From January 20 to 22, this beloved Vietnamese restaurant in Burlington is bringing back Chè Trôi Nước, which are mung bean mochi balls served in a ginger and coconut sugar concoction as well as sticky rice, says owner Tran Lee. In addition to the traditional Tết specials, the restaurant is also featuring a lettuce wrap tray with an assortment of meats and toppings, “for those who want to try new things,” Lee says. 

Malden’s District Kitchen will feature a special Lunar New Year menu with traditional new year mainstays that include fish (the pronunciation of fish is similar to that of “surplus,” which is considered auspicious) and lobsters.

The classic Cantonese restaurant Red 8 inside Boston’s Encore Casino will be featuring a Lunar New Year special menu from January 19 to 28 and the set menu starts at $148 per guest. Some menu highlights include steamed lobster dumpling with cognac and lobster sauce, braised pork trotters, and roasted whole squab. 

This Kendall Square mainstay is serving a Chinese New Year-themed menu along with cocktails infused with baijiu and other spirits for the month of January. The menu features Hunanese classics that often make an appearance at banquet tables, such as steamed whole fish with duo jiao (diced pepper) and Family Reunion Delight, a stew of homemade meatballs, sliced cured ham, bamboo shoots, sea cucumber, and more. Per Chinese tradition, “lucky money,” which is a red envelope filled with cash, is handed out to family and friends for good luck on New Year’s Eve (January 21). Sumiao is following the tradition and both dine-in patrons and take-out orders will receive a red envelope on that day.

From January 23, Mimi’s Chūka Diner — which serves Chinese dishes done in a Japanese style, currently in the kitchen inside Artifact’s Cambridge taproom, the Station — will offer Lunar New Year-themed meal kits ($48.88 for two people) for pickup. Each meal kit will include Mimi’s classic pork and cabbage gyoza, stir-fried longevity noodles with garlic sauce and Chinese chives, chashu marinated turkey roulade, and butter mochi similar to nian gao, or New Year’s cake. It also comes with two cans of Artifact cider.

From January 21 to 22, Italian restaurant Grana inside the Langham Hotel in downtown Boston will feature a Lunar New Year-inspired drink menu as well as snackable treats for the occasion, including housemade baos made with braised short rib and pickled vegetables and sticky rice cakes shaped like adorable rabbits. 

For the Lunar New Year, this Chinatown dim sum establishment will feature poon choi, a traditional and festive Cantonese dish consisting of multiple layers of meat, various types of seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, and more. Each “layer” is a standalone dish cooked separately, so one Poon Choi is basically a multi-course dinner meant for sharing. To allow the restaurant enough time to prepare this time-consuming meal, make sure you give them a call at least one day in advance.

To ring in the new year, the popular New York-based bakery Lady M has put out festive red bean mille crêpes, its signature dessert of layered crepes and cream that put its name on the map. In addition to the limited-time-only cake, you can order the Lunar New Year Gift Set, which includes six types of candies and lucky red envelopes, for pickup at its Boston store on Newbury Street.  

Starting the weekend of Lunar New Year (January 22), the new-ish but popular cha chaan teng-inspired Hong Kong cafe in Quincy will begin offering a Rubato big red bao to amp up festive vibes. They’re big red steamed baos topped with gold dust — a touch of auspicious blessing for making a fortune. These delicious baos are filled with pork, shrimp, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushroom, and a whole soft-boiled egg.