What's the best Chinese restaurant or takeaway in Liverpool?

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and to kickstart our local celebrations the Liverpool ECHO is searching for the best Chinese takeaway or restaurant in our region. Also known as Lunar New Year, the festival begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the calendar, and ends with the 'Lantern Festival' on the 15th day.

The festival celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. This year, Wednesday, January 29, 2025, will mark in the beginning of the Year of the Snake. Last year, the Year of the Dragon, Liverpool’s Chinatown became a festival of sound and confetti with a packed programme of free events for everyone to enjoy. Landmarks throughout the region, such as Sefton Park Palm House, the Royal Liver Building and Liverpool Town Hall, have been known to light up in red to signify good fortune.

The period around the Lunar New Year is a popular time to visit a local Chinese takeaway or restaurant to enjoy some of the delicious dishes on offer and celebrate the culture of Liverpool's historic Chinese community. And with so many families taking the opportunity to tuck into a delicious Chinese meal, we wanted to ask our readers about their favourite establishments.

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Liverpool arguably has some of the best Chinese restaurants in the country, from Sans on Lightbody Street which has been serving customers since the 1970s to Ying Wah in Woolton which is a local institution. The city is also home to a number of beloved takeaways including Lee Dynasty in Aigburth and Kingsway Chippy in Huyton.

We want to hear about your favourite Chinese takeaway or restaurant in Liverpool. We'll pull together all the results and then put it to a vote, in order to crown the best establishment in the region. If you can't see the survey below, click here to fill it in.

While a full programme of events for Chinese New Year is yet to be confirmed, the streets will once again be decorated with beautiful Chinese lanterns in celebration of Chinese New Year. Not only that, but Liverpool's celebrations will include the traditional parade, live music performances, food stalls with delicious Chinese food, art workshops, and activities.

National Museums Liverpool will be holding special events on February 1, February 8 and February 22 between 11am and 12pm, and 1pm to 4pm at the Museum of Liverpool. As the museum looks forward to its special 'Lion Dance' display on Sunday, February 23 this year, there will be a number of creative sessions where guests can enjoy a free craft activity for all ages.

The date of Lunar New Year differs every year and in many cultures, each year is also associated with an animal from the zodiac. Often the animals are the same across different Asian countries, including China, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore and Cambodia.

There are some important differences in some countries, such as Japan, where the boar is represented instead of the pig in their zodiac. The Vietnamese zodiac has the buffalo instead of the ox and the cat instead of the rabbit. And in Thailand, instead of the dragon, people have Naga, a mythical, snake-like monster, which is worshipped to bring fertility and wealth.

Unlike most other calendars, the Chinese calendar does not count years in an infinite sequence. Instead years have names that are repeated every 60 years, corresponding to five repeats of the Chinese zodiac cycle of 12 animals.