Treasury Brisbane, Brisbane City: In the mood for a bountiful banquet which won’t break the bank? Treasury Brisbane has two options for you to enjoy this Lunar New Year. Asian-fusion slinger Fat Noodle is offering a special banquet for two featuring sumptuous scallops, refreshing green-mango salad with peanuts, chicken fried rice, seafood soup, succulent caramelised pork belly, and the ever-popular Vietnamese coffee tiramisu, paired with two glasses of house sparkling, red or white wine for just $88. You can also feast on a whole crispy barramundi served with pork belly, tofu and chilli shallot oil at Mei Wei Dumplings for the special members price of just $19.90. The fun doesn’t stop there, as throughout the Lunar New Year there will be a wishing tree for you to place your wishes for 2024, plus roving lion dance performances from 7.30 pm on February 9, 10, 11, 12 and 24. To top the celebrations off, after enjoying a Lunar New Year dinner at Fat Noodle or Mei Wei you will be gifted your very own red packet with a special treat inside to take home.

Stanley, Brisbane City: Howard Smith Wharves’ very own neo-Chinese restaurant Stanley is pulling out all of the stops this Lunar New Year with a carefully curated roster of delicious eats and traditional performances. Taking place from Friday February 9 until Tuesday February 13, you can indulge in a sumptuous selection of Cantonese dishes during lunch and dinners, alongside traditional lion dancers keeping diners entertained on selected nights. The special Chinese New Year menu will feature a range of small and larger plates including mixed seafood and black truffle dumplings, grilled baby abalone with black bean, garlic and chilli, garlic butter mud crab with E-Fu longevity noodles, whole Moreton Bay bug with Singapore chilli,  southern rock lobster white soy, ginger and shallot, XO pipis with crispy noodles, coriander and shallots, crispy fried-whole Queensland coral trout with chilli and lemon, five-spice roast duck with blood plum sauce, and truffle and spanner crab fried rice with caviar. Head over to Stanley’s website to make a booking. 

Southside, South Brisbane: This Fish Lane favourite is once again gearing up to celebrate the Lunar New Year with sensational sips, sumptuous snacks and spectacular performances. Enjoy a special banquet (available between February 5–11) for $99 per person, which includes a palate-pleasing line-up of plates such as fresh oysters with blood orange, ginger and salmon roe, truffle prawn toast with citrus mayo, wagyu beef puff with Kampot pepper and pork belly with sweet and sour Davidson plum and Sichuan – just to name a few. There will also be traditional lion dancing performances to keep you entertained while you dine on Tuesday February 6, Friday February 9 and Saturday February 10. Secure a booking by heading to the Southside website. 

Donna Chang, Brisbane City: The plush surrounds of Donna Chang will play host to some high-energy revelry to welcome in the year of the dragon. From Monday February 5 to Sunday February 11, a special Lunar New Year banquet and a range of celebratory cocktails created just for the occasion will be available to enjoy. On Friday February 9 and Saturday February 10, you will be able to witness a live dragon dance while you dine. This captivating performance is believed to bring luck and prosperity for the year ahead, so you won’t want to miss out. To make a booking or view the Lunar New Year menu, head to the Donna Chang website.

Brisbane Phoenix, Brisbane City: Ring in the Lunar New Year in style at Brisbane Phoenix. For two weeks from Friday February 9, you can indulge in a mouth-watering menu of al a carte dishes including steamed coral trout with ginger and shallot, flaming lobster, braised abalone and pan-fried M9 Wagyu with Beluga caviar. For group bookings of six or more, a banquet featuring ten delectable dishes including the above, plus salmon sashimi salad with flying fish caviar, steamed scampi and a crispy squid trio will be available. If you book in for lunch or dinner on February 9, prepare to be entertained by the thrilling traditional lion dance, which will make its way through the restaurant at 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm. For more information or to book head to the Brisbane Phoenix website.

The Terrace, South Bank: One of South Bank’s best rooftop bar’s is celebrating the year of the dragon with sky-high sips, snacks, prizes, live music and lion dances. Devour all-you-can-eat dim sum, alongside a bounty of belly-pleasing bites such as shiitake and leek spring rolls, coconut-crumbed prawns, crispy squid with chilli jam and char siu pork with stir-fried greens and fragrant rice. Wash it all down with three hours of free-flowing cocktails, Champagne, wine and beer. There will also be a DJ spinning beats from 7:30 pm, if the traditional lion dancing isn’t enough to keep you entertained. Head to the Emporium Hotel website to make a booking.

Quê Dining, Newport: Moreton Bay Vietnamese restaurant Que Dining is putting a signature spin on its Year of the Dragon celebrations on Saturday February 17. Guests will be table to toast to prosperity and ring in a year full of good fortune while enjoying a special banquet featuring blue swimmer crab banh knot, nam nuong rice-paper rolls, bo kho beef cheeks, yellow chicken curry and banana fritters with toasted-coconut gelato. The evening will also feature an exhilarating Dragon Dance performance set to the backdrop of the Newport waterfront – email [email protected] or call 07 3203 4629 to make a booking.

Chinatown Mall and Bakery Lane, Fortitude Valley: Brisbane’s nightlife district will come alive on Saturday February 10, when The Valley’s hippest laneways and promenades playing host to a bunch of Lunar New Year activities. Chinatown Mall will be the place to go if you’re keen to browse some market stalls, enjoy traditional tea ceremonies, catch Toko Ton Japanese drumming and traditional Chinese hulusi performances, check out some muay Thai boxing demonstrations and see firecrackers pop. Roving Lion performers will be weaving their way around Wickham Street, Brunswick Street and Ann Street at regular intervals, while Bakery Lane will play host to Chinese grandma comedy performances, roving ‘Story of Nian’ characters and more. Check out the day’s itinerary here.