Seattle, WA
Where to Eat and Drink in Seattle for Lunar New Year 2025
Lunar New Year is here. Also known as Chinese New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan, and Seollal, it’s a holiday celebrated by millions of people throughout Asia and the Asian diaspora. In Washington, Lunar New Year is now recognized as an official state holiday. Some Lunar New Year events have already taken place, but with the Year of the Wood Snake officially kicking off on January 29, there are a bevy of celebrations and food specials to look forward to.
Here’s a guide to some of notable restaurants, bars, and bakeries doing specials and events for Lunar New Year 2025 in the Seattle area:
- At the new Capitol Hill Vietnamese restaurant Ramie, Tet comes with an array of special menu items, including banh beo (rice cakes) with crab stew and chicharrones, a head cheese wrap, and che troi nuoc (rice balls filled with mung bean paste served in ginger syrup). On February 2, Ramie will host a Lion Dance, a traditional way of welcoming the Lunar New Year. Sibling restaurant Ba Sa on Bainbridge Island will be serving some of the same specials and also hosting a February 2 Lion Dance.
- Monsoon, one of Seattle’s most well-known Vietnamese restaurants, is also featuring a number of Tet specials, including the traditional banh tet (filled rice cakes boiled in banana leaves) and pork braised in a clay pot. These specials will run until February 2.
- The Asian American brewery Lucky Envelope always goes big for Lunar New Year and this year is no exception. The Ballard beer-maker will be releasing four new beers — including a sesame chili cream stout and an imperial stout brewed with tea — at a Lunar New Year party on February 1. There will be red envelope giveaways and food truck Panda Dim Sum will be on site from 3 to 8:30 p.m.
- Recently opened Peruvian restaurant La Mar Bellevue is serving a special Lunar New Year menu from January 29 to February 2. This may sound like an odd combination, but Peru is home to a large Chinese community and there is even a culinary style, called Chifa, that fuses Cantonese and Peruvian traditions. The La Mar menu will include items like aji relleno — crispy sweet peppers stuff with crab and glazed with a chili and condensed milk sauce.
- From January 29 to February 12, the Smith Tower’s Observatory Bar — home to some of the best views in all downtown — will be serving three Chinese-inspired cocktails, like the Empress’s Elixir, which has Szechuan-infused gin, lemon juice, honey. What’s the deal here? The Smith Tower has “deep ties to China,” according to a press release, and the Chinese Room (where the bar is located) has a bunch of furniture and decor gifted by Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi.
- Fremont dessert destination Paper Cake Shop — run by Joule’s Rachel Yang and pastry chef Gabby Park — is serving a special cake, the Good Fortune Cake, until the end of January. It has gluten-free chocolate sponge, mandarin orange caramel, walnut praline buttercream filling, walnut praline frosting, and slices of kumquat on top.
- Another sweet option can be found at the Central District doughnut shop Raised, which from January 30 to February 2 will be featuring red and gold mochi doughnuts and furikake (!) mochi doughnuts.
- Finally, the mega popular Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung is celebrating Lunar New Year by collaborating with Taiwanese American artist James Jean. While supplies last, guests to any DTF location (including the four in the Seattle metro area) get a gift card with Jean’s art on it that can be redeemed for a seaweed and bean curd salad appetizer. Anyone who spends more than $175 on a takeout order gets a limited edition James Jean tote.
Seattle, WA
Seattle fans pack waterfront hours early as USA defeats Australia, advances in World Cup
SEATTLE — Soccer fans descended on Seattle’s waterfront well before kickoff Friday, staking out their spots early to watch a highly anticipated World Cup matchup at Seattle Stadium between the United States and Australia. That patience paid off as Team USA won the match and now advances to the knockout round.
The atmosphere at Pier 62 was electric from the start, with fans lining up for prime viewing positions, whether down on the water’s edge or taking in the sweeping scene from the waterfront overlook above.
“I mean, look at all these people that are here hours beforehand to celebrate this incredible game,” said Paul Hanson, who was rooting for Team USA. “The hairs are going up on the arm.”
The energy was a draw in itself.
“The energy is amazing, everyone’s in a great mood, it’s just a lot of fun to be down here,” Maggie McNeil said.
Not everyone in the crowd was wearing red, white, and blue.
Lizzie Manning hails from Melbourne, Australia, and is now living in the Pacific Northwest.
Manning told KOMO News she hasn’t been back home in nearly a decade, but taking in the U.S.A-Australia match with the waterfront crowd gave her a taste of it.
“Whenever I see another Australian I’m like, ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, oy oy oy,’” she said. “I feel so close to home. I need a meat pie, life’s good.”
“I’ve met so many people who are visiting from other countries,” Seattle resident Maddie Chaplain said. “I sat next to a couple yesterday who was eating dumplings for the first time from Argentina, that was so awesome.”
With Team USA advancing, fans like Aaron Olson say they’ll be back for more.
“USA’s gonna win it,” Olson said. “I will come down here every game. This is spectacular.”
The World Cup watch parties continue on Pier 62 throughout the tournament. They are free and open to the public with online registration, but capacity is limited.
Seattle News Weekly S1E44: FIFA Frenzy hits the PNW
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is off and running as Seattle prepares to host the United States vs. Australia match on Friday. With more matches to be played in the Emerald City after that, FOX 13’s David Rose, Dan Griffin and Austin Lane are taking a closer look at the biggest stories surrounding the international tournament. Dan is hearing from fans on Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s decision to turn on CCTV cameras during the World Cup, Austin is taking a deeper dive into why ties are a good thing in the group stage, and David revisits the lessons learned from the first match hosted in Seattle between Egypt and Belgium.
SEATTLE – The FIFA World Cup has taken Seattle by storm, bringing global excitement to our city and visitors from across the world.
On this week’s episode of the ‘Seattle News Weekly’ podcast, David Rose, Dan Griffin and Austin Lane discuss the top headlines of the week that have emerged alongside the buzz about the FIFA World Cup 2026.
A Massive Tournament Expansion
The hosts open the podcast with a discussion on how historically large this year’s FIFA World Cup is compared to years past. Expanded to 48 teams (up from 32), the tournament features a record 104 matches over 39 days across 16 host cities. Seattle is hosting six of those matches.
Austin explains the value of “ties” in the group stage—especially with the new format where 32 teams advance to the knockout stage instead of 16—meaning a single point from a tie carries significant weight.
At the time of recording, the US had already defeated Paraguay and is preparing to face Australia at “Seattle Stadium,” where a win would guarantee advancement.
Transit Tactics
Dan Griffin reports on the city’s transit system, noting that while the light rail is moving a massive influx of people smoothly, transit authorities are actively “throttling” passengers.
This practice involves controlling crowd flow onto platforms to ensure safety, which has caused wait times of over an hour for some fans on TikTok. Transit officials recommend that fans walk to stations slightly further away from the stadium district to get moving faster.
The CCTV Security Debate
The hosts talk about how security is a major focal point. The FBI has already had to confiscate drones being flown illegally downtown. More prominently, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson activated controversial closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the Stadium District following “general but credible threats” identified by law enforcement.
While an activist group called Community, Not Cameras expressed fears that the surveillance puts vulnerable populations at risk due to federal agency presence, visitors and fans interviewed largely welcomed the extra layer of security. The cameras are expected to be turned off after the World Cup concludes.
Cultural Celebrations and Fan Experiences
The hosts play a clip from reporter Lauren Donovan who provides a colorful look at the fan festivities happening in the city. She highlights the “March to the Match,” describing Monday morning where Belgian fans swarmed Victory Hall alongside middle school band directors from the Stanwood-Camano district who were recruited to drum for them.
She also joins celebrating Egyptian fans, whose match against Belgium ended in an enthusiastic tie. The hosts note that international fans (like those from Australia) are already flooding local attractions, including Seattle Mariners baseball games, turning the sporting event into a broader West Coast vacation.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible or YouTube.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
USA players want to lay off the ‘Layup’ chatter ahead of Australia matchup
How Seattle is preparing for USMNT vs. Australia World Cup match on Juneteenth
FIFA World Cup billboards in Seattle spark sexual health conversations
Seattle’s Ballard to host Pride celebration, FIFA watch party on June 26
Seattle reviews FIFA World Cup 2026 transit options after post-match congestion
Egypt’s World Cup pride, Mohamed Salah’s legacy and one fan’s love for the Pharaohs
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
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