Chinese New Year 2023: Where to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in London

In China and much of Asia, the New Year is celebrated in January as Lunar New Year. It coincides with the first new moon of the year and the traditional beginning of spring, and across Asia families and friends honour the date with meals together, fireworks, gifts and making wishes for the future. The Chinese New Year celebrations almost always feature ancient lion or dragon dances, with the enormous model held aloft on poles that many in the West are familiar with. 2023’s festival officially happens on 22nd January, initiating the Year of the Rabbit, which is considered the luckiest of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, symbolising mercy, elegance and beauty. 

London is home to the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of Asia, and this year the party is finally back in full swing following the pandemic. A truly important element of all Chinese New Year festivities is the food, which brings loved ones together. With that in mind, here are some top locations to enjoy the event in the city. 

Carousel x Poon’s – 19^th – 20^th January

To mark the Chinese New Year, Carousel have collaborated with Chinese food institution Poon’s and are inviting guests to cook, share and eat at a Cantonese Steamboat Feast.

The event runs for two nights only in the White Room at Carousel, and just a handful of spots remain. Diners will get together around pans of broth to gently poach an array of fresh seafood, marinated meats, Chinese vegetables, noodles and more, with a selection of Poon’s legendary sauces for all their dipping needs.

For further information or to book a space at Carousel x Poon’s Cantonese Steamboat Feast, visit the restaurant’s website here.

Mama Chen’s at The Gantry Hotel – 18^th – 22^nd January

This January diners are invited to The Gantry Hotel in Stratford where new pop-up dumpling and noodle bar Mama Chen’s has recently launched a residency. They will be decorating the ground floor of the hotel with Chinese lanterns and other auspicious decorations, and offering customers giveaways and authentic dishes for the festival. The menu pays homage to chef Michelle Liu’s grandmother’s cooking and features a selection of dim sum, including Traditional Chinese Chive and Prawn Dumplings, Prawn and Pork Wontons with Mama Chen’s Chilli Oil and Green Panda Vegetable Dumplings. Wonton soups and noodles are also a speciality, with options such as spicy noodles coated with Mama Chen’s Crunchy Garlic and Numbing Szechuan Oil; sides include a Smacked Cucumber Salad and Tofu Puffs with Shiitake Mushroom and Garlic Sriracha. There are also free buns with every Whole Shebang Dumpling Feast for Two order, and an exclusive Prawn Siu Mai dumpling dish to mark the occasion.

For further information or to book a table at Mama Chen’s at The Gantry Hotel, 40 Celebration Avenue, London E20 1DB, visit the hotel’s website here.

BaoziInn Soho – 19^th January – 28^th February

Northern Chinese food experts BaoziInn Soho are introducing a brand-new vegan and vegetarian à la carte menu this month with Chinese New Year in mind. The new offering comprises a range of healthy dishes, with a selection of BaoziInn’s best loved, colourful dim sum, steamed buns, dumplings, noodles, skewers and Sichuan and Hunan Street food.

Some of the starters on the new menu are Cucumber in Chef’s Special Chilli, Crispy Fried Tofu and BaoziInn Vegetable Spring Rolls. A variety of steamed buns include the likes of a Lotus Seed Bun, a Vegan Bun and a Curry Potato Bun. From the dim sum section there is a Mushroom Green Curry Dumpling as well as Black Pepper Tofu Dumplings and Vegan Chiu Chow Dumplings; Northern Chinese dumplings are also on offer in both vegan and vegetarian options, as always with plenty of chilli oil. There’s a Vegan Dim Sum Platter and a Veggie Skewer Platter, each with three different varieties, and main dishes feature Aubergine with Sweet and Sour Sauce, Pock Mark Mapo Beancurd and, of course, Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles (a dish BaoziInn has become famous for).

For further information or to book a table at BaoziInn Soho, 24 Romilly Street, London W1D 5AH, visit the restaurant’s website here.

Park Chinois x Hennessy XO – 19^th – 29^th January (entertainment 19^th – 22^nd January)

This Mayfair venue has created a special food listing along with three bespoke Hennessy XO cocktails for Chinese New Year, with evening entertainment running for some of the period (acts include Chinese drumming, a string quartet, and of course the famous Lion Dance that will weave across both floors of the restaurant).

Executive chef Che Liang Lee presents a menu of seven specials to showcase the flavours and influences of his travels. To start, there’s a take on the traditional prosperity-toss salad, Chinese New Year Lo Hei with Hiramasha Fish and Double-Boiled Fish Maw, Dried Scallop and Bamboo Soup. Mains include Grilled Wild Sea Bass with Guanciale and Plum Sauce, Cantonese Roasted Duck and Sauteed Australian Wagyu Beef with Chive and Shacha Sauce. This year also brings back the Whole Roasted Suckling Pig Stuffed with Sticky Rice, Dried Shrimp, Chestnut, Mushroom, Shallot, Salted Egg, Guanciale and Red Date, which is available to pre-order. For desserts, there’s a Bunny Custard Bao served with yuzu wine. An eight-course group dining menu (designed to be shared between at least four) can also be booked with advance notice.

