Best Boutique Hotels for Thanksgiving Dinner 2024
Make Thanksgiving as easy as pie by letting the chefs at California’s boutique hotels whip up a gourmet feast for you and your family. Chefs at over a dozen hotels will prepare Thanksgiving dinners that celebrate tradition and the bounty of local California farms with an epicurean spin. With all the trimmings and none of the work, it may just be the ultimate holiday hack. Reserve a table at any of the hotels below to savor a fabulous no-fuss Thanksgiving. While you’re at it, book a hotel room and turn the long holiday weekend into a relaxing getaway.
San Ysidro Ranch’s Stonehouse Restaurant
Set inside a 19th-century citrus packing house on the grounds of the storied San Ysidro Ranch, the Stonehouse Restaurant exudes the rustic romance of its historic setting. This Thanksgiving at the Stonehouse, Executive Chef Matt Johnson and his team will prepare a four-course fine dining experience full of seasonal favorites, accented by fresh-picked herbs and produce from the chef’s organic garden. Guests can select from a variety of options for each course, with standout options including Hawaiian snapper crudo, honeynut squash bisque, honey-brined organic Mary’s turkey, seared Hawaiian big eye tuna, traditional pumpkin pie, and ginger spice cake (menu items are subject to change). The cost for the dinner is $255 per person, with a wine-pairing option available for $125. Bookings are available from noon to 7:00 p.m. on November 28th. To make a reservation, visit stonehouserestaurant.com.
McCloud Hotel’s Axe & Rose Public House
This year, the talented culinary team at McCloud Hotel’s Axe & Rose Public House will prepare a fabulous Thanksgiving buffet. Situated amidst the breathtaking alpine scenery of Mount Shasta, the restaurant offers casual dining with rustic charm. The pub-style decor features walnut live-edge tables, corrugated steel, and a wooden crate back bar with three big-screen TVs. This year’s Thanksgiving buffet will be served from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Selections from the buffet include traditional favorites like honey-baked ham, orange sage roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, and savory pork sausage stuffing. But there are also several vegetarian options such as butternut squash ravioli in parmesan sage cream sauce and an array of sides. Dessert choices include pumpkin pie with whipped cream and chocolate cake with hazelnuts. The cost of the buffet is $59 per adult and $29 per child 10 and under (plus tax and gratuity). Dinner reservations can be made by calling or texting the restaurant at 530-859-8111.
Mad & Vin at The Landsby
In the heart of Solvang, The Landsby’s signature restaurant, Mad & Vin, specializes in delicious wine-country-inspired cuisine. Each dish is made with fresh, seasonal ingredients from California’s central coast. This year, the chefs at Mad & Vin will prepare a special Thanksgiving meal alongside the restaurant’s regular menu from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Thanksgiving menu offers a choice of entrées with perfectly paired sides: roasted turkey breast ($56) or prime rib ($68). The Landsby’s bright and airy guest rooms are finished with blonde woods, brushed brass fixtures, leather accents, and warm, handcrafted furnishings, providing a refined, modern interpretation of Solvang’s Danish roots. Dinner and room reservations are available online.
The Victor Restaurant & Bar at The Genevieve
In the heart of Santa Barbara wine country, The Genevieve is hosting Thanksgiving at its restaurant and bar, The Victor. Guests can order from Executive Chef Beto Huizar’s regular menu or choose Turkey Two Ways, an innovative twist on favorite holiday classics that includes roasted turkey breast and leg confit, sage stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, pan gravy, and cranberry sauce. Seatings are available between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. The cost for the turkey two ways meal is $54 per person, with the option of adding a baker’s table pumpkin pie for dessert ($9). Dinner and room reservations can be made online. The inn offers an atmosphere of understated luxury coupled with warm hospitality. Guests can indulge in spa treatments, cozy up to the fire pits, enjoy a whiskey nightcap with dessert, and receive complimentary wine tastings for two with the inn’s exclusive tasting passport.
Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel’s Caldo Verde, Dahlia Lounge, and Cara Cara
This Thanksgiving, savor the glamour of dining in downtown Los Angeles against a backdrop of city lights, historic architecture, fine art, and vintage style. At Caldo Verde inside Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel, the Thanksgiving menu offers a sophisticated spin on the traditional classics, with a vegan option and a festive assortment of Thanksgiving desserts. James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne opened the restaurant inside the landmark hotel in October 2021. The setting features a wall of windows bathing the historic space in natural light, Morgan Peck ceramics and lighting, and a pair of monolithic Judson Studios’ stained glassworks. The prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner is $130 per person or $55 for children 12 and under. In addition, enjoy rare spirits and botanical cocktails in a chic, intimate space at the Dahlia Lounge for Thanksgiving Eve or celebrate Friendsgiving at Cara Cara on the rooftop. Dinner and room reservations can be made online.
Granada Hotel & Bistro
Join the historic Granada Hotel & Bistro in downtown San Luis Obispo for a three-course prix fixe Thanksgiving feast. The menu features festive dishes both classic and reimagined. For the first course, diners have a choice of butternut squash puree, shaved apple salad, roasted cauliflower wedge, and Hamachi crudo. For the entrée, diners can choose from turkey two ways, pan-seared salmon, roasted acorn squash pappardelle, or roast beef, all served with delicious seasonal accompaniments. Dinner is capped with a choice of pumpkin panna cotta, apple and olive oil bundt cake, or seasonal sorbet. The cost is $75 per person and reservations are available online. Also consider an overnight stay at the hotel with guest rooms featuring exposed brick walls, hand-crafted steel windows, Persian rugs, and original hardwood floors.
Norman at Skyview Los Alamos
Perched on a hillside overlooking Santa Barbara wine country, Skyview Los Alamos is an iconic 1950s roadside motel turned luxurious boutique resort. The five-acre outpost in the Santa Ynez Valley merges mid-century style with modern rustic chic. The resort’s full-service restaurant, Norman, will serve a fantastic feast for Thanksgiving. The three-course, prix fixe dinner opens with an amuse bouche of deviled egg with crispy prosciutto, pomegranate, and shaved shallot, followed by the choice of winter squash soup, brussels sprouts, or yellowfin tartare as a starter. For the main course, guests can choose between sous vide duck confit, Duroc pork chop, or spaghetti squash with rosemary jasmine rice. Seasonal desserts and tempting add-ons round out the menu. The cost is $75 per person. Dinner and room reservations can be made online. The boutique hotel features stylish guest rooms, a heated swimming pool, a fire pit, and a working vineyard.
Farmhouse Restaurant at the Farmhouse Inn
Recently named among the best hotels in Northern California by Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards, Farmhouse Inn is bringing the spirit of its elevated, bespoke dining experience to Thanksgiving dinner at the Farmhouse Restaurant. Chefs Craig Wilmer and Amanda Hoang, a husband-and-wife team, have curated a three-course, prix fixe meal that offers a chance to savor Sonoma County’s agricultural bounty and the culinary delights of the season. The couple shares a strong belief in highlighting the local terroir, going to great lengths to work with local producers while building up the inn and restaurant’s gardens with rare and exquisite plants and herbs. With seatings beginning at 1:30 p.m., the inn has made it easy to gather and celebrate with treasured family and friends. Room and dinner reservations are available online.
Tallman Hotel’s Blue Wing Saloon & Restaurant
The Blue Wing Saloon at the historic Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake is serving up a white-tablecloth, three-course, prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner, with seatings at 1:30 or 4:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The first course includes a choice of apple and celery soup with crème fraiche or a fried goat cheese and arugula salad with candied walnuts and cranberries. For entrées, diners have a choice of roasted turkey with all the fixings, garlic and thyme roasted prime rib, crab-stuffed salmon, or mushroom fettuccine. Dessert choices are Lake County walnut pie, pumpkin crème brûlée, or cherry chocolate pot de crème. The cost ranges from $65 to $85. In addition, guests staying at the hotel for two or more nights during the week of Thanksgiving (November 24 through December 1, 2024) can receive up to 20% off by booking online with the promo code THANKS. For dinner reservations, call 707- 275-2233.
