If you’re looking for a new start to your 2021 already (who else feels this, just me?), Lunar New Year is the perfect way to celebrate.
You may be asking, what is Lunar New Year? It’s a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar. Celebrations take place in different parts of Asia, like China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, and more! The date of the celebration differs each year, and in 2021, it falls on February 12th.
If you’re in Pittsburgh and you’d like to celebrate, you can easily partake by eating traditional foods like noodles, and dumplings. Noodles symbolize longevity and dumplings are shaped like traditional Chinese ingots (gold, or silver pieces), and symbolize wealth.
I never pass up the opportunity to eat noodles or dumplings, and here are some of my favorite spots to order from:
Chengdu Gourmet
Located in a nondescript strip mall behind the main drag of Squirrel Hill, is one of the best kept secrets in Pittsburgh. Chengdu Gourmet’s chef, Wei Zhu, is a four time James Beard Nominee. Get the sichuan- style dumplings in red chili oil, and the chengdu spicy cold noodles. You can’t go wrong with anything else on the menu either.
Taiwanese Bistro Cafe 33
Taiwanese Bistro Cafe 33 is always busy, so make sure you order ahead! Cafe 33 is located in Squirrel Hill, and they offer authentic Taiwanese dishes. Order the house special pan-fried noodles, and the soup dumplings are a must-get.
Everyday Noodles
Everyday Noodles was one of the first places in Pittsburgh to have soup dumplings; however, I personally think that the hand-pulled noodles and potstickers are the real stars. Get the shrimp pork and veg potstickers, and the braised beef noodle soup! When restaurants are open again, stop by to watch the chefs handpull noodles behind some clear glass.
If you have a favorite noodle/dumpling place that you’re going to order from to celebrate Lunar New Year, let us know below!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.
