Restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinner: Take-out vs. dine-in

Editor’s Note: If you know of a restaurant open on Thanksgiving for pick-up and/or dine-in, send us the information at WROCDigital@nexstar.tv.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — November is the month of Thanksgiving — which means it’s almost time to plan out your Thanksgiving dinner!

If basting a turkey and preparing a plethora of sides for a fantastic meal isn’t high on your list this year, what are your alternatives to cooking?

There are a ton of restaurants in the Rochester area that are offering meal packages to order and even customize for your family. A select few are offering dine-in options.

Below are two lists for comparison — restaurants that allow you to dine in only, places that only let you pick up, and those that offer both.

Restaurants offering pick-up

It’s more common to find restaurants in the Rochester area providing pick-up services for customers prior to Thanksgiving. Most of these restaurants offer pre-made meal packages that come with the typical turkey, sides, gravy, and desserts. Others allow you to pick and choose what you want to take home.

Many of these restaurants have deadlines listed on their websites, among other rules and information, for pick-ups, so make sure you check with them before you get ready to order.

Avvino: A chef’s prepared Thanksgiving dinner for four will be available for pick up on November 22 at the Mercantile on Main.
Chef’s Catering: This restaurant offers a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner on the “Chef’s Store” section of its website. The meal serves four to six people with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and more.
Green Zebra Catering: Green Zebra is allowing its customers to customize a meal package to pick up and take home with them — sides, desserts, and two types of turkeys, with one of them letting the customer the size of the turkey.
Newbury Park Pastries: Newbury Park Pastries is offering customers its turkey dinner pot pies, with the ingredients being parts of what you would eat at a Thanksgiving dinner. You can pick these up this weekend, November 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, and 19.
Public Provisions & Flour City Bread Company: In the “Thanksgiving Store” on its website, “Public Provisions” allows customers to pre-order their Thanksgiving dinners for pick-up on November 22 between 9 a.m. until afternoon.
REDD: A “Thanksgiving To Go” event will be held at REDD, with the restaurant offering pre-purchase through email. The dinner includes turkey, potato puree, and chicory and apple salad.
Red Fern: For those looking for a vegan meal for Thanksgiving, The Red Fern offers meals such as lentil loaf, a turkey-less drumstick dinner, and a maple bourbon tofu ham, with sides. The meals will be ready for pick-up on November 21 or November 22. The cutoff date for ordering is November 17 at 8 p.m.
Warfield’s Restaurant: Warfield’s in Clifton Springs allows customers to pre-order different meals, either a complete meal with turkey, sides, and house salad — or order each part separately. You can either call the restaurant, head there to fill out a form, or order on its website.

Restaurants offering dine-in

A ton of restaurants will be closed on Thanksgiving. Although it’s not as common as the pick-up services, there are restaurants that keep their doors open and continue to serve their customers.

These are either traditional table service or entire Thanksgiving buffets! Although, these restaurants still offer pick-up services if you still don’t feel like leaving the house.

Keep in mind however, these restaurants require reservations ahead of time. Before arriving at any of the below restaurants with your party, make sure you call ahead and secure a spot!

Cracker Barrel: The Henrietta location of Cracker Barrel will be open regular hours on Thanksgiving and on Black Friday.
Elmwood Inn: Elmwood Inn is encouraging customers to reserve their spot as soon as possible to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner all made in-house. The deadline for reservations is November 13.
Farmer’s Creekside Tavern & Inn: Farmer’s Creekside in Le Roy is offering reservations to dine-in on Thanksgiving, whether it be inside their restaurant for the Prix-Fixe three-course dinner or in a private “igloo.” You can also place an order for a full turkey meal to go.
FLX Table: Reservations are available to secure a table at Geneva’s FLX Table restaurant for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner! Special dishes for the dinner include Wild Mushroom Stuffing, brussel sprout salad, and candied squash with honey marshmallow.
The Lake House in Canandaigua: The Lake House is encouraging customers to sit back and not worry about cooking this Thanksgiving. Customers are encouraged to enjoy the region’s wine producers. Reservations can be made at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Monroe’s: Monroe’s is offering both curbside packages for pick-up and an entire Thanksgiving buffet for dine-in. For pick-ups, you can either choose an individual meal package or two different group dinners. For the buffet, they offer starters, a carving station with turkey and other meats, and desserts.
New York Kitchen: New York Kitchen has canceled all of its classes for Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go there and celebrate the holiday. A buffet is being offered at the restaurant, with an assortment of starters, sides, meats, and desserts to choose from. Seating times are between 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.