clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

9 LA Spots for a Lunar New Year Celebration

From a dim sum feast to a night of karaoke

View as Map
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

Starting on January 22nd, we’ll celebrate the New Year based on the lunisolar calendar, a special day for many communities that live in Los Angeles and goes by numerous names, including Chinese Lunar New Year, Vietnamese Tết, and Korean Seollal.

While Lunar New Year may be celebrated with distinct traditions by different cultures, food plays a central role in all of them. Thanks to its diverse Asian communities, Los Angeles has no shortage of places to celebrate Lunar New Year with traditional dishes like dim sum, noodles, and fish that represent luck and longevity. This year, toast to the Year of the Rabbit (or the Year of the Cat for those celebrating Tết) with some great food and a glass of Rémy Martin XO, a fine cognac that has been an important part of celebrations in many Asian communities.

Read More
If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

NBC Seafood Restaurant

Copy Link

This mainstay in Monterey Park still draws a crowd for its weekend dim sum more than 30 years after it first opened and will be sure to do so on Lunar New Year. Dishes are still served from pushcarts that roam around the brightly-lit, banquet-hall-sized dining room. Order the dim sum staple, turnip cake (luóbo gāo), which is considered a lucky New Year food. Although they don’t serve cocktails, they do offer Rémy Martin by the bottle for those celebrating with a group.

Newport Seafood Restaurant

Copy Link

Newport Seafood has been one of the go-to celebratory restaurants thanks to their house special lobster fried with green onion and chiles, and other live seafood pulled straight from the tanks. Order the steamed whole fish, a staple of Chinese New Year feasts that symbolizes abundance. This Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant is always busy, so be sure to reserve a table in their unassuming dining room or one of their private rooms for larger parties.

Intercrew

Copy Link

Intercrew is a New American restaurant and lounge opened by a group of young Asian-Americans, including chefs Erik Sun and Johnny Tran. The spacious restaurant brings a glamorous dining option to Koreatown with its arced banquettes, large chandelier, and sleek private dining rooms. For Lunar New Year, they will be pouring a special cocktail called Intercrew 1738. The cocktail is made with Rémy Martin 1738, amaro, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Pair it with their pan-roasted dry-aged duck breast served with Yukon gold mash, or splurge on a wagyu tomahawk for the table.

Walter Manzke’s intimate fine dining restaurant is a worthy destination for any celebration, Lunar New Year included. The restaurant only offers a tasting menu, which must be reserved in advance and consists of dishes like Santa Barbara uni chawanmushi — but the bar also accepts walk-in customers who just want to come in for a tipple. The bar at Manzke focuses on vintage spirits both as sippers and cocktails, such as the Vintage Sidecar with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. from the 1970s, Cointreau from the 1980s, and lemon.

Manzke

The trendy Pan-Asian TAO in the heart of Hollywood is known for its clubby vibes, which makes this a great place for a certain type of celebratory night out. The dark and sexy dining room’s centerpiece is the giant Guanyin statue floating above a koi pond. Order some gyoza for good luck since dumplings symbolize prosperity, or dig into the lobster fried rice while sipping on the Lunar Royale cocktail. The limited-time drink is made with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P., lemon juice, orange liqueur, peach, absinthe, and Champagne.

Quarters Korean BBQ

Copy Link

Korean BBQ always makes for a fun group dinner, no matter the occasion. Although KBBQ is ubiquitous in Koreatown, Quarters offers a more hip environment with its industrial interior and a better drinks selection than most other Korean BBQ restaurants. For Lunar New Year, Quarters will be serving up a cocktail called Lychee Soul, made with Rémy Martin 1738, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and lychee juice. Enjoy it with marinated short ribs or pork belly grilled on the table.

The Prince

Copy Link

The red leather banquettes and old oil paintings that adorn The Prince’s dining room can be seen in many films and television shows. However, the European-style dining room belies this Koreatown hangout’s food menu, which is known for its Korean-style fried chicken, alongside spicy sea snails, kimchi pancakes, and more. Be sure to get some japchae — this traditional glass noodle dish is a popular one to eat on Seollal.

Terra Cotta

Copy Link

After dinner, continue the celebration at Terra Cotta, a nightclub next to the Wiltern. The nightclub inside this art deco building has a large dance floor flanked by a bar and glass chandeliers, and they often bring in well-known DJs from Asia. Owned by the same group that owns Quarters, Terra Cotta will also be serving the Lychee Soul cocktail for Lunar New Year. The cocktail made with Rémy Martin 1738, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and lychee juice, is a refreshing drink between hitting the dance floor.

