Holidaytime is here once again bringing cheer along with family, friends and food. The food that comes along with the holiday season is something people look forward to all year. But what if cooking Christmas dinner is not part of your holiday plans? If you are looking for a place to serve up some Christmas delight without having to do the work yourself, check out some of these restaurants in Ames that have both traditional and nontraditional items on their menus that would satisfy Santa’s belly along with his family of elves. Although most restaurants are closed on Christmas Day, you can go on Christmas Eve or take a special date out for dinner before Christmas. So bring your friends, family, or that special someone to one of these places in Ames to get your fill of food for the holiday.

Village Inn

524 Lincoln Way

232-5111

Christmas Eve hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed on Christmas

Village Inn offers a large selection of different dinner entrees to choose that include poultry, fish, beef and pork. If you want a hearty meal, these are the best options since they include a portion of meat, with choices of sides such as vegetables, French fries or rice, and each also comes with either a biscuit or cheese toast. The menu also offers breakfast items as well as burgers, chicken sandwiches and salads. For dessert, Village Inn has its seasonal pumpkin pie and offers award-winning pies of country apple, coconut cream, banana cream and caramel pecan silk supreme. A whole pie might make the perfect option for the family to take home and enjoy on Christmas day.

Carlos O’Kellys Mexican Cafe

631 Lincoln Way

232-1500

Christmas Eve hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Closed on Christmas

Feliz Navidad! Celebrate the holidays with Mexican food from Carlos O’Kellys. This restaurant has salads, quesadillas, chimichangas, enchiladas, fajitas and samplers. They also offer a burger, chicken fingers or a chicken sandwich for those who are not fans of Mexican food. For drinks, try a margarita and for dessert, sopapillas or fried ice cream make good alternatives to Christmas cookies and pie. If you fill up on chips and salsa, then take home the leftovers for Christmas Day.

Perkins

325 S. Duff Ave.

233-3648

Christmas Eve hours:

Open until 6 p.m.

Closed on Christmas

Perkins has endless options to choose from for an alternative to Christmas dinner. With breakfast, lunch and dinner plates, everyone could find something to be cheerful about. They have many fun finger foods for appetizers, a full menu of sandwiches or meat entrees, and dessert including a variety of pies such as banana cream, peanut butter silk, apple or lemon meringue. You can also choose from the cookies or a Mammoth Muffin. Just for the holidays, you can find holiday gift baskets full of muffins or cookies or take home a French silk pie.

Pizza Pit

207 Welch Ave.

292-6600

Holiday hours: After students leave for break they will close by 12:30 a.m.

Christmas Eve hours: Depends on employees’ availability

Closed on Christmas Day

If you are looking for something a little less traditional and simple, just head to Pizza Pit located in Campustown. It provides a perfect place to gather family or friends with a large seat-yourself area and plenty of pizzas and toppings to choose from. They also have wings and hot sandwiches or breadsticks and French fries for sides. Got any leftovers?

Maybe Santa will enjoy some pizza rather than a plate of cookies.

Olde Main Brewing Co. & Restaurant

316 Main St.

232-0553

Christmas Eve Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Closed on Christmas Day

Olde Main Brewing Co. & Restaurant would be another good place to take a date, as it is located on Main Street and you could stop by some other shops before or after you eat. Although they are only open for lunch on Christmas Eve, they still have quite the variety to choose from. You could easily fill up on some unique appetizers, including mozzarella cheese with roma tomatoes, egg rolls, seafood strudel or bruschetta. Their lunch menu also offers beef, meatloaf, fried chicken, grilled salmon and other sandwiches, burgers, pasta and salad, as well as entrees of either steak, salmon fillet, roasted chicken or steamed garden vegetables with grape tomatoes.