From time-honored establishments to rustic farmhouse eateries, Lanzhou residents are embracing new trends for their Lunar New Year's Eve dinners. The private rooms for these festive meals at farmhouse venues in Lanzhou New Area are in high demand.
"In previous years, we scrambled to book tables at the city's old, famous restaurants. This year, the whole family unanimously decided to go to a farmhouse eatery in Yuzhong. We can enjoy freshly roasted Jingyuan whole lamb and then visit the ski resort after the meal—it feels much more festive!" said Mr. Wang, a local resident, his voice full of anticipation after successfully securing a private room for the reunion dinner at Yuzhong's Qiyun Pavilion Ecological Hotel on January 15th.
With less than a month to go until the 2026 Spring Festival, the competition in Lanzhou's New Year's Eve dinner market is already fierce. Not only are time-honored restaurants in urban districts like Chengguan and Anning, such as Jingyang Lou and Xiangman Lou, fully booked with "not a single table to be found," but specialty farmhouse eateries in surrounding areas like Lanzhou New Area, Yuzhong, and Gaolan are also experiencing a booking frenzy. Rustic flavors like roasted whole lamb and the "Eight Great Bowls" have become the new favorites.
The popularity is evident in both urban and rural areas, with old-name restaurants and farmhouse eateries seeing booming reservations.
"Hello, our private rooms for New Year's Eve were fully booked as early as October 2025. We only have three regular tables left for the first day of the new year," confirmed a front desk staff member at the Chengguan District's famed Jingyang Lou on January 15th, underscoring the urban dinner market's火爆. As a "venerable招牌" in Lanzhou's dining scene, Jingyang Lou started taking reservations for the reunion dinner last September. Within less than three months, over 20 private rooms were snapped up, leaving only a few regular tables available during off-peak times.
Similarly high demand is seen at the Anning District's Zhongbang Sheraton Hotel, where private rooms incorporating elements of Lanzhou's city walls are particularly popular. Inquiries for their reunion set menu, priced at 388 yuan per person, continue to climb, with the booking rate for New Year's Eve private rooms exceeding 80% and expected to be fully booked before the holiday.
Investigations reveal that reservations for New Year's Eve dinners in Lanzhou's urban areas this year were generally made one to two months in advance, with mid-to-high-end set menus being the primary consumer choice. "The New Year's Eve dinner is the main event for family reunions. Booking early ensures we get our preferred time and location, which is worry-free and reassuring," said Ms. Li, a resident who was finalizing her order at Hejia He Baihe Yan. She booked an 8-person set menu for 1,288 yuan two months early, appreciating that it includes both traditional dishes like cured meat and meatballs, as well as fresh seafood, offering high性价比.
Echoing the火爆 of urban old-name restaurants, farmhouse eateries in surrounding areas are experiencing a reservation peak, emerging as "dark horses" in the New Year's Eve dinner market. "Since we opened reservations last October, all six private rooms for New Year's Eve are full, and bookings from the second to the sixth day of the new year have already exceeded 70%," Mr. Zhang, the owner of "Xiangyun Shifu" in Lanzhou New Area, told reporters. He noted that with improved transportation infrastructure in the new area, an increasing number of urban residents are making special trips to experience the rustic New Year atmosphere. Their 10-person farmhouse set menu, priced at 1,588 yuan and featuring specialty dishes like warm pot, steamed bowls, and homemade braised meat, has become the hottest seller.
The New Year's Eve dinner market in Yuzhong County is particularly vibrant. Leveraging resources from scenic spots like Qiyun Mountain and Xinglong Mountain, local farmhouse eateries combine cuisine with rural tourism, attracting large numbers of family customers. The 6-person "Gathering Package" for 398 yuan launched by Yuzhong Qiyun Pavilion Ecological Hotel, which includes dishes like large flounder, Lanzhou cured meat, and warm pot, has sold over 50 sets within just half a month of its launch, thanks to its "high性价比 and generous portions." Private rooms for New Year's Eve are long gone. "In previous years, we always stuck to city hotels for Spring Festival. This year, we wanted a change of scenery to experience the rural New Year atmosphere with the elderly and children. After the meal, we can also visit the Qiyun Mountain ski resort—it's killing two birds with one stone," said Ms. Zhao, a resident who successfully booked. She mentioned that many of her friends have also opted for farmhouse New Year's Eve dinners, valuing the combination of特色美食, family time, and a more relaxed atmosphere.
Farmhouse eateries around the Lanzhou New Area Modern Agricultural Park are also not to be outdone. "Tianyuan Shifang" here emphasizes "picked fresh and cooked immediately." Their New Year's Eve set menu includes ingredients like fresh vegetables picked from greenhouses, free-range chickens, and homemade tofu, paired with roasted whole lamb and assorted grain platters, allowing diners to savor an原生态美味. The person in charge reported that current bookings for the Spring Festival period have reached 80%, with nearly 60% of guests coming from Lanzhou's urban areas, some families even traveling specially from Baiyin. "Transportation is convenient now; it only takes about 40 minutes to drive from the city center to the new area. Many families combine the New Year's Eve dinner with rural tourism, visiting the park or picking strawberries after the meal, offering an experience far beyond just eating at a hotel," the负责人 said.
