Miami, a vibrant melting pot of cultures, embraces the Lunar New Year with gusto. As the Year of the dragon rolls in on February 10th, 2024, get ready to tantalize your taste buds with delectable feasts and festive experiences at some of the city’s finest restaurants. Buckle up, food adventurers, because Miami’s restaurants are transforming into vibrant cauldrons of fortune, bubbling with dishes that promise prosperity, joy, and enough dumplings to fill a dragon’s den.
Whether you’re a seasoned dim sum master or a curious newcomer ready to crack open your first fortune cookie, Miami’s Chinese New Year feast has a seat (and a steaming plate) waiting for you. Here are a few top picks to usher in good fortune and prosperity.
When is Lunar New Year?
The Chinese New Year falls on Saturday, February 10, 2024. It’s the year of the dragon! Those born in the year of the dragon (2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, and 1952) are said to be strong and independent figures who yearn for support and love.
Miami’s Ultimate Chinese New Year Hotspots!
Hakkasan
Celebrate Chinese New Year at Hakkasan at Fontainebleau Miami Beach from February 2nd to February 17th with a Chef’s tasting menu with dishes inspired by the Year of the Dragon. Guests will receive red Wishing Ribbons which they can write down their 2024 wishes and hang on Hakkasan’s Ling Ling walls in hopes of good luck and fortune. On February 10th at 8PM, guests can enjoy a traditional Dragon Dance in Fontainebleau’s lobby which will end in Hakkasan at 8:30PM.
Komodo
Ring in the Lunar New Year with style at one of the city’s most popular clubstaurants, Komodo, known for its iconic, treehouse-like atmosphere, Instagrammable birds’ nest seating, and elegant Southeast Asian cuisine. Komodo will be celebrating the Year of the Dragon with a special dinner party featuring a live dragon show, a specialty menu, and interactive incentives for guests. On Saturday, February 10 starting at 6pm, guests will be able to indulge in special menu offerings including a Dragon Sushi Roll, specialty cocktail, and dessert. In addition, interactive elements can also be enjoyed by guests including a traditional Chinese red envelope in which their checks will be presented, strawberry fortune cookies with custom messages, a photo booth, and a live dragon lion performance show featuring drum, gong, and cymbal players.
1-800-Lucky
Join us at 1-800-Lucky for an exhilarating Lunar New Year celebration! Immerse yourself in the festivities with a delectable array of Asian cuisine, skillfully crafted by Lucky’s 7 food vendors. Each dish carries symbolic significance, representing luck and prosperity in the Year of the Dragon. From savory dumplings to mouthwatering noodles, our menu promises a culinary journey through the traditions of the season. 1-800 Lucky is hosting its second-annual Lunar New Yea Dine-Around on Saturday, February 10 from 12-6 pm. The event will feature dishes that represent each of the 7 lucky foods traditionally enjoyed during the New Year, curated by the 7 vendors at Lucky.
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable dining experience as we welcome the Lunar New Year with style. Gather your friends and family to share in the joy of this special occasion. Come, let’s celebrate together and create lasting memories!
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at Toku
On Friday, February 9, Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at Toku with a Lunar New Year dinner that promises a feast for the senses. A captivating evening awaits with Toku’s sought-after modern Asian dishes, including succulent dumplings and flavorful noodles that symbolize wealth and prosperity in the coming year.
Experience a traditional Chinese Dragon Dance at 8:30 p.m., as live music by DJ OOZZAA fills the room. Toast to the New Year with a specialty Dragon Cocktail and prepare to be mesmerized as we indulge in a mix of culture, tradition, and culinary creations. To make a reservation, visit OpenTable or call (305) 465-8658.
Smorgasburg Miami to Host Spectacular ‘Chinese Lunar New Year’ Celebration
Smorgasburg Miami, Miami’s largest outdoor-food market, is thrilled to announce the return of its Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in collaboration with local food personality and event producer Wok Star Eleanor Hoh. One of the venue’s most attended events of the year, the festivities will take place at Smorgasburg’s Friday night market, ‘Smorgasburg on Lincoln Road’ on Friday, February 16 as well as in Wynwood from Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18. The weekend promises an immersive experience of Asian culture, music and a delectable array of dishes from various southeast Asian countries.
