As invited media, Disney provided WDWNT with a gift card for food and beverages for the Lunar New Festival, so some of the following coverage was hosted. As always, WDWNT will still provide our honest thoughts on the below.
The 2025 Lunar New Year Festival has begun at Disney California Adventure! Let’s celebrate by digging into all of the new offerings, like the Year of the Snake Margarita, or the Red Panda Bao! Below you’ll find our complete thoughts on each new item available at the festival, along with a review video with our rankings.
Lunar New Year Table of Contents
Bamboo Blessings
Food:
- 🆕Mini Char Siu Pork Shanks – $9.25
Beverages:
- 🆕Brown Sugar Milk Tea – $7.50
*NEW* Mini Char Siu Pork Shanks – $9.25
with Rice and Pineapple Chutney
The sweet sauce cut the normal taste of the pork, creating a very bland flavor on jasmine rice. There’s nothing exciting about this dish past the color.
Rating out of 7: 2
*NEW* Brown Sugar Milk Tea – $7.50
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. Ceylon Tea, Hotteok-inspired Brown Sugar Syrup, Maple & Butter Pecan Syrups and Oat Milk, garnished with Banana Milk-infused Whipped Cream
This is an overpriced sub-par milk tea. We didn’t taste any brown sugar. It’s just a disappointment. And $7 seems exorbitant for milk tea without boba.
Rating out of 7: 2
Longevity Noodle Co.
Beverages:
- 🆕Mandarin Citrus Mule – $19.00
- 🆕Tropical Coconut Cooler – $8.00
*NEW* Mandarin Citrus Mule – $19.00
Mandarin Vodka, Grapefruit Liqueur, Lime Juice, Mandarin & Apricot Purées and Candied Orange Syrup, topped with Ginger Beer and garnished with Rock Candy
The best way we could think to describe this is “very masculine tasting.” It tastes how men’s cologne smells. It’s a fun alternative to a typical mule, though watered down.
Rating out of 7: 4
*NEW* Tropical Coconut Cooler – $8.00
Coconut Cream, Coconut Milk, House-made Jackfruit Syrup, Dragon Fruit Syrup and Lychee Nectar & Cherry Juices, garnished with Mango Coconut Foam and Rainbow Jellies
Coconut is the predominant flavor here, and we liked the rainbow jellies. The mango-coconut foam attempts to cut the sweetness of the drink, but it’s not strong enough. This would be very refreshing in the summer, but isn’t quite what we’re looking for in the chillier weather. Regardless, it was very good.
Rating out of 7: 6
Lucky 8 Lantern
Food:
- 🆕Chocolate Firecracker – $7.50
Beverages:
- 🆕Guava Lemongrass Cocktail – $17.00
- 🆕Year of The Snake Margarita – $17.50
*NEW* Chocolate Firecracker – $7.50
Light Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Ganache Filling, Chocolate Almond Dacquoise and Popping Candy, featuring Dove Dark Chocolate
The mousse is very creamy and moist. The various chocolates are well-balanced and the popping candy inside makes this extra fun. Combine those with the cute presentation and this is a decent dessert option.
Rating out of 7: 5
*NEW* Guava Lemongrass Cocktail – $17.00
Silver Rum, Guava Nectar Juice, House-made Lemongrass Syrup and Lemon Juice, garnished with a Lemon Wheel
Like most of the festival cocktails, this is watered down, but it gets away with it a little easier because the drink is so refreshing. Think of your favorite POG drink and call this its cousin because this drink is in close relation. This drink is dangerous because you can’t taste the alcohol. We would totally get again.
Rating out of 7: 7
*NEW* Year of The Snake Margarita – $17.50
Reposado Tequila, Lime Juice, Kiwi Syrup and Mango Purée, garnished with a Snake Gummy
There’s nothing spectacular here. It’s a regular margarita that is a bit watered down. There’s nothing special about this margarita past the snake gummy on top. We would recommend a normal margarita, since you’re paying the same price for a watery version.
Rating out of 7: 4
Prosperity Bao & Buns
Food:
- 🆕Red Panda Bao – $9.50
Beverages:
- 🆕Three Weavers Expatriate IPA – $16.25
- 🆕Harland Raspberry Yuja Lemonade Ale – $16.25
- 🆕Study Break Lychee & White Tea Hard Seltzer – $16.25
- 🆕Strawberry-Lychee Cocktail – $17.50
- 🆕Lunar New Year Beer Flight – $18.50
*NEW* Red Panda Bao – $9.50
Jumbo Pork and Vegetable Bao with Chile-Garlic Sauce
It’s fine. It’s neither great nor horrible. For a festival that has much better dumplings, we can’t say we highly recommend it, but if you’re a big fan of “Turning Red,” it’s not a terrible choice.
