StJohann in Tirol - Christmas Day dinner
 

We've done it, and after years of saying "this is way too stressful, next year I am going away for Christmas" we have booked a weeks holiday in StJohann in Tirol, arriving there on Christmas Eve.

Our hotel (the Adeo Alpin, next to the nursery slopes) is on a bed and breakfast basis so we need to find somewhere for our meal on Christmas day. It seems from my research so far that the main Christmas Day meals are in the evening, which suits us perfectly as we'll want to be on the slopes during the day if there is snow.

The tour operator has sent us a list of restaurants / hotels / guesthouses that are open for Christmas dinner, and we need to select one to book now. I know the Christmas Day dynamic will be a bit different to the normal one so am reluctant just to rely on tripadvisor reviews for this - for example, I am inclined to think we should go for a hotel rather than a restaurant, as a restaurant will be anxious to finish up early and get rid of everyone, whereas a hotel has guests staying anyway and might be more likely to make an effort on Christmas day. Some places might have a really nice Christmassy feel which I don't think would be evident from tripadvisor. So I thought I would ask Fodors - any and all advice gratefully accepted.

The places suggested by the tour operator are:
Hotel Brueckenwirt (last order 7pm)
Hotel Crystal
Familotel StJohanner Hof
Hotel Post
Hotel zur schoenen Aussicht
Hotel Fischer
Gasthof Mauth
Gasthof Hauser
Gasthof Roemerhof
Villa Masianco
Nostalgie (Tiroler Stueberl)
Pinnochio
Hubertusklause (closes at 7 - if this is last orders that would be OK, but if we have to be done & dusted by 7 I would probably rule this out).

If any of these are seriously out of the way, you might let me know as I am guessing taxis will be hard to come by on Christmas Day.

Many thanks

Jane

Topping... Would love to hear from anyone who has been to any of the above thanks

ttt... one last try!

We have only driven through Sankt Johann, and so can not comment directly on any of the restaurants. That said, Stüberls tend to be casual dining places and often don't have wide menus; or, may only be serving one menu on Christmas Day. Others will hopefully chime in, but I don't think Stüberls take reservations, either. Three of the places on your list serve pizza and pasta (Pinocchio, Fink's, Villa Mascianco), if that is your preferred holiday cuisine.

Only my €0,02, but if I were making this decision, I would focus on the Gasthofs with the best set of reviews, and send them a message inquiring about their Christmas dinners. Typically a Gasthof receiving good reviews means it is family-run and serving traditional food.

Also, if you did not know, Carp ("Karpfen" in German) is a traditional Christmas food in Austria, and that might sway your decision, as well.

Sorry to not be of more help.

Thanks a lot, fourfortravel - you were a great help!

All of the places on the list the tour operators gave us are open and will take reservations, so I'll focus on the Gasthofs and check out the reviews for them to see which looks best.

Thanks for the tip on the carp - will definitely try to fit that in.