Chinese New Year 2026 dining specials in London restaurants

Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday 17^th February 2026, ushering in the Year of the Fire Horse. We have compiled a selection of restaurants who will be celebrating this special occasion with time-limited Lunar New Year menus or dishes, plus places adding traditional touches such as lion dances, red envelopes or symbolic ingredients. The mix spans late-night Cantonese in the West End, Northern dumpling specialists in Spitalfields, Sichuan cooking in Chinatown, and contemporary pan-Asian menus across several neighbourhoods, alongside higher-end hotel dining.

 

Late-night Lunar New Year at Chop Chop, Leicester Square

Chop Chop by The Hippodrome, a late-night Cantonese restaurant inside the Hippodrome Casino near Leicester Square, is planning Lunar New Year events including lion dance performances and red envelope and Chinese calendar giveaways. To mark the Year of the Horse, diners born in Horse years (1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 and 2002) are eligible for 20% off the full menu from Monday 16^th to Thursday 19^th February, with valid ID. Food includes dim sum, handmade dumplings and Hong Kong-style roast duck, plus desserts made with Japanese patisserie Sakurado. Open 6pm–4am (last orders 3.30am); 18+ photo ID required for entry.

For further information about Chop Chop by The Hippodrome and to book visit here.

Fire Horse New Year menu and Lion Dance buns at Xi Home, Spitalfields

Xi Home Dumplings Bay in Spitalfields is marking the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Fire Horse on 17^th February 2026 with a limited Golden Spring Feast menu, running until 16^th March. The Northern Chinese line-up includes Squirrel Sea Bass With Plum Sauce, golden-battered sea bass bites, braised pork belly with abalone and hawthorn, an enoki-and-tofu salad, golden prawn sticks, and Spanish mackerel dumplings wrapped in pumpkin-flour skins. The restaurant is also offering sculpted Lion Dance buns – custard-filled Heads with matcha Bodies – available to pre-order for collection between 1^st and 15^th February.

For further information on Xi Home Dumplings Bay’s Fire Horse New Year menu and to book visit here.

Noodle & Beer’s Chinese New Year specials in Chinatown and Spitalfields

From 16^th February to 3^rd March, Sichuan noodle spot Noodle & Beer is running a seven-dish Chinese New Year menu at both its Wardour Street and Spitalfields sites. The limited-run line-up spans starters such as Deep-fried Lotus Root Parcels stuffed with shrimp, plus mixed handmade dumplings; mains include Dry-pot Duck with konjac and rice cakes, and Braised Chicken with chestnuts and shiitake. Desserts range from Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls in sweet fermented rice soup (traditionally eaten at the festival’s close) to Fried Sticky Rice Cakes. Red-envelope giveaways run on 16^th and 17^th February.

For further information on Noodle & Beer’s Chinese New Year specials and to book visit here.

Lunar New Year specials at HUŌ and ULI, Belsize Park and Notting Hill

Across HUŌ and its sister restaurant ULI, a short Lunar New Year menu runs alongside the core offering from 17^th February to 3^rd March, served at lunch and dinner. The limited selection nods to the Year of the Horse through dishes associated with luck and abundance. A Dim Sum Basket (£11) riffs on the restaurants’ dumplings, combining Chicken Siu Mai with XO sauce, Prawn and Truffle Har Gau, and Aubergine-and-spinach Dumplings. Other specials include Crispy Duck Spring Rolls and Whole Dover Sole with soy, ginger and scallions. Prices reach £44.20, depending on dish and location.

For further information and reservations, visit HUŌ’s website here and ULI’s website here.

Chinese New Year duck feast at Belly, Kentish Town

For Lunar New Year, chef Omar Shah is marking the season at Belly with a short-run duck-centred set menu, available from 18^th to 22^nd February. Priced at £160, the CNY Duck offering is built around a whole roasted duck glazed with pink peppercorn and honey, intended to be shared as a table centrepiece in keeping with New Year traditions. Side dishes include Foie Gras Fried Rice, Duck Lumpia, an Adobo Offal Ragù, and BBQ Plum with plum-and-beetroot XO, alongside calamansi-based sauces. The restaurant plans to prepare four ducks per day, so pre-ordering is advised.

For further information about the Chinese New Year duck feast at Belly and to book visit here.

Hainan House’s Chinese New Year menu, Angel

To mark Chinese New Year 2026 on Tuesday the 17^th of February, Hainan House in Islington is serving a short run of Southern Chinese specials from 13^th February to 3^rd March, ending on the Lantern Festival. The dishes can be ordered alongside the seasonal à la carte menu. Options include Garlic Steamed King Prawns (£23.60) and a Drunken Prawns Claypot (£19.60) simmered with rice wine and herbs such as goji berries and angelica. There’s also Fried Golden Pomfret with spicy-sour sauce (£28) and Pickled Mustard Duck Soup (£32). Dessert is Red Bua (£3.50), a red rice-yeast-tinted glutinous rice sweet.

For further information on Hainan House’s Chinese New Year menu and to book visit here.

Red Momo for Lunar New Year at Fatt Pundit, Covent Garden

For Lunar New Year on 17^th February 2026, Fatt Pundit in Covent Garden is adding a limited-run dumpling dish to its menu. Available from 17^th to the 22^nd February, the Red Momo is a festive variation on the restaurant’s momos, made with red dough in reference to Lunar New Year’s auspicious colour. The filling is Sichuan-spiced chicken, with peppercorns for fragrance and heat, served with a burnt butter, beetroot and smoked tomato sauce. Fatt Pundit, founded by Mumbai-born brothers Huzefa and Hamza Sajawal, focuses on Indo-Chinese cooking rooted in Kolkata’s Hakka community.

For further information on Fatt Pundit’s Red Momo dish and to book visit here.

Lunar New Year at China Tang, The Dorchester

China Tang on Park Lane will mark Lunar New Year 2026 (the Year of the Horse) with a short programme of food and performance in its 1930s Shanghai-style dining room. On 17^th and 18^th February, the restaurant will welcome guests with a traditional Lion Dance. Executive Chef Chong Choi Fong’s menu additions focus on ten auspicious Cantonese dishes served alongside the regular menu, beginning with Lo Hei (raw fish or abalone salad). Other options include Lobster with XO sauce on Crispy Noodles, Steamed Whole Dover Sole, Red-cooked British Squab, Pan-fried Chinese Rice Cake, and a Lunar New Year dessert.

For further information on Lunar New Year celebrations at China Tang, The Dorchester, and to book visit here.

Food Desk