Lucky Chinese Dishes in Los Angeles

Auspicious dishes for good luck any time of year

Lunar New Year Dinner at Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City
Lunar New Year Dinner at Ms Chi Cafe | Instagram: @mschicafe

The Chinese New Year is the start of the new Lunar Calendar and the onset of the agricultural season. For the Chinese, this date is the single most important holiday of the year. It’s a 15-day soiree - a time for family reunions and festive gatherings. Each day has a theme - the first day is for lighting fireworks and bamboo sticks, the fifth day is for dumplings, and so on. The common link is food: the half-month is filled with an abundance of dishes. After all, food is the cornerstone of Chinese culture. Traditional dishes are steeped with symbolism – many of which are homophones for lucky phrases.

The Year of the Dragon begins on Feb. 10, 2024. For an auspicious start to the new year - or good fortune any time of year - here are ten lucky Chinese dishes and where to enjoy them in Los Angeles.

Lunar New Year Dinner at Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City
Lunar New Year Dinner at Ms Chi Cafe | Instagram: @mschicafe

Dumplings - Ms Chi Cafe



The dumpling (jiaozi) is shaped like an ingot, which personifies wealth. They’re the hallmark of the fifth day of the Chinese New Year. It’s the birthday of the God of Wealth. According to legend, the more dumplings you eat during the New Year festivities, the more money you will make in the year ahead.

At Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City, chef Shirley Chung features several house-made dumplings, including her Top Chef-winning dish, the signature Jumbo Cheeseburger Potsticker; Chicken Jiaozi (steamed or pan-fried), Vegan Garden Dumplings with spicy tofu aioli; and Wontons in Chili Oil. The Dumpling Combo weekday lunch special ($18) offers a choice of wontons, chicken or vegan dumplings, plus side salad and jasmine rice.

Chef Chung is welcoming the Year of the Dragon with a six-course Lunar New Year Dinner that includes lucky dishes such as Golden Chicken Jiaozi, Longevity Noodles and Soy Honey-Roasted Chilean Sea Bass. Reservations via Yelp.

Braised Pig Feet at Hop Woo in Chinatown
Braised Pig Feet at Hop Woo | Instagram: @hopwoola

Fat Choy - Hop Woo



Literally meaning "hair vegetable," fat choy (aka black moss) is a terrestrial algae used in celebratory dishes for its lucky-sounding name, as in the traditional New Year greeting, "Gung Hay Fat Choy." Chinatown stalwart Hop Woo is featuring several Year of the Dragon specials, including two with fat choy: Braised Pig Feet with arrowhead root, fat choy and lettuce; and Braised Pig Feet with dried oyster, fat choy and lettuce.

Steamed Whole Live Fish at NBC Seafood in Monterey Park
Steamed Whole Live Fish at NBC Seafood | Instagram: @foodielegend99

Fish - NBC Seafood



In Chinese, the word for fish (yu) sounds like the phrase for “may the new year bring prosperity” ("nian nian you yu"). A whole fish is required, as it symbolizes unity within the family. Preparation methods differ depending on regions - the most common one is steamed fish garnished with ginger and infused with a light soy sauce.

Perennially busy during its weekend dim sum service, NBC Seafood serves up auspicious dishes year-round, including Steamed Whole Live Fish, Sweet & Sour Whole Fish and Pan Fried Whole Sole Fish.

Mustard greens at Tofu King
Mustard greens at Tofu King | Photo by Clarissa Wei

Mustard Greens - Tofu King



Mustard greens (jie cai) are a standard vegetable dish for the Lunar New Year celebration. They’re also known as chang nian cai, which translates to "perennial vegetables." This vegetable is a symbolic proponent for longevity - the associated phrase is chang chang jiu jiu, which means "long life." They can be found at any Chinese restaurant around town. Tofu King in Arcadia has a simple version, topped with a bit of minced pork for extra flavor.