Following the success of last year’s celebration, which drew close to 45,000 attendees over two days, the team is taking it up a notch this year with an even grander celebration that will transform Smorgasburg Miami into a vibrant atmosphere with captivating decorations, activities and entertainment. The free, open-to-the-public event will feature a dozen guest vendors showcasing different Asian cuisines as well as Asian-inspired specials from Smorgasburg’s existing vendors. Guests will have the opportunity to try dishes from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, China and Vietnam with items such as peking duck hand rolls, made-to-order papaya salad and sushi rolls as well as desserts and drinks including mochi donuts, ube taro milk tea and lychee mansi. Mai Tai cocktails, Gekkeikan Chilled Sake and Asahi Rice Lager from the Smorgasburg Bar are highly recommended to pair with Asian food. On the retail side, Gretz Jewelry will be on-site with authentic pearl jewelry from the Philippines.
There will be a robust schedule of interactive activities and entertainment throughout the weekend including the much anticipated and popular lion dance, calligraphy classes, origami workshops, sneaker art workshop, live music, a lantern ceremony, karaoke, horoscope readings and more. Cultural workshops include Calligraphy led by Ms. Dan’s Chinese, Origami and Calligraphy by Mayako Nakamura & Akiko Iwata from Ichimura Miami Japanese Garden, and Origami by Japanese artist Hiroko Matsumura as well as Korean artist, Rosanna Kalis with sneaker art.
Hutong
Hutong, located in the heart of Brickell, is the ultimate destination for Chinese New Year, where guests can Indulge in the restaurant’s contemporary Northern Chinese cuisine and exotic signature cocktails while enjoying live entertainment, including fire artists and lion dancers, throughout the weekend. In addition to Hutong’s a la carte contemporary Chinese dishes including its notable Dim Sum Platter, Halibut Red Star Noodles, Ma La Chilli Prawns, diners can indulge in special offerings to celebrate the Year of the Dragon. This includes a Traditional Lo Hei Salad (more details below) with mouth-watering lobster with fresh radish and vegetable slices to be mixed with chef’s secret-recipe aromatic spices and sauces and a Rising Dragon cocktail made with Monkey Shoulder, yuzu wine, pineapple, pomegranate, and egg white, all shaken together and served with a lucky dragon made of incredibly delicate rice paper. Hutong will also be handing out wishing cards for guests to fill out and hang on the restaurant’s wishing tree branches after their meal to make a wish for the Lunar New Year!
There’s no dish more associated with Chinese New Year than Lo Hei salad, which hails from the fishing villages of Southern China in the Song Dynasty more than 750 years ago. Served in the center of the table on a large platter, guests equipped with large chopsticks, mix and toss the fresh fish slices, vegetables and Hutong’s special spices and sauces high into the air exclaiming ‘Lo Hei….Lo Hei’. According to legend, the higher you toss and the louder you cry ‘Lo Hei’, the more luck is headed your way! Hutong is serving a Traditional Lo Hei Salad featuring mouth-watering lobster with fresh radish and vegetable slices to be mixed with chef’s secret-recipe aromatic spices and sauces. This limited-time offerings, perfect for groups, will be available Thursday through Sunday.
To celebrate the New Year, Hutong will also be handing out wishing cards for guests to fill out and hang on the restaurant’s wishing tree branches after their meal to make a wish for the Lunar New Year! Far more than being purely ornamental, these trees are in fact an homage to the famous Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Hong Kong. Part of a shrine near the Tin Pau Temple in Lam Tsuen, built during the Qing dynasty in the 18th century, for over two hundred years it has been traditional to tie a wish written on paper to an orange and toss it into the two banyan trees at Chinese New Year. If the wish catches the branch and stays there, it is believed it will be granted! Following an incident in 2005 when a branch fell from one of the trees, the tossing of oranges has been discouraged and instead wishes are hung on racks near the trees. However, to make it possible to enjoy the wishing tree tradition authentically every day of the year, Hutong has recreated a Lam Tsuen tree in each of its restaurants. Reservations: For reservations, please contact reservations@hutong-miami.com or call (786) 388-0805.