Rating out of 7: 4
*NEW* Strawberry-Lychee Cocktail – $17.50
Bourbon, Strawberry Purée, Lychee Syrup and Lime Juice, garnished with a Skewered Lime Gummy
They have a Strawberry-Lychee Cocktail at Lucky Fortune Cookery on the regular menu, and while not exemplary, it’s better than this. It’s also a dollar cheaper. If this drink sounds appealing, go over to Lucky Fortune instead. This one, for some reason, is gross. The flavors stay separated and it fails to come together.
Rating out of 7: 3
Red Dragon Spice Traders
Food:
- 🆕Spicy Gochujang Chicken Tacos – $8.00
- 🆕Fire Chicken Wings – $9.00
Beverages:
- 🆕Peach Makgeolli Cocktail – $18.00
*NEW* Spicy Gochujang Chicken Tacos – $8.00
with Yuja Citrus Cabbage Slaw
We were pretty divided on this. It brings together Asian and Latin American spice blends. Some of us were put off by it, but others felt this dish is a really incredible combination of the two. The spice of the chicken and the creaminess of the slaw come together into a fantastic little taco.
Rating out of 7: 5
*NEW* Fire Chicken Wings – $9.00
with Sesame-Seaweed Crunch
For theme park wings, these are decent. They have a rich spice and the chicken is juicy. They’re not life changing but they’ll do the trick.
Rating out of 7: 4
*NEW* Peach Makgeolli Cocktail – $18.00
Peach Rice Wine, Citron Vodka, Ginger Liqueur, Cucumber Syrup and White Grape & Lime Juices, garnished with a Skewered Frozen Peach and Grape
Of all the overpriced and watered down cocktails at this festival, this one is the worst. It tastes like cucumber water mixed with soap. There’s no detectable peach flavor. Do not get this.
Rating out of 7: 1
Wrapped with Love
Food:
- 🆕Phở Dip – $9.50
- 🆕Mandarin Orange Cream Puff – $8.50
*NEW* Phở Dip – $9.50
with Rice Noodles, Sliced Beef, Shaved Jalapeños, Pickled Onions and Phở Broth
We were a little skeptical about this, as big pho fans, but they pulled it off. It’s excellent. You can taste pho in the sandwich, and the broth is just right. We’ll be back for more.
Rating out of 7: 7
*NEW* Mandarin Orange Cream Puff – $8.50
filled with Citrus Cream and Mandarin Compote
This is a good use of these flavors in a small, sweet form. The mandarin isn’t too strong here.
Rating out of 7: 5
Aunt Cass Cafe
Food:
- 🆕Almond Cookie Bread Pudding – $7.49
- 🆕Snake Sourdough Bread – $11.99
*NEW* Almond Cookie Bread Pudding – $7.49
Almond Bread Pudding with a gooey Almond Center, Mandarin Orange Créme Anglaise, Whipped topping, Toasted Almonds, and an Almond Cookie
The bread puddings from the former Pacific Wharf Cafe/Aunt Cass Cafe are always out of this world, and this one is no exception. The almond flavor is incredible and the coconut complements it well.
Rating out of 7: 7
*NEW* Snake Sourdough Bread – $11.99
This is the same Boudin sourdough as the other year-round and seasonal options. It’s standard sourdough, and kind of pricey. It is very cute, though.
Rating out of 7: 3
Award Wieners
Food:
- 🆕Bánh Mì Hot Dog – $14.49
*NEW* Bánh Mì Hot Dog – $14.49
Seared Pork Belly, Cilantro Jalapeño Aïoli, Pickled Carrots & Daikon, Cilantro and Jalapeño on a French Roll, served with Cuties® Mandarin Oranges or Filmstrip Fries
This is another dish we were skeptical about that turned out a success. The Pickled Carrots and Daikon are refreshing and work well to cut the grease. The French Roll was nice and crisp.
Rating out of 7: 5
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
Food:
- 🆕Mango and Coconut Sago Parfait – $7.29
*NEW* Mango and Coconut Sago Parfait – $7.29
This is refreshing, though a bit sour. If you like mango, you may enjoy this, but the artificial mango flavoring does contrast a bit with the chunks of actual mango.
