Every year around this season, a certain handcrafted sign manages to make its rounds on Jewish Facebook. It always reminds me that it’s time to create a new list of which Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas Day.
While the authenticity of the holiday message is up for debate, the quirky tradition it represents? Oh, that’s as real as it gets.
“The Jews and Chinese were the two largest non-Christian immigrant communities in America,” said Jennifer 8. Lee, in an interview with The Forward in 2019. Lee is the author of “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food,” and producer of the documentary “The Search for General Tso” and co-founder and president of the literary studio Plympton. “They didn’t keep a Christian calendar, so their restaurants were open on Christmas,” Lee explained.
According to Lee, the first documented instance of what we now know as a “Jewish Christmas” in English dates back to a 1935 New York Times article that mentioned a restaurant owner named Eng Shee Chuck who brought lo mein to the Jewish Children’s Home in Newark, N.J., an example of what Lee called a “Christmas mitzvah.”
So, if you wish to partake in this tradition this year, here is a list of 28 St. Louis area Chinese restaurants that are open on Sunday, Dec. 24 and Monday, Dec. 25.
Esn Gezunt
Open on Christmas Day
Bo Fung
6810 Gravois Ave. St. Louis, 63116
(314) 353-8216
Chilispot
7930 Olive Blvd, University City, 63130
China Bistro
14246 Manchester Rd Pan-Asia Manchester, MO 63011
(636) 220-3144
Chinese Buffet – Alton, IL
2610 Homer M Adams Pkwy, Alton, IL 62002
(618) 463-4163
Chinese Express
7022 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, 63117
(314) 781-8898
China King
7848 Olive Blvd., 63130
(314) 725-6888
Hunan Empress
162 4 Seasons Shopping Ctr., Chesterfield, 63017
314-878-8828
Hunan & Peking Garden
1262 Old Orchard Ctr., Ballwin, 63021
636-227-6445
Joy Luck Buffett
8030 Manchester Rd., 63144
314-645-9982
KC Chinese Rotisserie Restaurant
8233 Olive Blvd. University City, 63132
(314) 567-0199
Lu Lu’s
8224 Olive Blvd. St Louis, 63132
(314) 997-3108
New China
3730 S Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, 63109
(314) 771-8880
Royal Chinese BBQ
8406 Olive Blvd, St. Louis, 63132
(314) 991-1888
St. Louis Kitchen
7325 Manchester Ave. Maplewood, 63143
(314) 339-5532
Sesame Chinese Restaurant
10500 Watson Rd. St.Louis, 63127
(314) 821-5038
Szechuan Cuisine
7930 Olive Blvd., University City, 63130
314-925-8711
Vegas Wok
565 Melville Ave. St. Louis, 63130
(314) 296-3606
Wan Fu Chinese Restaurant (Take Out Only)
12033 Manchester Rd, Des Peres Shopping Center,63131-4416
314-821-7999
Wei Hong Bakery & Restaurant
3175 S. Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, 63118
(314) 773-8318
Wonton King St. Louis
8116 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, 63130
(314) 567-9997
Yen Ching (Take Out Only)
1012 S. Brentwood Blvd., St. Louis, 63117
314-721-7507
Christmas Eve Only
Urban Kitchen by Sharesweet
17409 Chesterfield Airport Rd. Ste. C Chesterfield, 63005
(636) 778-0178
Old St Louis Chop Suey
4600 Chippewa St. Ste.L, St. Louis, 63116
(314) 481-2641
Mai Lee
8396 Musick Memorial Dr., St. Louis, 63144
(314) 645-2835
Tiger Soup Dumplings
98 Gravois Bluffs Circle Dr. Ste. D Fenton, 63026
(636) 678-7180
Meyou
8162 Big Bend Blvd. Webster Groves, 63119
(314) 961-5999
Dragons Place
3819 Meramec St., St Louis, 63116
(314) 300-8665