Recital Karaoke

Copy Link

A night in Koreatown is not complete until you land in a karaoke room, or noraebang. Recital, relatively hidden on the third floor of a shopping center, is a high-end noraebang experience. Their spacious private rooms are furnished with leather wrap-around banquettes and come with food and beverage service — the chicken wings and fruit platter are particularly popular among the late-night karaoke crowd. Recital is reservations-only, though, so be sure to plan ahead.

This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

NBC Seafood Restaurant

This mainstay in Monterey Park still draws a crowd for its weekend dim sum more than 30 years after it first opened and will be sure to do so on Lunar New Year. Dishes are still served from pushcarts that roam around the brightly-lit, banquet-hall-sized dining room. Order the dim sum staple, turnip cake (luóbo gāo), which is considered a lucky New Year food. Although they don’t serve cocktails, they do offer Rémy Martin by the bottle for those celebrating with a group.

Newport Seafood Restaurant

Newport Seafood has been one of the go-to celebratory restaurants thanks to their house special lobster fried with green onion and chiles, and other live seafood pulled straight from the tanks. Order the steamed whole fish, a staple of Chinese New Year feasts that symbolizes abundance. This Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant is always busy, so be sure to reserve a table in their unassuming dining room or one of their private rooms for larger parties.

Intercrew

Intercrew is a New American restaurant and lounge opened by a group of young Asian-Americans, including chefs Erik Sun and Johnny Tran. The spacious restaurant brings a glamorous dining option to Koreatown with its arced banquettes, large chandelier, and sleek private dining rooms. For Lunar New Year, they will be pouring a special cocktail called Intercrew 1738. The cocktail is made with Rémy Martin 1738, amaro, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Pair it with their pan-roasted dry-aged duck breast served with Yukon gold mash, or splurge on a wagyu tomahawk for the table.

Manzke

Walter Manzke’s intimate fine dining restaurant is a worthy destination for any celebration, Lunar New Year included. The restaurant only offers a tasting menu, which must be reserved in advance and consists of dishes like Santa Barbara uni chawanmushi — but the bar also accepts walk-in customers who just want to come in for a tipple. The bar at Manzke focuses on vintage spirits both as sippers and cocktails, such as the Vintage Sidecar with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. from the 1970s, Cointreau from the 1980s, and lemon.

Manzke

TAO

The trendy Pan-Asian TAO in the heart of Hollywood is known for its clubby vibes, which makes this a great place for a certain type of celebratory night out. The dark and sexy dining room’s centerpiece is the giant Guanyin statue floating above a koi pond. Order some gyoza for good luck since dumplings symbolize prosperity, or dig into the lobster fried rice while sipping on the Lunar Royale cocktail. The limited-time drink is made with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P., lemon juice, orange liqueur, peach, absinthe, and Champagne.

Quarters Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ always makes for a fun group dinner, no matter the occasion. Although KBBQ is ubiquitous in Koreatown, Quarters offers a more hip environment with its industrial interior and a better drinks selection than most other Korean BBQ restaurants. For Lunar New Year, Quarters will be serving up a cocktail called Lychee Soul, made with Rémy Martin 1738, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and lychee juice. Enjoy it with marinated short ribs or pork belly grilled on the table.

The Prince

The red leather banquettes and old oil paintings that adorn The Prince’s dining room can be seen in many films and television shows. However, the European-style dining room belies this Koreatown hangout’s food menu, which is known for its Korean-style fried chicken, alongside spicy sea snails, kimchi pancakes, and more. Be sure to get some japchae — this traditional glass noodle dish is a popular one to eat on Seollal.

Terra Cotta

After dinner, continue the celebration at Terra Cotta, a nightclub next to the Wiltern. The nightclub inside this art deco building has a large dance floor flanked by a bar and glass chandeliers, and they often bring in well-known DJs from Asia. Owned by the same group that owns Quarters, Terra Cotta will also be serving the Lychee Soul cocktail for Lunar New Year. The cocktail made with Rémy Martin 1738, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and lychee juice, is a refreshing drink between hitting the dance floor.

Recital Karaoke

A night in Koreatown is not complete until you land in a karaoke room, or noraebang. Recital, relatively hidden on the third floor of a shopping center, is a high-end noraebang experience. Their spacious private rooms are furnished with leather wrap-around banquettes and come with food and beverage service — the chicken wings and fruit platter are particularly popular among the late-night karaoke crowd. Recital is reservations-only, though, so be sure to plan ahead.

Related Maps