Rating out of 7: 3
Boudin Bread Cart
Food:
- 🆕Snake Sourdough Bread – $11.99
*NEW* Snake Sourdough Bread – $11.99
This is the same Boudin sourdough as the other year-round and seasonal options. It’s standard sourdough, and kind of pricey. It is very cute, though.
Rating out of 7: 3
Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream
Food:
- 🆕Lychee Fruit Sundae – $8.79
- 🆕Mandarin Orange Cream Puff – $7.99
*NEW* Lychee Fruit Sundae – $8.79
Lychee Sorbet, Raspberry Syrup, Mandarin Orange Slices, Raspberries, and Black Sesame Seeds
This is refreshing and the natural sweetness of the fruit isn’t ruined by the sorbet and syrup. We particularly liked the addition of the sesame seeds, which lent a nice texture to the dish. It’s delicious and we’ll be back for more.
Rating out of 7: 7
*NEW* Mandarin Orange Cream Puff – $7.99
filled with Citrus Cream and Mandarin Compote
This is a good use of these flavors in a small, sweet form. The mandarin isn’t too strong here.
Rating out of 7: 5
Hollywood Lounge
Beverages:
- 🆕Mandarin Citrus Mule – $18
*NEW* Mandarin Citrus Mule – $18
Mandarin vodka, Grapefruit Liqueur, Lime Juice, Mandarin and Apricot Purées, and Candied Orange Syrup topped with Ginger Beer and Orange Rock Candy
The best way we could think to describe this is “very masculine tasting.” It tastes how men’s cologne smells. It’s a fun alternative to a typical mule, though watered down.
Rating out of 7: 4
Lamplight Lounge
Food:
- 🆕Vietnamese BBQ Pork Chop – $30
- 🆕Green Tea Donuts – $11
Beverages:
- 🆕Three Weavers Brewing Company Synthwave Sour Ale – $15
*NEW* Vietnamese BBQ Pork Chop – $30
with Spicy Garlic Noodles and Chile-Marinated Cucumbers
The pork chop and cucumbers are flavorless, despite being advertised as barbecue and chile-marinated, respectively. The garlic noodles, however, were perfect. If we could have just the noodles, this would be a 7/7.
Rating out of 7: 4
*NEW* Green Tea Donuts – $11
These are a heavy cake donut rather than a light yeast donut. It was served fresh and moist, but was pretty bland. We couldn’t taste green tea at all. Lamplight Lounge has had much better seasonal donuts in the past, making these a rare failure.
Rating out of 7: 3
Paradise Garden Grill
Food:
- 🆕Beef and Broccoli – $15.49
- 🆕Strawberries and Cream Roulade – $6.79
Beverages:
- 🆕Brewery X, Hard Peach Tea Seltzer – $13.50
- 🆕Strawberry-Lychee Cocktail – $16.25
*NEW* Beef and Broccoli (plant-based) – $15.49
Marinated Steak Tips with Fried Rice, Green Onion, and Toasted Sesame Seeds
This was like ordering bad Chinese takeout and then leaving it under a heat lamp for hours before eating. The vegan “steak” was hard and chewy. Skip this.
Rating out of 7: 3
*NEW* Strawberries and Cream Roulade – $6.79
covered in Toasted Almond Slices
This is the sleeper hit of the festival. It’s such an incredible combination of flavors that go together so well, and the lightness of the cream was absolutely wonderful. We’d order this again, and we’d be willing to go out of our way to do so.
Rating out of 7: 7
*NEW* Strawberry-Lychee Cocktail – $16.25
Bourbon, Strawberry Purée, Lychee Syrup, and Lime Juice garnished with a Skewered Lime Gummy
They have a Strawberry-Lychee Cocktail at Lucky Fortune Cookery on the regular menu, and while not exemplary, it’s better than this. It’s also a dollar cheaper. If this drink sounds appealing, go over to Lucky Fortune instead. This one, for some reason, is gross. The flavors stay separated and it fails to come together.
Rating out of 7: 3
Pym Test Kitchen
Food:
- 🆕Legend of the Ten Spices Flatbread – $14.99
*NEW* Legend of the Ten Spices Flatbread – $14.99
Kung Pao Beef, Sesame Spread, Toasted Bok Choy, and Napa Cabbage served with Onion-Cilantro Salad garnished with Heirloom Radish and Chile Threads
We appreciated the attempt at bringing the festival to Avengers Campus, and we love to see a Shang-Chi reference, but that’s the end of the good here. This is a smelly, convoluted mess. There’s too much going on here that doesn’t work together. Everyone in our group must have the “cilantro tastes like soap” gene, too, because the onion-cilantro salad was just awful. Even the flatbread base was weirdly sour.
