While Lunar New Year is always a multi-faceted celebration, full of fascinating symbolism and spiritual meaning, one of the most popular ways to celebrate is by having a feast with family and friends.
Sydney’s best Chinese restaurants typically put together exclusive Lunar New Year banquets to help push the festivities along and lead you into an auspicious year with a very satisfied appetite. Australia is known for having the best Asian restaurants outside of Asia, so twirling your chopsticks around spicy prawn longevity noodles, biting into delicious dumplings and filling the table with spring rolls, whole fish, and cured meats is mandatory.
While Lunar New Year officially falls on Tuesday, February 17, some venues will extend the celebrations through to March 3, the date of the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of Lunar New Year Celebrations, occurring on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
2026 marks the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. More specifically, it’s the Year of the Fire Horse, a time associated with bold moves, creative risk-taking and fiery momentum. In that spirit, we say seize the moment, gather your favourite people and celebrate Lunar New Year at one of Sydney’s standout dining institutions.
Here are our top picks for the best Lunar New Year dinners in Sydney.
1. Lucky Prawn, The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre
Part brewery, part 1980s pun, part country-town Chinese-Australian bistro, The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre combines all our favourite things, resulting in perfect craft beers and indulgent Cantonese dishes.
This year, they’re celebrating the Year of the Horse at Lucky Prawn, the brewery’s iconic Chinese restaurant. Offering up a limited-edition banquet menu, the restaurant will dish out favourites like steamed scallop with ginger shallot, XO pippies and long life crab noodles, as well as Lucky Prawn legends, prawn toast and deep-fried Viennetta. To top it off, there will also be a traditional Lion Dance performance on February 15 to bring good luck and good fortune to all those who attend. Think booming drums, plenty of energy and all the best vibes to kickstart Lunar New Year.
Where: The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre, 8-12 Sydney St, Marrickville NSW 2204.
When: February 15 to February 22.
Price: $78 per person, for groups of six or more.
2. Spice Temple
This year, Spice Temple is centring its Lunar New Year banquet around symbolism, seasonality and shared celebration. The Sydney staple will serve up pink snapper Yu Sheng for prosperity, lobster and scallop dumplings and pippies in Shaoxing wine for good fortune, plus steamed coral trout with longevity noodles to welcome the year ahead. It’ll also feature richer dishes like pork belly with rice cake, premium beef fillet with Spice Temple chimichurri, and seasonal greens, before finishing on chestnut moon cake with honey ice cream.
Where: 10 Bligh St, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: February 9 to March 3.
Price: $159 per person.
3. Felons Barrel Room
The Northern Beaches’ coolest new venue, Felons Barrel Room, will host Lunar New Year celebrations for an extended weekend, howeber the main event takes place on Thursday, February 19, in the form of a waterfront Lunar New Year feast. The shared banquet menu has been curated by Saigon Supper Inn, the Vietnamese food offering within the Barrel Room, led by chef Bao La.
Menu highlights include prawn spring rolls, chicken dumplings, prawn and pork wontons, longevity noodles, steamed whole coral trout, Peking duck, soft shell crab fried rice and seasonal greens. A traditional lion dance will take place during the Lunar New Year festivities, at 7:30pm on Thursday, 19th.
Where: E Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095.
When: February 19 at 7:30pm.
Price: $88 per person.
4. Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant
Pan-fried vermicelli with live pipies in special XO sauce, prawn and black truffle dumplings, shallot-braised e-fu noodles, and live lobster with ginger. All at 10pm while Dixon Street buzzes with the energy of the Chinese New Year. That’s the vibe at Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant at this time of the year. And while the hatted restaurant is a showstopper any day across the calendar, the next few weeks are when the atmosphere really steps up.
Although this iconic restaurant hasn’t released an official banquet or set menu to commemorate Lunar New Year, if you want authentic, great-quality Cantonese dishes and a vibrant, bustling atmosphere, Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant is the place to be.
Where: 393-399 Sussex St, Haymarket NSW 2000.
When: Open seven days a week until 11pm.
Price: No official Lunar New Year set menu.
5. Golden Century
Beloved Sydney dining institution Golden Century have teamed up with Hennessy to create a curated series of banquet menus to celebrate the Lunar New Year in style. Their boujie Special Menu begins with a complimentary Hennessy Tea Cocktail, continuing with a prosperity salad with salmon sashimi. Each course has meaning, reflecting on Lunar New Year values and traditions. For energy and prosperity, guests will be served Southern red lobster, and for wealth and abundance, the dish includes Golden Century seafood fried rice with flying fish roe. Dessert, symbolising reunion and harmony, is black sesame sticky rice dumplings with Chinese laughing doughnuts.
If you can’t summon eight friends to join you, or perhaps don’t want to commit to the many courses of the set menu, you can also dine à la carte at Golden Century, and enjoy traditional dishes like braised whole abalone, roast duck salad, golden crispy ‘Pipa’ tofu and steamed live fish. You can check out the more casual menu here.
Where: 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000.
When: Available February 3 through February 28.
Price: LNY Special Menu priced at $230 per person for a minimum of eight pax.
6. Pearl Dining
Book Pearl Dining’s Banquet Experience and enjoy a curated experience centred around premium ingredients, traditional flavours and refined Cantonese technique. They’re offering two different set menus, one for groups of four or more people and one for smaller tables of two to three people.
On their stacked banquet menu for four plus guests, stand-out dishes include pearl prawn dumplings, steamed pork and prawn siu mai with smoked quail egg, wagyu tri-tip with tangerine peel sauce and pan-fried water chesnut cake. The other banquet menu features some similar dishes, but also swaps out larger dishes like the double-roasted Peking duck for crispy skin pork belly with pancakes. You can decide which menu is calling your name here.
Where: Young St, Quay Quarter Tower, 50 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: February 16 to February 22.
Price: Both banquet menus cost $138 per person.
7. Aria
Renowned for its fine dining and breathtaking harbour views, Aria offers the perfect setting to celebrate Lunar New Year in style and sophistication. They’re offering a limited menu consisting of refined snacks and signature cocktails for guests to enjoy bar-side. Created by Executive Chef Tom Gorringe, the menu features dishes like red braised Maremma duck pie ($28) and Western Australian rock lobster toast ($22). Sip their specialty Juzi Honeybee cocktail ($28) and enjoy the sweetness of oolong honey paired with the bitterness of lemon, mandarin and Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru.
Where: 1 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: February 16 until March 3.
Price: The barside menu can be viewed here.
8. The Sydney Opera House with Victor Liong
Victor Liong, the Chef and owner of Le Ho Fook, will host a special dinner at the Sydney Opera House this Lunar New Year. Liong, who is known for bringing contemporary, new-wave Chinese cuisine to Sydney and Melbourne, has curated a three-course menu, with a choice of matching wines or tea pairings. The chef will personally present each course, sharing the stories, traditions and inspirations behind each dish. Menu highlights include salmon sashimi, crispy eggplant, stuffed dry-aged duck breast and a sweet mango pudding.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience will be brought to life with vibrant lion dance performances to fully embrace the start of the Year of the Horse.
Where: Yallamundi Rooms, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000.
When: February 19, 6:30pm-10pm.
Price: $238 per person with wine pairing, $228 per person with tea pairing.
