Hotels offer lively reunion dinners with performances – choose from traditional Chinese set meals or Western buffets

Elite Café’s “Single’s Reunion Dinner Set” features main courses such as oven-roasted tomahawk pork chop with caramelized apple or sous-vide chicken breast with beetroot hummus. (Provided by Sixtyfive Travel Group)

Elite Café’s “Single’s Reunion Dinner Set” is priced at NT$1,888 + 10%, with an 15% discount for single diners upon entry. (Provided by Sixtyfive Travel Group)

Many hotels have recently launched reunion dinners in their banquet halls, inviting families to celebrate New Year’s Eve together at the hotel. However, most are presented in the form of traditional Chinese set meals. The banquet hall at The Westin Taipei Waldorf Astoria offers two distinctly different “New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinners” – one Chinese and one Western. Both also feature live performances, including a 20-minute opening show and 30-minute stage magic by the renowned JiMi Magic Show, followed by “Jumping Officials,” Sichuan Opera face-changing, and a Live Band, creating an atmosphere as lively as a Spring Festival gala.

The Chinese set meal includes 10 premium dishes made with high-end ingredients such as abalone, scallops, lobster, cod, and tomahawk pork. Each dish name carries auspicious meanings for wealth and fortune, and follows a lucky numbering theme from one to ten, such as “The Primordial Celestial Lord Presents Eight Treasures,” “A Fresh Start Welcomes the God of Wealth,” “Double the Blessings to Celebrate the New Year,” “Three Yangs Bring Harmony to All,” “Four Seasons of Peace to Ring in the New Year,” “Five Blessings Descend for a Joyful Reunion,” “Six-Six Great Fortune for a Bountiful Harvest,” “Seven Stars Bring Prosperity and Wealth,” “Guests Gather from All Directions to Fill the Hall with Joy,” “Nine Times Nine for Everlasting Blessings,” and “Ten Out of Ten Perfection with a Fruit Platter.” A full table is priced at NT$25,800 + 10% (for 10 people), with a half-table option available at NT$12,900 + 10%.

For groups smaller than five or those who prefer not to have set meals, another banquet hall offers an all-you-can-eat Western-style buffet, featuring over 50 dishes to choose from. Options include an “Abundance of Fish” seafood bar, a “Spring Welcoming & Blessing” fresh vegetable bar, traditional Chinese and Western cold cuts, hot dishes, soups, fried items, and a fresh carving station, allowing guests to enjoy a festive feast on New Year’s Eve. Adults are NT$2,180 + 10% per person, children NT$1,853 + 10%.

Additionally, all guests attending either the Chinese or Western “New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner” in the banquet hall will receive a NT$200 dining cash voucher and can participate in a lucky draw with the grand prize being a “Two-Night Stay in a Deluxe Room at The Waldorf Astoria Taipei.”

Not just in the banquet hall – various restaurants within The Westin Taipei Waldorf Astoria are also offering New Year’s Eve dinners. Among the most unique is Elite Café’s “Single’s Reunion Dinner Set,” designed for those celebrating solo. The Western set meal offers main course options such as oven-roasted tomahawk pork chop with caramelized apple or sous-vide chicken breast with beetroot hummus. The set is NT$1,888 + 10%, and solo diners also receive a 15% discount upon entry.