19 Casual Restaurants Open On Thanksgiving Day

There's so much to love about this time of year, from the music, to the holiday deals, to getting together with your loved ones. And if you're anything like us, that also includes enjoying an all-out feast on turkey day. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or energy to put on a clinic in a kitchen, just for the turkey to possibly come out dry. And for those people, all hope isn't lost. In fact, the opposite is true. There are plenty of casual restaurants open on Thanksgiving day.

Maybe you fancy a meal that'll satisfy your cravings while still having the time to spend with the people you care about. Then might we recommend having a casual restaurant do the cooking this year? Though not every one offers delivery, many do have their own Thanksgiving feast available for dine-in and curbside pick-up. Just remember that it's always smart to check with the restaurant in question first, just to make sure it's open and meals are available. It's also a good idea to make a reservation (if available) to guarantee a table. With that in mind, these are the casual restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving day. 

Bob Evans, to say the least, is putting on a feast this Thanksgiving. Not only can you order classics off their mouth-watering menu, but the diner will also be serving its Farmhouse Feasts this year –– so long as you prefer delivery, takeout, or curbside pickup. The 10-person feast comes with slow-roasted turkey, hickory-smoked ham, bread and celery dressing, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, baked rolls, green beans with ham, cranberry relish, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, and double-crust apple pie. If you do plan on dining in, Thanksgiving-themed meals will be available, like Bob Evans' signature slow-roasted turkey dinners.

Though Bob Evans' website states that locations will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.), customers should still check their local restaurants for adjusted hours and availability. The last thing you want is to be scrambling for a place to eat on the merry holiday.

With Buca di Beppo, you have Thanksgiving day options in spades. You could venture to the restaurant or order ahead of time and have a Thanksgiving feast delivered (pick-up and curbside are also available). Just in case you're wondering, two Thanksgiving to-go feasts and two catering options are available. A typical feast will include white meat turkey, homestyle gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, spicy Italian sausage stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Now that's a feast worth rooting for!

If you rather have a more traditional Buca's meal, such as chicken parmigiana, then give your taste buds exactly what they want. A feast consisting of turkey and pasta of your choice is, by all accounts, the perfect way to celebrate the eating portion of this gratitude-filled holiday. But you can't go wrong with anything on the Buca's menu, whether you dine-in or take your meal to-go.

Cracker Barrel locations will be open for regular business hours on Thanksgiving, and traditional Thanksgiving meals will be offered (starting at 11 a.m.). If you plan on dining in, then Homestyle Turkey n' Dressing and Country Fried Turkey plates will be available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Grandma's Holiday Sampler, featuring hand-breaded country fried turkey and buttermilk pancakes, will be served all day.

You can also purchase a Thanksgiving Heat n' Serve Feast, which serves eight to 10 people. There's also the Thanksgiving Heat n' Serve Family Dinner, which serves four to six. Cracker Barrel encourages guests who plan on going this route to order in advance and schedule an early pick-up time. If you pre-order and pick up a Heat n' Serve meal on the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving, you'll receive a $5 gift card with an order of a Thanksgiving Heat n' Serve Family Dinner or a $10 gift card with an order of a Thanksgiving Heat n' Serve Feast.

Fogo de Chão will be serving up a feast this Thanksgiving. "Guests will discover both new and traditional holiday staples with the Full Churrasco Experience including roasted turkey and au jus, sweet potato casserole, Brazilian sausage and apple dressing as well as cranberry relish," said a Fogo de Chão representative in a press release provided to Mashed.

Also on the to-go menu is a Brazilian-inspired Thanksgiving Dinner featuring the same holiday staples as well as warm pão de queijo, sautéed asparagus, and cocoa fudge brownies with chocolate ganache. It serves up to six hungry people.

Fogo's Founders Trilogy Wine Box will also make its return starting on November 1 and is available at the restaurant or to-go. It includes three bottles of South American red wine created in honor of Fogo's founders and a dining card with $25 off two full churrascos.

