NEW ORLEANS — It's the night before Christmas and the stores may all be closed — but restaurants in the metro area certainly weren’t.
In fact, there's a long list of places welcoming guests and staying open this holiday season.
One of those restaurants was the newly opened Warbucks, which saw a steady stream of customers all night.
Inside of the restaurant on Magazine Street, Nicole Dishongh and her family were trying out a new Christmas Eve tradition: eating out rather than staying at home.
“It's nice not to cook but you are still spending time with family so it's really Christmas Eve either way,” Dishongh said.
Another diner, Candance Birdsong, said she was cooking a big meal for her mom visiting from Philadelphia, but that’s being saved for Christmas day.
“I let her take a break tonight. I didn't want her to cook today and tomorrow and I used to do it so now it's her turn to take care of mom like that," Birdsong’s mother said.
As usual, some area restaurants will close for the holidays, but many others stay open. Nomenu.com published a list of 50 of the best spots staying open.
Many eateries listed were in the French Quarter and CBD, but also on the list — and packed on Christmas Eve — was Andrea’s in Metairie.
One customer at Andrea’s was Stephanie Carter, who said eating there on Christmas Eve is a new tradition.
“It used to be tradition where I would have it at my home every year. But for the last six or seven years we've been coming here and we love it," Carter said.
Though the tradition isn't the same as the days of old, Stephanie Carter says it's good to switch things up.
"It's different but your family changes so with the changes you make the changes but we love it," Carter said.
With Christmas just hours away, diners seem to agree that no matter where you eat, what matters is who you’re eating with.