Chinese New Year 2024: The best places to feast in Hong Kong

The chef's dim sum selection at this Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant (HK$768) all but guarantees an auspicious afternoon. Highlights include steamed termite mushroom dumpling in chilli sauce topped with bamboo bird’s nest; baked chicken puff with abalone in coconut sauce; deep-fried crispy spring roll stuffed with air-dried oyster and seaweed. The festive affair continues to the evening with a dinner set (HK$1,688) that encompasses double-boiled sea conch soup with fresh abalone and red date; braised sea cucumber and air-dried oyster served with bamboo fungus stuffed with sea moss. 

Spring is afoot at this Cantonese restaurant with Chinese New Year lunch (HK$888) and dinner menus (HK$2,088) featuring favourites like sautéed lobster with fish broth as well as deep-fried grouper fillet with sun-dried shrimp, salted egg and gingko nuts. The menus also come with playful puns for prosperity: “Good Business” for the former and “All-Rounded Wealth” for latter. Look out, too, for auspiciously named seasonal dim sum, such as the siu mai with black moss—or good fortune siu mai. A lo hei platter is also available, with ingredients like abalone, roasted duck, melon, radish, pickles, crackers, spring onion, mango and jellyfish just waiting to be made airborne.

Bringing flavours from China's east coast, executive chef Chi-Ki Hong has designed menus fit for eight persons (HK$6,888), highlighting auspiciously named dishes like “Abundance Abounds”—pan-fried garoupa with snap peas; and “Fortune All Around”, showcasing oysters with spring onions and ginger. Individual sets (HK$1,280) dazzle with a lineup of abalone and goose web, caviar with soft-boiled eggs, honeyed lotus root and more. 

Award-winning executive Chinese chef Jacky Chi-Keung Chung of Yue at Sheraton Tung Chung is bringing together prized ingredients from sky, land and sea to his extravagant New Year menu, designed for four (HK$2,888) and six (HK$3,888) persons. Everyone's sure to be licking their lips for dishes like roasted suckling pig, deep-fried crab shell, braised bird’s nest soup, wok-fried garoupa, steamed cod fish with crispy soy bean and chilli, and so much more. Top up with scrumptious, a-la-carte additions like the roasted suckling pig lo hei (HK$688)—a whimsical alternative from the usual abalone option.

For the Year of the Dragon, award-winning Singaporean chef Edward Voon introduces The Laksa Club, a seasonal series that showcases the rich flavours of Peranakan, Malay and Hokkien dishes for a different kind of celebration. The sharing-style spread (HK$988) highlights Singaporean-style Sri Lankan chilli crab with fluffy mantou to soak up the curry, sambal pomfret wrapped in fragrant banana leaf, and—who could forget—springy prawn laksa noodles. Finish off with a dessert of coconut, gula Melaka and pandan.

Island Shangri-La celebrates bounty and togetherness this Year of the Dragon with traditional feasts at the Michelin-starred Summer Palace. Executive chef Yu-King Leung has cooked up family-favourites like sea moss soup with dried oysters, pork shank and pig’s tongue, as well as braised bird’s nest soup with diced seafood and crab roe. Those who fancy something sweet can opt for creative bites at the Lobby Lounge inspired the mystical dragon, or Island Gourmet’s Fortune Dragon Chinese New Year afternoon tea (HK$888 for two persons) laden with Chinese auspicious motifs.

Diners with a penchant for more traditional spreads of pork belly, braised bird’s nest and more can opt for Hung Tong’s sumptuous Chinese New Year menu (HK$3,988 for four persons; HK$5,988 for six persons), with a special edition on February 11 in lieu of the festive fireworks. Meanwhile, the Lobby Lounge has reinterpreted French pastries to mimic Lunar New Year staples like mandarins, gold coins and firecrackers and topped with Prunier caviar (HK$688 and up). Alternatively, tuck into a seafood platter and a glass of bubbly only on the evening of the fireworks display.

