Year of the Horse in Melbourne: Where Lunar New Year Banquets Become a Season of Indulgence
Every Lunar New Year, everything begins at the table.
The lazy Susan turning slowly. Someone insisting you eat more. A dish arriving with a gentle reminder of what it represents and why it’s always served first. Long before fireworks or red envelopes, this is where the new year quietly takes shape.
How Did You Celebrate Last Year?
Was it a full banquet, shared with family, tradition held close and dishes chosen with intention? Or was it something different? A table for two, fine courses, celebrating in a modern way?
The Year of the Horse is often associated with movement, confidence and change. It’s a year that invites momentum, not necessarily reinvention, but forward motion. In Melbourne, that sense of movement shows up clearly in how people are choosing to gather. Some return to formal banquets they’ve known for decades. Others gravitate towards modern dining rooms, shared plates, or quieter celebrations that still honour the moment.
Across the city, the season unfolds over many tables and many moments. From formal banquets shared with family, to contemporary dining rooms chosen for dates, casual catch-ups or client private dinners, Melbourne offers more than one way to mark the occasion. This guide brings together where and how the city is gathering, so you can choose the table that fits the moment — and return for another when the season calls for it.
Traditional Tables That Anchor the Season
Oriental TeaHouse
At Oriental House, the season is marked with movement and noise. Yum Cha anchors the LNY experience, with 40 dishes constantly circulating and tables designed for sharing without pause. During the festival period, Lion Dance performances pass through the dining room, adding a sense of spectacle and collective energy. It’s a natural choice for multigenerational gatherings where the celebration feels communal rather than formal.
Shark Fin Inn
Shark Fin Inn approaches the season with structure and familiarity, offering a classic banquet experience that many families return to year after year. Its Fortune Teller’s Menu, priced at $68 per person, follows a traditional Cantonese banquet rhythm, designed to be shared and enjoyed at a measured pace. The dining room reinforces that sense of occasion — formal without feeling intimidating — making Shark Fin Inn a reliable choice for those who want a clearly defined banquet that honours tradition without excess.
Old Beijing
Old Beijing is often cited as one of Melbourne’s most authentic Chinese dining rooms and at this time of year, symbolism takes focus through dishes like prosperity yee sang and whole steamed fish, both chosen as much for what they represent as how they taste. With lion dances weaving from QV Square through to the restaurant, Old Beijing grounds the season in tradition while staying firmly part of Melbourne’s dining rhythm.
Casual & Value-Focused Ways to Come Together
Cha Ching
Bringing a playful intersection of Eastern and Western cultures, Cha Ching keeps things approachable with a fixed Lunar New Year banquet running from 17 to 23 February. Guests can choose between two menu options priced at $88 or $128 per person, making it an easy pick for groups who want structure without formality. The atmosphere is upbeat and social, lending itself naturally to celebrations with friends.
Holiao
Holiao marks the season through gathering rather than formality. On 22 February at 6.00pm, the restaurant continues its annual tradition with a Lion Dance performance, bringing movement, sound and a sense of ceremony into the dining room. Alongside the celebration, a special seasonal menu runs from 12 February to 1 March, built around ideas of abundance and reunion, making Holiao a comfortable choice for groups who want to acknowledge the occasion in a relaxed, communal way.
Dainty Sichuan
The experience here is driven by appetite rather than ceremony. Tables fill quickly, conversations get louder, and the pace stays lively. During the QV festival period, Dainty Sichuan also appears at the Happy Horse Noodle Bar with crisp spring rolls, their gold-bar shape a quiet nod to prosperity — offering a casual, high-energy way to join the wider celebrations in the CBD.
Phoenix Kitchen
Phoenix Kitchen offers a straightforward way to come together. Its menu leans Cantonese and is built for sharing without fuss, making it a natural fit for gathering around the table. The signature roast duck is the dish most tables gravitate towards — lacquered skin, juicy meat and deep savoury flavour that rewards ordering one for the centre. It’s a dependable choice for groups who want classic flavours, generous portions and a calm setting where the focus stays on food, conversation and time together
Modern Melbourne Tables Interpreting the Season
Aru
Inspired by ancient seafaring routes between China, Indonesia and northern Australia, Aru’s menu reflects a sense of movement and exchange. From 16 to 28 February, four special dishes appear in a special Fortune banquet, each representing prosperity, luck, wealth and abundance. It’s a flexible approach that suits mixed groups who want to acknowledge the season without committing to a set format.
