Dining out or getting takeout for New Year's Eve dinner is super popular this year — small family combo sets are in high demand

Life Center / Comprehensive Report

As Lunar New Year approaches, sales of festive set meals at major hotels and restaurants have entered the final countdown. Restaurant operators say that due to fully booked dinner reservations on New Year’s Eve, takeout has become the second-best option. This year, “set menus” featuring three or five dishes are the most sought-after.

According to a Yilan hotel operator, all New Year’s Eve table reservations are fully booked this year, with many customers coming from Taipei. They make a special trip to Yilan to have their New Year’s Eve dinner before returning to Taipei. The guests explained that they couldn’t get a reservation in Taipei and had to come to Yilan instead, which shows just how popular dining out for New Year’s Eve has become.

Zeng, the owner of "Shanghai Yan" restaurant located within the Nangang Research Institute, suggests that for freshness, taste, and food safety, it is still best to pick up your New Year’s dishes in person. This is because home delivery cannot guarantee food safety. As long as you arrange the pickup time in advance, spending a little time ensures you can enjoy high-quality cuisine. Shanghai Yan offers takeout combos with three or five dishes.

Recommended takeout-friendly New Year’s dishes


Roast Square (pictured above)
Hu Shi, a renowned modern Chinese literary figure and food lover who especially enjoyed pork dishes tender like Dongpo pork — melt-in-your-mouth goodness — will surely appreciate Shanghai Yan’s signature dish. It features premium black-haired pig belly, weighing 120–150 jin, marinated and braised in a special sauce for six hours. Before serving, it is topped with a thick, glossy pork sauce made from stewed pig skin. The meat is rich but not greasy, melting in the mouth with layers of flavor — savory yet slightly sweet. Enjoy it with accompanying flatbread for an unforgettable aftertaste.

Mushroom Crispy Sesame Cake (pictured above)
A signature dish highly recommended by food critic Hu Tianlan. The crispy sesame-crusted crust is packed with fragrant sesame; the filling includes mushrooms and vegetables with two layers of savory stuffing — one layer is stir-fried king oyster mushrooms and coral mushrooms with chestnuts and shrimp, while the other is green bok choy mixed with cellophane noodles and fresh bamboo shoots, seasoned with a hint of white pepper.


Stir-Fried Trio (pictured above)
The Stir-Fried Trio mainly combines three fresh ingredients: string beans, pork intestine, and tender water bamboo. The chef uses a dry-fry method, infusing the dish with finely minced meat and preserved turnip for added flavor, then quickly stir-fries everything together over high heat. The result is a crispy and crunchy dish when served.

Shanghai Yan
Address: No. 128, Section 2, Research Institute Road, Nangang District, Taipei City (First Floor, Academia Sinica Academic Center)
Phone: 26511853, 26511823
Shanghai Yan Restaurant Shanghai HALL Fanpage