Rating out of 7: 1
Smokejumpers Grill
Food:
- 🆕Fire Chicken Wings – $8.29
*NEW* Fire Chicken Wings – $8.29
with Sesame-Seaweed Crunch
For theme park wings, these are decent. They have a rich spice and the chicken is juicy. They’re not life changing but they’ll do the trick.
Rating out of 7: 4
Studio Catering Co.
Food:
- 🆕Moo Shu Pork Burrito – $13.99
- 🆕Scallion Pancake Tostada – $8.49
Beverages:
- 🆕Brown Sugar Milk Tea – $6.99
*NEW* Moo Shu Pork Burrito – $13.99
Sautéed Vegetables, Egg Fried Rice, and Crispy Noodles with a side of Plum Sauce
This would have been better as a bowl. The rice-stuffed wrap make this a heavy, bland, dense dish. It’s not what we would choose for a day at the park. The rice had a chewy texture that we did not enjoy. And while the sauce added sweetness to the burrito, it wasn’t an improvement. It’s not inedible by any means, but we wouldn’t seek this out.
Rating out of 7: 4
*NEW* Scallion Pancake Tostada – $8.49
Fried Scallion Pancake, Bulgogi Beef, Kimchi Aïoli, and Spicy Scallion Salad
The scallions may be intimidating, but do not present as the most flavorful part of the dish. The meat is well cooked and soft, while the toastada is crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the center. The real showstopper is the sauce used that sweetens and gives a small spice to the incredible dish.
Rating out of 7: 6
*NEW* Brown Sugar Milk Tea – $6.99
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. Ceylon Tea, Hotteok-inspired Brown Sugar Syrup, Maple and Butter Pecan Syrups, and Oat Milk garnished with Banana Milk-infused Whipped Cream
This is an overpriced sub-par milk tea. We didn’t taste any brown sugar. It’s just a disappointment. And $7 seems exorbitant for milk tea without boba.
Rating out of 7: 2
Outdoor Vending Carts
Food:
- 🆕Sweet Taro Bread – $9.25
*NEW* Sweet Taro Bread – $9.25
Taro Cream Cheese Icing and Condensed Milk
One reporter summarized their review succinctly as: “If someone proposed to me with this, I’d say yes.”
This is one of the best desserts we’ve ever had. The sweetness from the taro doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavor, and the Kings Hawaiian Roll it’s on is a perfect vehicle for the dish. It’s incredibly sticky and a bit hard to eat, but it’s worth it for the reward.
Rating out of 7: 7
Churros near Goofy’s Sky School and at Señor Buzz Churros on Pixar Pier
Food:
- 🆕Vietnamese Coffee Churro – $7.50
*NEW* Vietnamese Coffee Churro – $7.50
Classic Churro rolled in Coffee Sugar topped with a Bold Coffee Icing and Sweetened Condensed Milk
It’s not taste like Vietnamese coffee at all, but since they are using condensed milk and coffee sugar, they are calling it Vietnamese coffee. The churro is good as usual but the toppings made it too sweet. It’s not terrible, but we wouldn’t get this again.
Rating out of 7: 4
Churros at Hollywood Land
Food:
- 🆕Toasted Sesame and Red Bean Churro – $7.50
*NEW* Toasted Sesame and Red Bean Churro – $7.50
Classic Churro rolled in Toasted Sesame Sugar with Red Bean Whipped Topping and Sesame Tuile
Unlike the Vietnamese Coffee Churro, this is fantastic. It’s possibly one of the top five churros we’ve ever had. As soon as you have the first bite, you will enter the world of sesame. It’s not too sweet but packs a lot of flavor.
Rating out of 7: 7
Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff and Trolley Treats
Food:
- 🆕Firecracker Marshmallow Wand – $7.99
- 🆕Mickey Lantern Caramel Apple – $10.99
*NEW* Firecracker Marshmallow Wand – $7.99
This is a waste of money unless you really wanna get into the spirit of the season. But the black licorice especially makes this a “no” from us.
Rating out of 7: 1
*NEW* Mickey Lantern Caramel Apple – $10.99
This is very cute, but at the end of the day, it’s an overpriced caramel apple. It takes a nice photo, and if you’re getting a caramel apple anyway, it’s fine.
Rating out of 7: 4
Review Video
The Lunar New Year Festival will be taking place from January 17 to February 16, 2025.
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