Toronto restaurants serving delicious and auspicious Lunar New Year menus
How will you ring in the Year of the Horse?
We’re galloping into the Year of the Horse, with Lunar New Year festivities kicking off on February 17. For those who are observing the holiday (or for anyone who just likes a good excuse to eat), we put together a list of restaurants serving up auspicious feasts.
Related: Ten Cupid-approved restaurants for Valentine’s Day dinner
Kiin x Yan Dining Room
Chefs Nuit Regular and Eva Chin have collaborated on a lavish eight-course tasting menu that spotlights northern Thai and Chinese cuisines. Available at both Kiin (February 19) and Yan Dining Room (February 20). $208 per person.
Akin
Michelin-decorated chef Eric Chong is serving up an extra-lucky 10-course LNY menu that includes decadent dishes like PEI oysters laced with jellyfish and caviar as well as glutinous rice stuffed with black truffle, foie gras and lap cheung. The parade of fancy food will be offered in the main dining room and, for a bit extra, at the chef’s counter. $225 to $300 per person.
Lunch Lady
This Anthony Bourdain–approved spot is offering Têt specials for Lunar New Year. Think Vietnamese classics with modern twists, like vol-au-vent stuffed with ibérico pork belly and gilded with egg yolk ($29), and iconic staples with the decadence amped up. For $20 extra, guests can add a little more oomph with the Hennessy “tea service” in hibiscus or chrysanthemum (each of which is boozy). Available February 14 to February 27.
Yueh Tung
Downtown’s favourite family-owned Hakka restaurant is hosting two LNY dinners. The Feast of Reunion (February 12 and 14), focused on family and friends, includes six dishes (think pork belly bao, chili chicken and Hakka wonton noodles) served family-style and dessert from Daan Go Cake Lab ($200 and up for a table of four). Then there’s the Celebration for Colleagues on February 17, a three-course meal with dessert, tea and soft drinks ($35 per person). There will also be a lion dance performance—and guests can request a personalized blessing from one of the lions for an additional $20.
Related: “This is our parents’ legacy”—How a family bond is keeping Toronto’s first Hakka restaurant alive
Patois
Chef Craig Wong wants to Spam-ify your Lunar New Year. He’s partnered with the divisive canned meat brand on two limited-edition menu items: crispy Spam roti with potato and curry sauce and Spam Wellington with shrimp-and-scallion mousse and scallion pancakes. Available until the end of February.
Bosk at the Shangri-La Hotel
The Shangri-La’s afternoon tea service is getting a Lunar New Year makeover. Gateway to Asia, a collaboration with Cathay Pacific, features a spread of small bites including prawn har gow, mushroom dumplings and barbecue pork buns. The service also includes premium teas and a glass of prosecco. Bonus: guests have a chance to win business-class flights and a trip to Hong Kong. Available February 12 to March 29. $108 for adults, $45 for kids.
Aera
Weekly brunch at this O&B spot 38 storeys high brings beats—and their Lunar New Year edition is no exception. The party vibes are courtesy of DJ Baby Yu and Mikey Bunena, who will provide background music while guests enjoy a special prix-fixe menu of classic brunch dishes or a special-edition dim sum platter. February 15. $50 per person (à la carte menu also available).
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
No time for a multi-course meal? The Four Seasons is offering an auspicious sweet in the form of their Money Pouch Citrus Date Cake. The sticky-toffee-pudding-style cake is baked with ginger and finished with mandarin caramel before being swaddled in a “pouch” of dark chocolate. Available for purchase at the hotel’s Winter Gift Desk until February 17. $45.
YeeHong Community Wellness Foundation
Chef Trevor Lui is serving as the culinary ambassador for YeeHong’s 37th Dragon Ball Benefit Gala Dinner. He’s working alongside High Bell Hospitality as well as catering partners Kumain Kitchen and One Shot Canada to serve up a four-course meal along with an additional buffet spread of Asian dishes. February 14. Starting at $600 per person.
Aburi Sushi (Waterworks Food Hall)
Aburi is offering guests a shabu-shabu tasting experience that includes a nine-course menu of dishes made with deluxe ingredients, including a whole lot of A5 Wagyu beef and Hokkaido scallops. February 17. $125 per person.
Queer House x Yang Dining Room
For one night only, chef Eva Chin is collaborating with Queer House on Lucky Bites, a three-course dumpling-themed meal, with proceeds from the dinner going to support Rainbow Railroad. Each guest will also leave with a dumpling-making kit. February 26. $150 per person.
Kith Treats
The fashion brand’s offshoot sweet shop is offering a limited-edition treat called the Horse that involves vanilla ice cream infused with persimmon, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and candied pecans, then finished with gold sprinkles and dried persimmon. It’s available in three formats: as a swirl, a milkshake and an ice cream sandwich. (No sweet tooth? The more sartorially inclined can choose to celebrate with Kith’s horse-themed Lunar New Year capsule collection instead.)
T&T Supermarket
The popular Asian grocer is selling a roster of auspicious and appetizing options for those who would rather enjoy a DIY celebratory feast at home. The no-brainer is their Five Dishes Lunar New Year Family Combo, which includes things like a cold appetizer tray, sweet-and-sour seabass, five-spice duck and a sushi platter ($188).
Tiffany Leigh is an award-winning freelance journalist with degrees in business communications and education. She has a culinary background, is a recipient of the Clay Triplette James Beard Foundation scholarship award and has worked in restaurants such as Langdon Hall. In addition to Toronto Life, her pieces have been read in publications such as Forbes, Vogue, Eater, Dwell, Elle, Business Insider, Playboy, Food & Wine and Bon Appétit.
