BAO Celebrates Year of the Horse With Limited “Dark Horse” Menu
Available across all branches, alongside a special Lunar New Year graphic tee as merch.
Summary
- BAO celebrates Lunar New Year 2026 with a special “Dark Horse” set menu, available avross all locations from February 10 – 26, 2026
- Exclusive hand-drawn T-shirts will drop at Rose Bakery and Dover Street Market
To celebrate the Year of the Horse, London-based Taiwanese restaurant group BAO is launching a celebratory menu and exclusive items across all its locations from February 10 – 26, 2026.
This year’s theme centers on zodiac attributes of action, freedom and breakthrough. The “Dark Horse” set menu, priced at £35 per person (approx. $54 USD), features a selection of the brand’s signature pillowy buns followed by Taiwanese Fried Chicken and either mushroom dumplings or Hispi cabbage with XO sauce, depending on the location.A central highlight is the Prosperity Tossing Salmon Salad (yu sheng), a ritualistic dish where guests toss ingredients together to invite good fortune. The main course offers Chilli Crab Noodles (or Chilli Crab Rice at Soho and Borough), served with a unique horse-shaped BAO designed to scoop up the spicy sauce.
In comparison to previous years – such as the 2024 Year of the Dragon, which featured private room feasting and “Dragon Shots” – the 2026 celebration emphasizes broader accessibility across all restaurant sites. While past releases often included digital “BAOverse” red envelopes with prizes like free tattoos, the current focus highlights the Red Stallion cocktail – a whisky and pineapple highball topped with lucky red Campari foam – and the “nearly too cute to eat” Crispy BAO Horse Charms. For an additional £5.50 GBP (around $8.50 USD), diners can enjoy these deep-fried bao shaped like horseshoes, cowboy boots and Celtic coins, served with a decadent chocolate dipping sauce.
Beyond the restaurant menu, the brand continues its tradition of limited-edition apparel collaborations. This year, BAO Creative Director Erchen Chang has designed a hand-drawn T-shirt celebrating the Year of the Horse. While previous years have seen successful drops for signs like the Dragon and Rabbit, this year’s release includes a highly exclusive pop-up at Rose Bakery between February 6 – 7, followed by a limited drop of the commemorative T-shirts at Dover Street Market.
