Saddle Up and Celebrate the Year of the Horse
In the Chinese zodiac, the horse symbolises freedom, energy and perseverance, and people born in the year of the horse are said to be tenacious, outgoing and independent. This year is specifically the Year of the Fire Horse (each of the five elements are associated with a year alongside an animal of the zodiac), making it a time for dynamic growth and rapid change.Chinatown’s Lunar New Year celebrations will be back in full force with the annual parade taking place on Sun 22nd February. Otherwise, a bunch of restaurants are getting in on the action, so here’s how can you ring in the Lunar New Year in London.Chinatown ParadeFloats and dragon dances will wind through the streets of Chinatown on 22nd February as part of the annual Lunar New Year parade – it should kick off around 10am on the corner of Charing Cross Road and Trafalgar Square and make its way into Chinatown for midday. There’ll also be lion dances and other performances in Trafalgar Square throughout the day. As well as watching the performances, you can dip into one of Chinatown’s many restaurants for festive specials like yu sheng, longevity noodles, nian gao and jiaozi dumplings.Sun 22nd February 2026Trafalgar Square, LondonBAOTo ring in the Year of the Horse, BAO is putting on a spesh menu, a new cocktail and a limited-edition bao at all its sites. Toast to the new year with the whisky and pineapple soda Red Stallion; tuck into the Dark Horse menu, which includes prosperity tossing salmon salad and chilli crab rice; and finish with crispy bao horse charms with chocolate dipping sauce.Tues 10th – Thurs 26th February 2026All BAO locationsXi Home Dumplings BayTo celebrate Lunar New Year, Xi Home Dumplings Bay is creating these spesh lion dance buns filled with custard and matcha that you can order for gifting (from 1st – 15th February). From 17th February, a Golden Spring Feast menu will be on offer at the restaurant, featuring dishes like squirrel sea bass with plum, golden enoki and tofu salad, and braised pork with abalone and hawthorn.Tues 17th February – Mon 16th March 202610 Blossom Street, London E1 6PLCarouselJohn Javier and Jackson Boxer are teaming up for a spesh guest chef collaboration at Carousel to ring in the Year of the Horse, inspired by a meal that John had cooked for Jackson at a previous Lunar New Year celebration. Their menu will include dishes like monkfish and prawn siu mai with trout roe; bang bang chicken; poached squid in superior broth with radish and egg custard; burnt cabbage with fish sauce butter; and deep fried milk ice cream.Tues 17th – Sat 21st February 202619-23 Charlotte St. London W1T 1RWDaddy BaoTooting’s favourite Taiwanese spot is celebrating Lunar New Year with a Daddy Bao twist. For one day only it’ll be serving up a tasting menu, featuring confit duck dumplings, prawn longevity noodles, fragrant fish bao and a nian gao dessert.Tues 17th February 2026113 Mitcham Road, Tooting, London SW17 9PENoodle & BeerBoth the Chinatown and Spitalfields branches of this Sichuan noodle spot will be decked out fire horse decorations and both will be running a menu of seven specials, including joy dumplings, prosperity beer duck, and sweet glutinous rice balls. If you dine on 16th and 17th February, you’ll also receive an auspicious red envelope containing discounts or gifts.Mon 16th February – Tues 3rd March 2026Chinatown & SpitalfieldsMiMi Mei FairFor its Lunar New Year celebration, MiMi Mei Fair will be doing a set menu, featuring dishes like ‘basket of wealth’ dim sum; wok baked lobster with superior broth; crispy pork with pomelo and pineapple; and baiju baba for dessert. The wishing tree will also be returning to the restaurant so you can set an intention for the new year.Thurs 5th February – Sat 7th March 202655 Curzon Street, London, W1J 8PGShanghai Supper ClubLillian Luk is back with another edition of her Shanghai Supper Club and she’s doing a banquet for Lunar New Year. Her menu includes drunken chicken, jellyfish and radish, sheng jian bao, pork knuckle and qin cai, and eight treasure duck.Tues 10th February 2026The Royal Oak, 74-76 York St, London W1H 1QNSambal ShiokMandy Yin is putting the Yee Sang Prosperity Toss Salad back on the Sambal Shiok menu for Lunar New Year, which will be available in sizes for groups of four, six and eight. A feast menu will also be on offer, including dishes like golden fragrant prawns with prawn crackers, soy braised chicken, Chinese and wood ear mushrooms, and coconut pudding with mandarin orange and red bean.Tues 10th – Sat 28th February 2026171 Holloway Rd, London N7 8LXDin Tai FungTo honour the Year of the Horse, Din Tai Fung has added a number of specials, symbolising strength, warmth and abundance to its menu. They include chicken & prawn tom yum xiao long bao, soy noodle salad, dynamite prawns, beef tenderloin with broccoli, lion’s head meatball soup, and prawn & egg fried rice with XO sauce. For every spend over £180, guests will receive Din Tai Fung bespoke red pockets too.Mon 9th – Sun 22nd February 2026All Din Tai Fung locationsChop Chop by Four SeasonsWanna keep the celebrations going late into the night? Chop Chop by Four Seasons at The Hippodrome is open until 4am so you can swing by for dim sum, Hong Kong-style roast duck, and pistachio mille crepe cake long after the city’s other restaurants have shut up shop. Those born under the horse zodiac will be able to get 20% off the menu from 16th – 19th February, and if you visit on the evening of Lunar New Year, the team will be handing out red envelopes for blessings and good fortune.Mon 16th – Thurs 19th February 2026Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, WC2H 7JHGreenwich PeninsulaHead down to Greenwich Peninsula for a free family-friendly day of fun, including dragon dancing, lion dancing, drumming performances, DJs and lantern installations. There’ll be plenty of East Asian food and tea to try, and you can book in for creative workshops like calligraphy and Chinese knot-braiding too.Sat 21st February 2026Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 0ESHakkasanAs well as being decked out with new year decorations, wishing trees and lion dances, Hakkasan is doing a limited-edition menu of celebratory dishes for Lunar New Year. They include fortune money bag dumplings; Australian tenderloin with red peppercorn and pomegranate sauce; wok-seared sea bream with kumquat; and a mandarin mousse dessert.Mon 9th February – Sun 8th March 202617 Bruton St, London W1J 6QB YauatchaThe Year of the Horse has come to Yauatcha City and Yauatcha Soho and you can get in on the action with a limited-edition set menu. It includes steamed dim sum, taro duck claypot, lotus root with Chinese broccoli, and clementine ember petit gâteau. You can also buy boxes of pineapple pastries to gift too. Mon 9th February – Sun 8th March 2026Yauatcha City and Soho
Comments (0)