Get your chopsticks ready and spread good luck with authentic Cantonese classics at this Tatler Dining 20 honouree with dishes like the abalone yusheng lo hei (HK$888), braised dried oysters with black moss and pea sprouts (HK$688), sautéed tiger garoupa fillets (HK$788) and braised bamboo pith rolled with sliced abalone (HK$388). Alternatively, go big with the Ru Yi Chinese New Year reunion set (HK$18,888 for 10 persons), complete with baked crab shell stuffed with crab and lobster meat, sautéed lobster fillets with matsutake mushrooms, braised whole eight-head abalone with sea cucumber and more. 

Usher in the Year of the Dragon with a bit of heat and pizzazz from this Sichuan restaurant's Chinese New Year menu curated by executive chef Chan Kai-Ying. Tuck into fork-tender mala braised pork knuckles (HK$498), or crack open the tofu “bird’s nest” (HK$328) atop a bed of mixed vegetables. Don’t miss out either on the mala golden crispy chicken (HK$488) and flame-grilled lobster tail for some smokey oomph. 

Chilli Fagara
Address: G/F, 7 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2796 6866, chillifagara.com

Celebrate Lunar New Year with teppanyaki expert Yoshiyuki Sato’s craft high above Central. On the menu are three seven-course degustations (HK$1,280 up) designed for seafood and Wagyu aficionados alike: expect a procession of delicacies like scallop mille-feuille with caviar, teppan steamed king crab with morel mushroom sauce, grilled Ozaki beef, and Josper-grilled golden eye snapper clay pot rice.

Kaen Teppanyaki
Address: Forty Five, 44/F, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2155 9191, kaenteppanyaki.com

Ring in the Year of the Dragon with seafood straight from the shores of Ningbo, where braised crab, bamboo shoots and wild sea bass are staples, serving as symbols of victories, growth and abundance. Chef Liu Zhen's menu (HK$21,888 for 10 persons) sources the best from land and sea, topped with flavourful offal—a rare sight in festive offerings. Don’t miss his sought-after mud crab with mashed ginger and coriander; Sichuan pepper-smoked, salt-brined pork tripe; the signature golden crispy chicken with pepper and sesame, plus short-necked clam with ginger and spring onions.

Relish in a seafood extravaganza in The Legacy House’s dual Chinese New Year menu options (HK$2,980), featuring coveted dishes like double-boiled fish maw soup with sea whelk, stewed razor clams, braised rice with abalone and diced chicken, steamed spotted garoupa fillet, braised cabbage roll with fried fish curd and black moss, among other sensational seasonal delights. Lunch options are equally opulent, with a dim sum menu highlighting favourites like the baked salmon puff pastry with cheese and pan-fried Wagyu dumpling with termite mushroom.

This distinguished Shanghainese restaurant led by executive chef Chen Tian-Long brings flavours from up north this Lunar New Year in favourites such as Sichuan hot and spicy pork tongue (HK$128), drunken pork knuckle (HK$148), and to finish off, pear tea with Malva nut (HK$78). On February 11, The Merchants will serve a one-off dinner menu (HK$1,388) against the backdrop of breathtaking fireworks over Victoria Harbour. Expect traditional deep-fried pomfret in sweet soy sauce; stir-fried Australian lobster and the restaurant’s signature fried rice abalone.

The Merchants
Address: Forty Five, 45/F, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2155 4141, themerchantshk.com

This Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant gets nostalgic this Lunar New Year with the “Luck and Fortune” and “Ambition and Riches” menus (HK$4,588 up), recreating some of the best dishes from yesteryear, such as braised oyster, pork tongue and black moss for good luck. The centrepiece of each menu is Ship Kee’s signature roasted goose with a secret plum sauce, as well as a seafood trifecta rice wrapped in lotus leaves for abundance all around. Banquet menus are available for groups of six or 12. 

Ship Kee
Address: G/F, Pao Yip Building, 7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2893 9688, epicurean.com.hk/restaurant/ship-kee