This year, the core selling point for many New Year's Eve dinners is 'roasted whole lamb,' requiring bookings a week in advance to secure a slot," said Master Wang, owner of the "Jinweiyuan" farmhouse eatery in Lanzhou New Area, pointing to the marinating lamb carcasses in the backyard. He explained that their roasted lamb uses high-quality Jingyuan lamb carcasses, undergoes a 72-hour aging and marinating process, and is then roasted in a fruitwood-fired sealed oven, resulting in a crispy exterior, tender interior, free of gaminess, and served with a secret dipping sauce, making it the "traffic driver" for the feast. It is understood that their 1,599 yuan roasted lamb套餐 includes a whole lamb, eight accompanying bowls of side dishes, and staple grains, suitable for 10-12 people. Currently, all slots for roasting whole lambs from New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the new year are fully booked, with many guests adjusting their reunion times specifically to enjoy this specialty.
In agricultural counties like Yuzhong and Gaolan, traditional rustic delicacies such as the "Eight Great Bowls" and "warm pot" have become popular choices for the reunion dinner. Yuzhong Qiyun Pavilion Ecological Hotel incorporates Lanzhou cured meat, crispy meat, and fried meat sandwiches into their set menus. Their "Farmhouse Eight Great Bowls" combination, with its strong regional flavors and affordable prices, has attracted many diners. Farmhouse eateries in Liujiaxia, meanwhile, feature "Yellow River Fish Warm Pot," using ecological fish from the Yellow River slow-cooked with local pickled cabbage, tofu, and vermicelli, resulting in a rich broth and tender meat, making it a heart-warming choice for winter reunions. "City hotel dishes are refined, but they lack a bit of the taste from childhood. The Eight Great Bowls and warm pot from farmhouse eateries are the New Year flavors ingrained in our bones," said Mr. Liu, a resident.
It is noteworthy that both urban hotels and rural farmhouse eateries place significant emphasis on the "symbolic meaning" of the New Year's Eve dinner. Auspicious names like "Attracting Wealth and Treasure," "Great Luck is Topping," and "Abundance Year After Year" are ubiquitous on menus. In terms of dish composition, ingredients symbolizing reunion and prosperity, such as fish, chicken, and meatballs, are essential. The "Reunion Warm Pot" at Lanzhou New Area's Xiangyun Shifu, with its base of cabbage and tofu寓意"gathering wealth and fortune" and "full of blessings," topped with meatballs, ribs, and seafood象征"family reunion" and "steady promotion," has become a top choice for family gatherings.
Consumer attitudes are shifting towards rationality and practicality, with diverse experiences becoming mainstream.
"In previous years, we always thought about booking high-end set menus to make a grand impression. This year, we value fresh ingredients and dishes that suit the family's taste more; high性价比 is the key," said Ms. Wang, a resident, reflecting the mindset of many consumers. Reporters found that the 2026 Lanzhou New Year's Eve dinner market shows a clear trend towards rational consumption. High-end set menus priced above 4,000 yuan account for less than 5% of the market, while most catering establishments focus their套餐 prices in the 800 to 2,500 yuan range, balancing quality and affordability. Yuebin Lou's set menus, priced between 1,100 and 1,300 yuan per table (for 8-10 people), have maintained stable prices for years and continue to resist price hikes this year. The负责人 stated that regular customers value their popular flavors and consumer-friendly prices, and they won't pass on costs just because it's the New Year's Eve dinner.
The个性化 and多元化 of consumer demand are also becoming increasingly prominent. Catering to small families, such as those with three members, many restaurants have introduced mini set menus for 4-6 people, with prices ranging from 388 to 888 yuan. Some restaurants even allow customers to modify dishes within the set menu to accommodate the special dietary needs of the elderly and children.
Simultaneously, the "experience attribute" of the New Year's Eve dinner is receiving greater emphasis. Urban old-name restaurants attract customers by creating a festive atmosphere and incorporating cultural elements. Zhangye Road's Koufle Restaurant incorporates auspicious themes like "Steed Presenting Blessings" into its menu designs. Some old-name establishments also offer combinations of "intangible cultural heritage foods + New Year's Eve dinner," making the reunion meal more regionally distinctive. Rural farmhouse eateries, on the other hand, promote the "cuisine + tourism" model. Lanzhou New Area's Tianyuan Shifang offers "New Year's Eve dinner + strawberry picking" packages, while farmhouse eateries in Yuzhong collaborate with the Qiyun Mountain Ski Resort to provide dining guests with游玩 discounts, transforming the New Year's Eve dinner from merely a meal into a family leisure outing.
The火爆 of the New Year's Eve dinner market is driven by upgrades on both the supply and demand sides. Consumers are becoming more rational and practical, no longer blindly pursuing "high-end" and "ostentation," but instead focusing more on ingredient quality, taste suitability, and value for money. Meanwhile, with improvements in transportation and evolving consumer mindsets, the barriers between urban and rural餐饮 consumption are gradually breaking down. Urban consumers are willing to venture into the countryside to experience rustic New Year flavors, while rural farmhouse eateries can attract urban customers with their特色风味, forming a pattern of "urban-rural complementarity and two-way flow."
Industry insiders recommend that when booking New Year's Eve dinners, consumers should prioritize正规餐饮机构 or farmhouse eateries with good reputations, confirming details like套餐内容, price, and cancellation policies in advance to avoid hidden costs. For pre-made dishes or semi-finished reunion dinner products, consumers should purchase from正规渠道 and pay attention to expiration dates and storage conditions. Meanwhile, catering establishments should adhere to food safety底线, ensure ingredient freshness and hygienic cooking, arrange staff reasonably, and improve service quality, allowing residents to dine with peace of mind and comfort. As resident Ms. Zhang said, "No matter which option you choose, the core of the New Year's Eve dinner is reunion. As long as the family is together and everyone eats happily and comfortably, that is the best New Year's gift."
Comments