Brewery Gulch Inn & Spa
Book a Thanksgiving escape to the Brewery Gulch Inn on the Mendocino Coast and enjoy an incredible Thanksgiving dinner included with each stay. The exclusive, four-course plated dinner will be prepared by Executive Chef Stephen Smith and Sous Chef Tori Menna. Chef Smith’s resume includes stints at Stars in San Francisco and as a personal chef to fashion designer Donna Karan. The inn’s Thanksgiving menu will start with pan-seared scallops with braised leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and a champagne cream sauce. The second course offers a choice of a warm fall greens salad or a hearty vegan white bean and butternut squash soup. Main courses include oven-braised osso bucco, roast breast of duck, or a seasonal market seafood dish. For dessert, the chefs will feature pumpkin griddle cakes with bourbon caramel and house-made honey-pecan ice cream. Reservations for the inn can be made online.
The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air
For nearly 80 years, the legendary Hotel Bel-Air has welcomed celebrities, dignitaries, and royals from around the world to its secluded oasis of luxury. On a sweeping outdoor terrace, The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air is among the most elegant in Los Angeles with a large marble fireplace, cozy booths, and private alcoves overlooking Swan Lake. Under the inspired new direction of Culinary Director Joe Garcia, Executive Sous Chef Gel Zara, and Executive Pastry Chef Christophe Rull, the restaurant serves modern Californian cuisine crafted from the finest, locally sourced ingredients. On Thanksgiving Day, the culinary team will prepare a festive, three-course, prix fixe dinner along with a grand dessert buffet. Thanksgiving dinner will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The cost is $250 per person ($95 for children 12 and under), with dinner and room reservations available online.
Santa Barbara Inn’s Convivo Restaurant
Just off the lobby and pool of Santa Barbara Inn, Convivo Restaurant offers a captivating oceanfront setting, with a cozy outdoor terrace that’s the perfect romantic complement to the dramatic Pacific Ocean. The restaurant is serving a Thanksgiving feast this year, from noon to 9:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. With three- ($115) and four-course ($140) options, the menu features a variety of choices for each course. Antipasti choices include a kabocha squash soup with hazelnuts and pomegranates and chicken liver with crostone and strawberries. Second-course options include a seven-hour veal Bolognese or lemon ricotta cappellacci. For the main entrée, guests can choose among options such as roasted turkey with Manchego biscuit and persimmon-pomegranate marmalade or miso honey-roasted short ribs. And desserts range from a lemon tart with huckleberry to a chocolate caramel bar with salted caramel gelato. Dinner and room reservations are available online.
MacCallum House
Every Thanksgiving, the MacCallum House in Mendocino hosts a festive wine-paired dinner featuring traditional dishes prepared with local and seasonal ingredients. The MacCallum House set the standard in the early days of farm-to-table dining with Executive Chef Alan Kantor’s long-time focus on sustainable farming. While the menu for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner has not yet been announced, last year’s dinner featured a grilled shrimp cocktail, hearts of romaine salad, roasted organic turkey with bourbon gravy, cranberry maple relish, wild mushroom bread pudding, mashed Yukon gold potatoes, and pumpkin mascarpone cheesecake. Seatings for Thanksgiving are available at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. For pricing and reservations, call 707-937-0289. The inn is one of Mendocino’s finest Victorian landmarks and offers 19 beautiful guest rooms, many with spa tubs, fireplaces, private decks, and ocean views.
Little River Inn
The Little River Inn is throwing a Friendsgiving on the windswept Mendocino Coast. A twist on the traditional holiday, it’s an opportunity for friends to celebrate with their chosen families, including a seasonal four-course feast on Saturday, November 23, 2024. In addition to the lavish meal, stays that include Saturday night will be discounted more as the number of rooms increases. Two rooms receive a 10% discount, three rooms get 15% off, four rooms are 20% off, and there’s a whopping 25% discount on five or more rooms. A two-night and two-room minimum is required to receive the discount. Reservations must be made by November 10, either online using code FRIENDS24 or by calling 888-INN-LOVE. With sweeping ocean views, luxurious soaking tubs, cozy fireplaces, and more than 60 rooms to choose from, the inn promises a getaway that will be the talk of the friends’ group chat for months to come.