Lunar New Year is upon us! Sunday, January 22nd marks the commencement of the lunar calendar year in 2023 and it's the Year of the Rabbit and the Cat! Regardless if you refer to Lunar New Year as LNY or CNY or Tet there is much you can do to celebrate around town. Here are highlights of cultural events, parties, and special LNY promotions taking place throughout the Greater Cincinnati area!

Take advantage of all of these amazing deals and opportunities to try something new! Whether you go and try some delicious new food or explore the local Asian community through cultural events, we hope that you are able to safely enjoy the Lunar New Year with your friends and families.

Happy Lunar New Year from the Asianati team!

Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Cat. Illustration by Anissa Pulcheon. https://www.anissapulcheon.com/

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Cultural Events and Parties

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Lunar New Year Celebration at Music Hall
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the Alliance of Chinese Culture and Arts (ACCA) are partnering to hold a special Lunar New Year celebration within the grand spaces of Music Hall! Taking place on Saturday, February 4th, at 6 PM, the event will feature performances of traditional Chinese instruments, dancing, photo and cultural booths, and themed decoration, followed by a CSO concert! Led by Music Director Louis Langrée, the CSO will perform works that are inspired by a fusion of cultures featuring guest artists Oigang Chen and Grammy-nominated Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian.
Get Tickets >>>HERE<<<
February 4th at 6pm / Concert at 7:30pm
Music Hall

Cincinnati Chinese Church
The Cincinnati Chinese Church is hosting a special Chinese New Year service where there will be folklore storytelling, traditional CNY-foods dinner, and performances. Childcare provided.
Saturday, January 21st at 5pm
Cincinnati Chinese Church at Mason
766 Reading Rd, Mason, OH 45040

Lady of LaVang Vietnamese Church Tet Celebration
The congregation of Lady of LaVang invites you to celebrate Tet with live music and food.
Saturday, January 21st; 6:30pm-midnight
Lady of LaVang Vietnamese Church
314 Township Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45216

Midwest Chinese Chamber Lunar New Year Gala
The Midwest Chinese Chamber is inviting the business community for a festive Lunar New Year’s Gala at the Hard Rock Cafe right outside of downtown Cincinnati! On Saturday, February 18th, from 5 to 9 PM, celebrate the new year with beautiful lion dance performances, networking opportunities, a raffle, and a VIP cocktail reception prior to the gala.
Click >>>HERE<<< for more information
February 18th, 5-9pm
Hard Rock Cafe

Uncle Yip’s Cultural Carnival
On Sunday, January 29th, Uncle Yip’s Restaurant in Evendale is hosting a cultural show, featuring lion dancing, face painting, Guzheng music, and a buffet dinner! There will also be a raffle for a chance to win free food! Pricing is $79.95 per person including dinner. Make sure to call and reserve your seats in advance!
Call to reserve tickets: 513-733-8484 or 513-592-0182
Sunday, Janurary 29th, 5:30pm
10736 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45241

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Restaurant and Food Specials

Asiana Thai and Sushi
This Hyde Park staple is offering a Lunar New Year Lunch Box Special! For only $9.95, diners can get a Thai entree and a complimentary soup. The offer is valid during the week of Lunar New Year, from January 23rd to January 27th, during the restaurant’s lunch hours from 11 AM to 2:30 PM.
3922 Edwards Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209
513-351-0999

Auntie Apple's Kitchen
This Clifton favorite has a full Lunar New Year specials menu this year!
Click >>>HERE<<< to see the full LNY Menu
321 Ludlow Ave , Cincinnati, OH 45220
513-221-2181

China Gourmet
China Gourmet, the Hyde Park favorite, is offering a great CNY menu now through February 9th.
Click >>>HERE<<< to see their CNY menu
3340 Erie Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45208
513-871-6612

Citrus and Sago
Chef Paul Liew is offering up his 6-course Lunar New Year special, with seating for a table of 5. Currently, reservations are accepted for the weekend of January 20-21 and January 27-28, with timings of either 5 PM or 7:30 PM. Pricing is $288 for a table of 5, with $38 prosperity salad packages for 5 people and a $68 per person deal for a group of 10.
Available Jan 20/21 and 27/28
1004 Delta Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45208
513-321-0982

Deme Kitchen
Chef Anna and company are offering a Lunar New Year special discount of 12% off of orders over $80, and 18% for orders over $120 until Friday, January 27th. Tables with more than four people will also get a bottle of exquisite plum wine!
627 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-978-7627

Esoteric Brewing and Decibel Chicken Walnut Hills
Join Marvin and Mapi for a special Lunar New Year edition of their monthly Filipino Kamayan Brunch.
$35/person for food-only $50/person for food & drink package (includes either bottomless mimosas or two 20 oz. beers)
$20 Bottomless Mimosa Deal
Reservation slots every half hour
TWO person minimum reservation
PLEASE RSVP >>>HERE<<< to reserve your seats! You can pay at the door.
Sunday, January 22; 11am-3pm
918 East McMillan Street Cincinnati, OH 45206

Great Tang
Great Tang is offering Family Special Combo Dinners at three price points. Set A being $68, Set B being $118, and Set C being $188
7340 Kingsgate Way, West Chester Township, OH 45069
513-847-6097

Kanji OTR
Kanji OTR is excited to offer the Fortune Cookie Martini 🥠 Kicking off Friday, until they run out!
Sesame infused vodka, vanilla, amaretto, Frangelico, agave, and oat milk. And of course, a fortune cookie for good luck.
Click >>>HERE<<< to see the Fortune Cookie Martini

Café Mochiko
Our friends at Mochiko have a lot of new treats for LNY, check out their bakery lineup:
Garlic Pork & Noodle Bao
Mango Pomelo Sago 🥭 (veg+gf!)
Butter-stuffed Bolo Bao 🧈
Salted Peanut Mochi 🥜
Ube Halaya Croissant 💜
Kimchi and Egg Croissant
BBQ Pork Snow Bao
Everything Cream Cheese Bao 🥯
Sweet Corn Bibingka 🌽
Mango Cardamom Scones
Sobacha Chocolate Chunk Cookie 🍪
Thai Tea Snickerdoodles
Shokupan 🍞🍞🍞
and check out their Mango Pomelo Sago
Bakery opens at 9am! ❤❤
1524 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH, 45206
513-559-1000

Oriental Wok Hyde Park
Oriental Wok Fort Mitchell
The Wong family have cooked-up an extensive Lunar New Year themed menu! From rabbit-themed cocktails like the "White Rabbit" and the "Playboy" to a guided cultural food-tour of what Chinese people eat during CNY and why, this limited-time menu is amazing.
Hyde Park: 2444 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45208
Ft Mitchell: 317 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park, KY, 41017

Paris Banh Mi
Paris Banh Mi is offering two Lunar New Year exclusive dishes from January 22nd to January 27th. These dishes are two classic Vietnamese the banh tet (a sweetened cylindrical rice cake rolled inside of a banana leaf with mung bean and pork filling) and the banh chung (similar to the banh tet but in more of a square shape). Both of these cakes are $25 each!
7659 Tylersville Rd, West Chester Township, OH 45069
513-847-1612

Pho Lang Thang
PLT is once again offering their Lì Xì red envelopes; free to customers of all ages.
See them >>>HERE<<<
1828 Race St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-376-9177

Queen's Bakery
Beautiful Lunar New Year Rabbit-style decorated cakes are bouncing into Queen's Bakery. Pre-orders are suggested as these are only available for a limited time! For most orders, go to their website >>>HERE<<<. To order whole cakes, please DM them on Instagram.
4770 Fields Ertel Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249
513-680-6740

Tea N Bowl
Yvonne is offering an exclusive Lunar New Year menu from Friday, January 20th, through Wednesday, January 25th. Be sure to pre-order to guarantee availability, as items are served on a first come, first serve basis!
211 W McMillan Street , Cincinnati, OH 45219
513-744-9800

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Retail

Find your LNY decor, gifts, and red envelopes at any of these Greater Cincinnati Area Asian markets.

CAM International Market
10400 Reading Rd #145, Cincinnati, OH 45241

Dayou
See Dayou's LNY Contest >>>HERE<<<
9604 S Mason Montgomery Rd,, Mason, OH 45040
513-496-6888

V Mart
Specializing in Vietnamese Tet merchandise.
650 Kemper Commons Cir, Springdale, OH 45246
513-818-8868

Costco
Oh, the Costco finds...! We found Pineapple Cakes and Mango Cakes at the two Northern Cincinnati-area Costcos. If you happen to be lucky enough to be travelling through Indianapolis, we found Swallow Bird Soup (a classic CNY gift) and Egg Yolk Cakes.

Target
The Big Red Retailer is offering limited-edition LNY merchandise.

Ikea
Not to be outdone, the Swedish home-goods retailer has their FÖSSTA collection celebrating LNY in cute textiles, gadgets, and decor.

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Editor's Note: We had an OVERWHELMING submission of beautiful imagery that could have accompanied this article but, due to the extensive nature of this list, we had to save our readers from scrolling-fatigue.

Photo by Sam Burke.