrec is one of just 30 restaurants in the world that boasts both a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond designation for 10 years. This year Chef Kristin Butterworth is going all out for Thanksgiving with a lemon-herb brined, locally sourced Footprints Farm turkey, giblet gravy, orange cranberry sauce, and candied roasted yams in a honey-thyme butter sauce with toasted marshmallows.
Guests of the resort can take the dinner at the restaurant, or enjoy it in their rooms through room service after taking part in the Turkey Trot 5K race, holiday movie marathon, or craft workshops and art tours offered throughout the day.
Villon Restaurant
San Francisco, California
Courtesy of Proper Hospitality
Inspired by the works of painter Jacques Villon, this stylish restaurant located in the Proper Hotel takes an artsy approach to Thanksgiving with a hyper-local menu doused in fun surprises. Heritage turkey or smoked salmon take center stage for the dinner, while Hawaiian bread, celery root soup, and Brussels salad round out the meal before a dessert option of either pumpkin cheesecake mousse or traditional pecan pie.
Brickyard at Mutianyu Great Wall
Beijing, China
Courtesy of Brickyard at Mutianyu Great Wall
This year marks the 14th annual American Thanksgiving for this Beijingrestaurant, where diners can feast on traditional roast turkey and all the trimmings while enjoying live jazz music and gazing out on the Great Wall of China. Located within a repurposed glazed tile factory at the Brickyard Retreat and Spa Hotel, this restaurant is a member of the Slow Food movement and everything served is prepared onsite and made from scratch, including the local mushroom cream soup, broccoli casserole, and candied yams.
Grab a seat around the large common tables for Thanksgiving Thursday or at the reprise on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend for this all-you-can-eat buffet (and take some home), house wines and soft drinks included. Save room for dessert though, as the dessert buffet includes multiple types of pies, cakes, confections, and house-made ice creams.
Le Coq Rico
Paris, France
Alsace-born Chef Antoine Westermann has three Michelin stars, five decades of professional kitchen experience, and a world-renowned penchant for poultry. Chef Westermann began serving Thanksgiving to his Parisian clients at Le Coq Rico shortly after opening in 2012, where his menu revolves around a respectfully raised, French heritage turkey.
The menu will be served for lunch and dinner and includes an option of either poultry terrine with cranberry chutney or butternut and ginger velouté with hazelnut crumble to start followed by a main course of rotisserie turkey with giblets stuffing, celeriac and apple puree, chestnuts fricassee, and red cabbage confit with winter spices. A Thanksgiving sundae wraps the meal up nicely with a vanilla bourbon whipped cream and purines marinated in an orange and clove syrup. Take our advice and splurge with the 25 euro wine pairing.
Ashford Castle
County Mayo, Ireland
Courtesy of Ashford Castle
Start the morning with a traditional Irish breakfast, but end the day with a feast that’s a little less than traditional on the Emerald Isle. Just because you’re in Ireland doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the festivities, as guests booking a two-night stay over Thanksgiving at this Red Carnation Hotel Collection property (also a member of Leading Hotels of the World), can watch the big game in the Billiard Room or enjoy private entertainment in the Drawing Room after the big turkey feast with all the traditional American Thanksgiving trimmings.
NOLA Smokehouse & Bar
Sydney, Australia
Courtesy of NOLA Smokehouse & Bar
This French Quarter themed restaurant and bar regularly serves up flavors from the south, with Cajun dishes and American whiskeys, but on Thanksgiving, NOLA goes all out. The feast is served family-style, where groups of six or more will receive the equivalent of a whole turkey and groups of less than six will receive portions of a turkey, but all groups will have the chance to taste a huge range of side dishes, including blackened carrots, candied sweet potatoes, Cajun roasted sweet corn, and a chocolate bourbon pecan tart.
Note: The Thanksgiving event is sold out for 2019, but you may still be inspired to add this to your travel bucket list!
The Fives Beach
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Courtesy of Azul Fives
Although you’ll need to play your pre-dinner Turkey Bowl on the beach instead of on a football field, Thanksgiving at this Riviera Maya resort looks a lot like it would at home…if home included sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea.
Entrée stations include slow roasted turkey and pork, while all the sides are prepared on wood-fired grills. Fill up on oven-baked cornbread, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, and corn, but save room for an assortment of pies, tarts, cakes. As the sun goes down, the beachfront firepit with a s’mores station takes center stage as the perfect end to a meal among new friends.
Room Service at the New York Hilton Midtown
New York, New York
Courtesy of Hilton
Time your morning right at the New York Hilton Midtown, and you could be feasting on homemade chicken-apple sausage, warm brioche buns, and made-to-order eggs from the comfort of your parade view suite right as Snoopy makes his way across your window at the corner of 54th Street and 6th Avenue. The hotel is located directly on the parade route, meaning you won’t even have to get dressed or turn on the TV to enjoy the magic of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Guests of the hotel will have access to a Thanksgiving buffet at the hotel after the parade, where plates of Murray’s cheese and Long Island striped bass with wild mushrooms will be served alongside traditional dishes like a Bell & Evans Natural Turkey with sage and sausage stuffing, cornbread pan stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and mashed potatoes.
Check in a few nights early on November 26 to get your picture taken with Mrs. Claus and meet the characters in the parade as the hotel hosts a free family parade kick-off event for guests (and anyone else who wants to stop in!) from 3-7 p.m.
Solstice Restaurant
Stowe, Vermont
With access to some of the best poultry in the nation and the best skiing on the East Coast, the snowy village of Stowe is the perfect setting for a memorable Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving buffet served at Solstice Restaurant inside the Lodge at Spruce Peak, a ski-in/ski-out Destination Hotel,features a Misty Knoll brined turkey and a traditional New England pot roast alongside decadent sides of curry acorn squash soup, heirloom apple cranberry sage dressing, sweet potato ravioli with maple brown butter beurre blanc, brown butter popovers, and Caesar salad served in a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel.