From the Universal Orlando Blog
I’m over the moon with every offering Universal Orlando Resort is bringing to the table this Lunar New Year, and you will be too once you taste them for yourself. Widely popular across a variety of Asian cultures, Lunar New Year is an annual celebration observed on the first new moon of the calendar year. This years the Lunar New Years kicked off on Wednesday, January 29.
At Universal Orlando, however, we do things a little differently. We’re so excited for what the Lunar New Year will bring that we’re both getting a head start on and extending the celebration! Through February 15, some of your favorite restaurants at Universal CityWalk, Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure are offering celebratory treats that you won’t want to miss out on.
Voodoo Doughnut Orlando in Universal CityWalk
I’m down with the doughnuts this Lunar New Year — specifically Voodoo Doughnut in Universal CityWalk — and you’ll be right there with me as this spot unveils its celebratory delight, the Coconut Pandan. Inspired by the tropical, savory-sweet pandan plant flavor native to Southeast Asia, this doughnut features a vibrant purple, ube-flavored filling topped with green tea velvet icing and toasted coconut shavings garnished with Year-of-the-Snake-fitting snake gummies. My mouth is watering, my stomach is rumbling and my teeth are already hurting — for the best reasons possible!
The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar in Universal CityWalk
2025 is the Year of the Snake and The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar in Universal CityWalk is celebrating accordingly with its tasty sushi offering: the Snake in the Grass Roll. This dish sounds scarier than it looks — and tastes! Neatly rolled inside white sushi rice you’ll find crispy tempura shrimp, avocado and unagi (freshwater eel) while the outside is drizzled in honey and spicy mayo and garnished with colorful shrimp crunchies.
Cowfish Chef Dania Alvarez-King says that despite the seemingly “weird” color combination of black and green in the Snake in the Grass Roll, its taste is out of this world. You’re in for a satisfying surprise with this Lunar New Year treat.
Joining this roll’s side at the Cowfish bar is its snake-cocktail partner in crime, the South Seas Snake. Josh Franck, our beverage manager at Universal, says that because Lunar New Year is widely celebrated within Chinese culture, he wanted to develop a drink that features an authentic Chinese liquor; that’s how he landed on the Ming River Sichuan Baijiu.
“They’re made in a very unique way that creates some very unique aromas and flavors,” Josh says. This baijiu liquor is joined by a classic rum to create a friendlier, more palatable flavor for the taste buds. The fruit juices in this cocktail come together to create what Josh describes as a “tiki framework” as its taste is utterly tropical.
“We’re using pineapple juice, we’re using lime juice — mainly for the acidity — passion fruit for some complexity and some more floral elements,” he says. To top it off, this cocktail features ginger puree as a nod to the spices commonly found in East Asian cuisines. “A little bit of spiciness to kind of give a little bit more underlying support to those intense aromas and flavors.”The icing on the cake — or snake, in this case — for this drink is a citrusy orange slice and a snake-shaped bamboo leaf garnish, making for a fun, festive cocktail fit for the Lunar New Year.
Bend the Bao in Universal CityWalk
The hottest Asian-fusion restaurant in all of CityWalk has just dropped two new drinks with traditional flavors that will rock your taste buds for Lunar New Year. Head over to Bend the Baoto try both the Winter Melon & Strawberry Tea Lemonade with aiya jelly boba and Passion Fruit & Ginger Tea with lychee boba for a fruity celebration.
Each chef celebrating Lunar New Year at our delicious Universal dining venues has put a lot of thought and creativity into the holiday offerings, including our director of culinary operations at CityWalk, Chef Isaac Maisonet Pacheco. He says that when creating these drinks, he was inspired by the popularity of winter melon in Southeast Asia.
“I tied it in, of course, with our main purpose of celebrating Lunar New Year,” he says, adding that this decision also aligned with 2025 being the Year of the Snake. “(Winter melon) is actually something that is quite common for a snake to eat, believe it or not.” Couple this with fresh, in-season strawberries, and you’ve got yourself a sip-worthy flavor combination.
As for the Passion Fruit & Ginger Tea, Chef Isaac simply wanted something on the menu after his own heart. “That’s a personal favorite — I’ve got to be honest,” he says. “I love ginger, I grew up with passion fruit, I love lychee; that’s basically a representation of myself while utilizing the theme and concept.” Plus, with lychees being native to Southeast Asia, they make the perfect, fruity flavorful addition to this traditional boba treat.
Lombard’s Seafood Grille in Universal Studios Florida
A taste of the Lunar New Year awaits at Lombard’s Seafood Grille, the best spot in Universal Studios to grab a bite of the fanciest — and fishiest — dishes. Our multi-talented chefs have specially crafted a dish fit for the occasion that is an absolute must-try. Crispy Snowflake Potstickers are exactly what you need to kick off the holiday with tasty shrimp stuffed inside a crispy dumpling with a fried lacey crust, served with a side of savory–sweet dragon sauce.
Croissant Moon Bakery in Universal Islands of Adventure
How fitting of Universal’s very-own Croissant Moon Bakery to be taking part in welcoming the Lunar New Year — and you already know it’s bringing something oh-so sweet! This spot offers a chocolatey take on a traditional Chinese mooncake, which is a round, thick pastry typically filled with lotus seed or red bean paste. Croissant Moon Bakery, however, calls to the hearts of chocolate cheesecake lovers with its flavorful filling in its rendition of this Chinese delicacy, and it’s definitely yours for the taking this Lunar New Year.
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