To complement the dishes, mixologists have created three Hennessy XO cocktails (together called Les Trois Petits Lapins): Le Lapin Imperial (Hennessy XO Cognac, peach, rhubarb, Delamotte Brut champagne), Le Lapin Rouge (Hennessy XO, rye whiskey, amaro, Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino) and Le Lapin d’Or (Hennessy XO, Eminente Reserva 7yr Rum, Grand Marnier, orgeat syrup and citrus). The venue’s head sommelier has also curated a wine list for the occasion.

For further information or to book a table at Park Chinois, 17 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EA, visit the restaurant’s website here.

Perception Bar at W Hotel – 21^st January

The Perception Bar at W London, a stone’s throw away from Chinatown itself, are hosting an event in their busy party venue.

The bar and dance space will be transformed to celebrate new beginnings and welcome in the Chinese New Year in style. Its usual glamorous disco atmosphere will be enhanced to to embrace the spirit that the Year of the Rabbit entails, with drinks to match.

For further information or to book a table at Perception Bar, W Hotel, 10 Wardour Street, London W1D 6QF, visit the bar’s website here.

Din Tai Fung – 25^th January – 5^th February

This Michelin Guide-recognised Taiwanese hotspot will launch limited-edition dishes and a special tasting menu for the festival, available across its three London restaurants for groups of between six and ten diners. Featuring some of the brand’s most famous dishes (among them the Xiao Long Bao and the Salted Egg Yolk Custard Lava Buns), the tasting menu is a sample some of the best of Din Tai Fung. The Chinese New Year limited-edition dishes will include Prawn and Egg Fried Rice with XO Sauce and Tom Yum Xiao Long Bao, as well as Classic Steamed Black Cod and No-Crab Cakes (a vegan take on the crab cake).

Those looking for a bustling but refined vibe should opt for the Covent Garden branch, the brand’s flagship London location. For more glamorous surroundings, Din Tai Fung Centre Point is the go-to, the latest addition taking inspiration from the decade in which Centre Point was built, and home to a separate bar area for after-dinner cocktails. Meanwhile, the Selfridges venue offers a pitstop after a day of shopping.

For further information about Din Tai Fung or to book a table visit the group’s website here.

The Orchid Lounge x Diptique at Pan Pacific London – 4^th January – 27^th March

Pan Pacific London showcase South East Asian hospitality in their hotel in the heart of the City, and this Lunar New Year they are offering with an afternoon tea in partnership with Diptyque in their Orchid Lounge.

Executive pastry chef Cherish Finden has created a special offering inspired by Diptyque’s Orange Tree and Fleur d’Orange Orange Blossom fragrances – given that oranges symbolise the bringing of luck and happiness in Chinese culture. The candlelit tea is served in a birdcage and features pastries such as a Mandarin and White Chocolate Mousse with Orange Marmalade Tiger Sponge, along with Chinese savoury choices like crispy wontons with aromatic duck and tofu, as well as a Lobster Bun and Singaporean Kaya Toast. There’s a choice of teas from The Rare Tea Company or the Orchid Lounge’s Bespoke Blend (a mix of loose leaf Indian and Malawian black tea, Chinese oolong and Indian rose petals), or there are sparkling wines and mocktails.

In keeping with tradition (whereby the host provides a red card or hóngbāo to write hopes and dreams for the year ahead on, before it is attached to a tree) guests can post a wish on the Orchid Lounge’s wishing tree.

For further information about the Diptyque afternoon tea at the Orchid Lounge, Pan Pacific London, 80 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7AB visit the hotel’s website here.

Straits Kitchen at Pan Pacific London – 21^st – 31^st January

Straits Kitchen, also at Pan Pacific, are putting on a four-course sharing dinner on Saturday 21^st January only, featuring a Jade Rabbit welcome cocktail or mocktail, Rainbow Yu Sheng salad (carrots, Daikon radishes, sweet purple potatoes, pickled ginger, fresh mango and clementine, finished with black cod and black truffle), Braised Abalone served with shiitake mushrooms and gai lan and other dishes such as Steamed Seabass with XO Sauce, Native Lobster Stir-Fried Longevity Noodles and XO Scallops Fried Rice. The opening salad is a time-worn communal experience: the group toss the salad together, and it’s thought the higher the toss, the more prosperous the year will be. To toast the festivities, there’s an optional two hours of unlimited Chinese wine to accompany the meal.

In addition, there is a Sunday sharing feast on 22^nd January with a choice of roasts, including crispy pork belly, duck, barbecue pork and Hainanese chicken. It’s followed by house specialties of Native Lobster Laksa and Black Cod and Black Truffle Rainbow Yusheng along with a choice of sides. To finish there’s a Chinese New Year dessert buffet, also by executive pastry chef Cherish Finden.

For those who miss the weekend events, a three-course set lunch menu or four-course set dinner menu showcasing Straits Kitchen’s Singaporean-style cuisine with added Lunar New Year flair will run until 31^st January.

For further information or to book a table at Straits Kitchen, Pan Pacific London, 80 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7AB visit the hotel’s website here

The food desk