Hard Rock Cafe will be serving Thanksgiving-esque dinners on Thanksgiving day all the way through November 28, so if you can't do the big meal on turkey day for whatever reason, you can still get your turkey fix on the days after. The restaurant's Turkey Entrée comes with slow-roasted turkey breast, roasted fresh vegetables, home-style classic stuffing, creamy sweet potato mash, cranberry sauce, and traditional turkey gravy.

As with all restaurants open for in-person dining on Thanksgiving, you'll want to book your reservation ahead of time. Though it's tradition for families to eat from the comfort of their homes, celebrating Thanksgiving dinner at restaurants is becoming more and more popular, especially with so many establishments offering turkey and ham dishes. If you want to skip the cooking, cleaning, and hosting duties this year, then a Hard Rock Cafe Thanksgiving is potentially very useful option for you.

Kona Grill is open on Thanksgiving when it will be offering a feast from November 24 to 28. SO, if you can't get your turkey meal in on the actual holiday, you'll still have time to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Kona Grill's holiday feast will include "Kona Grill's Macadamia Nut Turkey ($32 adults/$16 kids), Traditional Roasted Turkey ($29 adults/$16 kids), Turkey Mucho Loco ($28), and Macadamia Nut Pie ($15)," said a Kona Grill representative in a press release provided to Mashed.

If you want something less traditional, the full Kona Grill menu will be available, too. For those who still want restaurant-quality food from the comfort of their homes, Thanksgiving specials will also be offered for delivery and curbside pickup. No matter which route you decide to take, Kona Grill has you covered on the big turkey day. So, get ready to celebrate this holiday in style.

Macaroni Grill has you covered this holiday, as all locations will be open on Thursday, November 25 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., as a Macaroni Grill representative said in a press release provided to Mashed. A Traditional Thanksgiving Three Course Prix Fixe menu will be available for $29.99 per person and will include soup or salad, roasted turkey breast, garlic mashed potatoes, sausage and apple stuffing, brussels sprouts or broccolini, and dessert. Yum, yum, and double yum.

Perhaps best of all is the fact that this meal will also be available for pickup and delivery when customers order online. A Take-and-Warm Turkey Feast with all the fixings will be available for home feasting as well, which feeds five or 10 people, depending on which package customers order. Once home, the meal only needs to be heated before they're ready to hit the table in a relatively short time.

Though there's nothing casual about Ruth's Chris mouth-watering steaks. Thankfully, the steakhouse is open on Thanksgiving.

According to a Ruth's Chris press release provided to Mashed, the dine-in Thanksgiving day menu will include, "a starter (choice of Caesar salad, steak house salad or lobster bisque), entrée (sliced oven roasted turkey, Ruth's sausage and herb stuffing, homemade turkey gravy and cranberry relish), side (choice of garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, sweet potato casserole, or green beans with roasted garlic) and dessert (chef's selection). Each purchase also includes leftovers to take home."

If you don't want to dine in, then pick-up options are available, though something tells us a sit-down Thanksgiving experience at Ruth's Chris is just fine, too. From the atmosphere to the exquisite food offerings, a Ruth's Chris Thanksgiving just might become a Thanksgiving tradition for you. We'll let you be the judge of that yourself.

Sullivan's Steakhouse is celebrating Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. "Guests can savor and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving Three Course Prix Fixe menu – including soup or salad, hand-carved Roasted Turkey, Sweet Onion Apple Sausage Stuffing & Brown Gravy, Cranberry Relish and dessert – for only $45 per adult and $22 per child (12 and under) when dining in-restaurant this holiday," a Sullivan's representative told Mashed via press release.

Dine-at-home options are also available with a Take-and-Warm Thanksgiving Dinner for five or 10 people. All the traditional fixings are included. You have Thanksgiving dinner needs and Sullivan's Steakhouse meets them all while checking all the boxes and then some.

Note that Sullivan's in Pittsburgh will be closed on Thanksgiving. Even still, there are plenty of restaurants serving up Thanksgiving classics dine-in style on this cherished holiday. No matter which place you land on, you should be set and full shortly after.