Szechuan Garlic Noodles at Bang Bang Noodles
Szechuan Garlic Noodles at Bang Bang Noodles | Instagram: @el_tragon_de_los_angeles

Noodles - Bang Bang Noodles



Noodles are a symbol of longevity, the longer the better. They’re usually served uncut to symbolize a long life.

Instagram darling Bang Bang Noodles was founded by chef Robert Lee in 2019. The hand-pulled noodle pop-up opened at Citizen Public Market in Culver City in February 2023. Lee's specialty is Shaanxi-style biang biang noodles, hand-pulled to order for "the freshest and tingliest bowl of noodles possible." Favorites include the signature Tingling Cumin Noodle (available dry or with noodle soup), Szechuan Garlic Noodles and Xi'an Tomato Dry Noodle. Vegan options available.

Roasted Duck at Sam Woo BBQ in San Gabriel
Roasted Duck at Sam Woo BBQ | Photo: @asiandonutraisin, Instagram

Poultry - Sam Woo



A whole poultry is symbolic of unity and a harmonious marriage between families. Chicken or duck is usually served whole with the head and feet attached. Sam Woo sells whole duck by the dozens. The carcass is air-dried for hours until the skin is like paper and then glazed with a maltose sugar coating. This is the Cantonese method of preparation. You can order a whole duck for the family, or if you dine in, get it served cut-up accompanied with a wonderfully tasty sweet and sour sauce on the side.

Shanghai Pan-Fried Rice Cake at Tasty Noodle House
Shanghai Pan-Fried Rice Cake | Photo: Tasty Noodle House

Rice Cakes - Tasty Noodle House



Rice cakes (nian gao) come in both sweet or savory forms. The savory versions are more common; they’re usually shaped into thin disks and then stir-fried. The sweet ones, baked and stuffed often times with red bean, start appearing in local Chinese supermarkets exclusively around the holiday time. "Nian gao" correlates to the phrase “increasing prosperity year after year (nian nian gao sheng).”

Most Shanghainese restaurants offer savory renditions. Options at Tasty Noodle House include Shanghai Vegetable Pork Rice Cake and Black Pepper Seafood Rice Cake.

Spicy Fried Shrimp Dry Pot at Sichuan Impression
Spicy Fried Shrimp Dry Pot at Sichuan Impression | Photo: @sichuan_impression_, Instagram

Shrimp - Sichuan Impression



Shrimp is pronounced "xia" in Mandarin and "ha" in Cantonese. The words sound like laughter, so shrimp is consumed during the Lunar New Year in hopes of year-long happiness.

At locations in Alhambra and West LA, Sichuan Impression serves Spicy Fried Shrimp Dry Pot - boiled whole shrimp with potatoes, lotus root, and baby bamboo shoots. “Dry pot” comes from the northern area of Sichuan province and contains many of the same ingredients and spices as hot pot, but without the soup base.

Shrimp Egg Rolls at Lunasia in Alhambra
Shrimp Egg Rolls at Lunasia in Alhambra | Photo: Sklar T, Yelp

Spring Rolls - Lunasia



The Chinese word for spring roll (chun juan) literally mean "spring" and "roll." The golden color of the fried spring rolls represent gold bars, which of course symbolize wealth. Most Cantonese dim sum restaurants have these favorites on their menu.

At Lunasia in Alhambra, the portion sizes are massive and the spring rolls are deep-fried and stuffed with a generous helping of shrimp.

Turnip cakes at Four Sea Restaurant | Photo by Clarissa Wei

Turnip Cakes - Four Sea Restaurant



Turnip cakes are embraced in Taiwan because the Taiwanese pronunciation for turnip cake ("cai tao gui") is a homonym for a Taiwanese phrase of good luck, "hao cai tao." These cakes are made from daikon radishes, steamed, and then pan-fried on the sides. They’re typically found at your local dim sum eatery or at Taiwanese breakfast establishments.

Four Sea Restaurant has one of the largest selections of Taiwanese breakfast items in LA. Locations in Hacienda Heights, San Gabriel and Arcadia open at 6:30am. Their turnip cake is made crispy on all sides and topped with a fried egg.