On Christmas Eve, Italian-American families skip meat and eat seafood. The Feast of the Seven Fishes, often called La Vigilia, grew out of the Catholic custom of skipping meat on Christmas Eve, so families got creative with fish and shellfish, course after course, according to Northshore Magazine. Boston restaurants have run with it, and a few turn it into the best dinner of the whole season.
Christmas Eve is Thu, Dec 24 this year. Two places are already booking it: Geppetto in Cambridge and both Boston locations of Davio's. Four more served a Christmas Eve fish feast last year and haven't posted their 2026 plans, so here's what they cooked in 2025 and where to watch for this year's menus.
Here's who's booking now and who to watch.
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Geppetto
100 N First Street, Cambridge
Chef Will Gilson's Geppetto at Cambridge Crossing already lists its Feast of the Seven Fishes for Thu, Dec 24, 2026 on OpenTable. It's $140.76 per person, prepaid, for parties of 1 to 6, and the menu is coming soon. Last year's version was a 6-course set menu on Christmas Eve, from a Sicilian-style crudo of salmon, tuna and yellowtail to lobster arancini, linguine with clams and pan-roasted swordfish, per Boston Restaurant Talk. Watch the 2026 menu, since it may change.
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Coppa
253 Shawmut Avenue, South End
Ken Oringer's Coppa opened at 4 PM on Christmas Eve 2025 for a 5-course Feast of Seven Fishes with drink pairings for each course. The 2025 menu had lobster and pumpkin chowder, wood-oven roasted monkfish and squid ink linguine with mussels and clams, and everyone went home with house-made Italian Christmas cookies. Coppa warned last year that there wouldn't be much space for walk-ins, so book ahead once 2026 opens. Coppa hasn't posted its 2026 plans, so check its site for 2026 menus and booking.
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Porto
Ring Road, Back Bay
At Porto, chef Jody Adams, a two-time James Beard Award winner, served a 4-course Feast of the Seven Fishes Tuesday through Saturday last December, through Sat, Dec 27, 2025, including Christmas Eve, according to Boston Restaurant Talk. The whole table had to order it. Last year's menu opened with a crudo trio, including a local oyster with pomegranate mignonette. Porto's events page has nothing for 2026 yet, so check its happenings page.
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View placeDavio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse – Back Bay
75 Arlington Street, Back Bay
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View placeDavio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse – Seaport
26 Fan Pier Boulevard, Seaport
Both Boston locations of Davio's are serving a 3-course Feast of the Seven Fishes on Thu, Dec 24, 2026, from 4 to 11 PM, for $85 per person, with the full dinner menu available too, so not everyone at the table has to go all in on seafood, according to the Christmas Eve pages for Back Bay and Seaport. Back Bay's menu starts with prawn, crab meat and calamari, then linguine with clams and mussels and Atlantic cod with butter-poached lobster. The Seaport's has oysters Rockefeller, tuna tartare, crab meat and prawn, linguine with Nantucket Bay scallops and flounder with Maine lobster. Steve DiFillippo bought the original Davio's in the Back Bay in 1985, according to Davio's. Check the Back Bay and Seaport pages for 2026 menus and booking.
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Prima Boston
10 City Square, Charlestown
Prima, the Italian steakhouse in Charlestown, ran a 4-course chef's tasting Feast of the Seven Fishes on Tue, Dec 23, 2025 and Wed, Dec 24, 2025, per Caught in Charlestown. The whole table had to commit to it. The 2025 menu had bay scallop crudo and spaghetti all'assassina topped with tuna tartare. Check its site for 2026 menus and booking.
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Prezza
24 Fleet Street, North End
Prezza owner Anthony Caturano grew up with Christmas Eve fish feasts in a tight-knit Revere neighborhood, and in 2025 his North End restaurant served an à la carte Feast of the Seven Fishes menu on Fridays in December, according to Northshore Magazine. Last year's dishes included fried smelts, octopus carpaccio and spaghetti with Nantucket bay scallops. Prezza is named for his mother's hometown in Abruzzo. Check its site for 2026 plans.