From Here by Mike
The restaurant is a thoughtful expression of place, celebrating farms, wineries and producers both close to home and further afield, with a kitchen guided by seasonality and restraint. From Here by Mike treats the occasion as something to be considered rather than announced. On 17 February, a one-night menu centres on themes of longevity, abundance, strength and good fortune. The experience unfolds slowly and deliberately, appealing to diners who value meaning layered quietly into the meal.
Miss Mi
Miss Mi moves easily between the familiar and the unexpected. The room carries a constant hum of energy. An open kitchen anchors the space, while plush banquette seating and bistro-style tables encourage long, social meals shared over cocktails. Miss Mi balances polish with sociability through a celebratory dinner menu running from 16 February to 3 March. The set menu is priced at $110 per person and includes a glass of bubbles, creating a festive but relaxed experience well suited to stylish group gatherings.
Ho Jiak
One of the newer restaurants embracing the season, Ho Jiak offers a traditional banquet-style menu rooted in Malaysian-Chinese heritage. The focus is on meaningful dishes and premium seasonal ingredients, designed for sharing and abundance. While the space itself feels contemporary and energetic, the structure of the meal leans classic, making it a strong option for diners seeking tradition in a newer setting.
Grand Banquets & Elevated Occasions
Silks
Silks is where the occasion calls for polish. Set within Crown, the restaurant pairs traditional Cantonese cooking with subtle contemporary touches, alongside select northern Chinese specialties. For those hosting something more intimate, the private Mongolian tent offers a rare level of seclusion, lending itself naturally to milestone gatherings and formal celebrations. It’s a dining experience shaped as much by atmosphere as it is by food, where dressing up and lingering over the table feel entirely appropriate.
Spice Temple
Spice Temple leans unapologetically into mood and intensity. The room is dark and seductive, setting the stage for a dining experience that prioritises sensation. This is Chinese cooking viewed through a regional lens, drawing inspiration from Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Xinjiang, and intentionally steering clear of familiar Cantonese tropes. For this holiday, it offers a limited-time banquet from 9 February to 3 March, built around nine symbolic dishes. Priced at $159 per person, the experience trades ceremony for intensity, filling the table with bold flavours and rich textures.
Lee Ho Fook
Tucked away in one of the CBD’s quieter laneways, Lee Ho Fook offers a confident, contemporary take on Chinese dining. Under Victor Liong’s direction, the menu reworks familiar flavours with precision. The setting well suited to smaller celebrations and intimate hosting, where the focus stays on thoughtful cooking and pacing rather than spectacle. Lee Ho Fook marks the season with a special menu featuring celebratory dishes such as yee sang, 8 treasure duck and lucky lychee. The experience feels refined rather than formal, suited to intimate hosting and smaller gatherings. Menus are priced from $195 per person.
Choosing the Right Table To Ring In The Year of the Fire Horse
There is no single way to gather. Some tables call for ceremony and structure, others for ease and conversation. Group size, atmosphere and intention all matter — and Melbourne offers space for every interpretation.
In the Year of the Horse, a year linked to movement and momentum, perhaps the most meaningful choice is simply this: gathering in a way that reflects where you are now, and who you want around the table.
FAQs
When should I book for this period in Melbourne?
Popular venues, especially those offering fixed banquets or limited-time menus, tend to book out one to three weeks in advance. Larger groups and weekend dates fill fastest, particularly around mid to late February.
Do all restaurants offer a set banquet menu?
No. Some venues present formal, multi-course banquets, while others acknowledge the season through special dishes, curated menus, or shared-plate dining. Both approaches are common, and neither is more “correct” than the other.
Is a banquet only suitable for large family groups?
Not at all. While traditional banquets are ideal for extended families, many modern restaurants design their seasonal menus for smaller groups, couples, or mixed gatherings who want flexibility.
Are there more casual ways to mark the occasion without a banquet?
Yes. Many diners choose relaxed shared meals, Yum Cha, or restaurants that naturally lend themselves to communal dining. The emphasis is on gathering, not formality.
All images are from the (respective venue’s official websites.)
