When people visit Wo Hop, a classic Chinese restaurant nestled in a basement on Mott Street in Lower Manhattan, some come for the delicious spare ribs and duck lo mein. But an increasing number of patrons are now visiting for something else entirely: a T-shirt.
Every Lunar New Year, the restaurant introduces a special line of clothing to complement its menu of beloved American Chinese dishes. These T-shirts feature playful, hand-drawn designs inspired by the Chinese zodiac, often incorporating noodles into the theme. They are only available for a limited time, typically from mid-January through mid-April.
This year’s design, celebrating the Year of the Horse, showcases a panda skillfully lassoing a horse with a noodle. The previous year’s shirt, for the Year of the Snake, depicted a serpent wrapped around a takeout box of noodles.
While the T-shirts first appeared in 2012, Wo Hop itself has been a cherished part of New York City’s landscape since 1938. Its unique merchandise has attracted a dedicated following, including nightlife enthusiasts, hospitality workers, and loyal customers who have been returning for years to expand their collections.
This niche fan base, though small, is rapidly expanding. Approximately 2,700 shirts were sold in 2025, a noticeable jump from 2,300 in 2024, according to David Leung, a third-generation owner of the establishment. This year, he initially ordered 2,400 shirts and anticipates needing another 500 to keep up with the growing demand.
These exclusive shirts can be bought at Wo Hop for $15 or online for $25. It’s not uncommon to find them reselling for slightly higher prices elsewhere. Mr. Leung, 60, mentioned, “Everyone tells me I should raise the prices. But for us, it’s not really about profit; it’s more for promotion. And it seems to be working.”
Damian Laezza, a nightlife professional from Bushwick, Brooklyn, considers himself a “hardcore” collector, having bought his first Lunar New Year shirt in 2014. “I’m one of those people who, if I have one, I have to have all of them,” he explained.
Laezza, 43, has been frequenting Wo Hop since 2000, when he first stumbled in at 5 AM after a night out. (The restaurant once offered 24-hour service, which changed to a 5 AM closing time after Sept. 11. Now, Wo Hop closes at 10 p.m., a policy implemented during the pandemic.)
The concept for these seasonal T-shirts originated from the popularity of other Wo Hop merchandise, particularly a red dragon-themed tee launched in the early ’90s. This item was available year-round until its discontinuation in 2017, and it too became a collector’s favorite. Laezza used to buy ten at a time, calling them his “uniform.”
Since 2018, the enchanting designs for the Lunar New Year shirts have been created by a fourth-generation member of Wo Hop’s founding family: David Leung’s daughter, Chelsea Leung. She was just 13 when she crafted her inaugural Lunar New Year motif, a cheerful pig surrounded by fortune cookies, for the Year of the Pig.
Now 21 and a senior at Stony Brook University, Ms. Leung aims to imbue each design with humor. “I really want to make sure that no one would ever think of putting these animals in these situations,” she shared.
Until 2024, her sketches were done with pencil and paper. Today, she still freehand draws her T-shirt illustrations, but now on a touch-screen laptop. The design process is a collaborative effort between her and her father; sometimes, her brother also contributes to the ideas.
“My dad does sometimes prefer that we have more fierce-looking animals than what I usually create,” she admitted. “But it’s kind of hard to make it look fierce if the animals are doing something that is not typical, because it’s kind of hard to take the animal seriously.”
For Ms. Leung, seeing strangers wear a Wo Hop shirt is “a reminder of how much my family has accomplished.” For the fans, wearing these T-shirts is a powerful statement of both their affection for the restaurant and their pride in New York City.
“It’s very much, like, a New York pride kind of thing,” said Emily Karcher, 43, who owns half a dozen Lunar New Year tees. Ms. Karcher, who works in hospitality, noted that she has inspired several friends to start their own collections.
“Once they find out, everybody wants one,” she added.
David Locascio, a bartender and radio personality from Sag Harbor, N.Y., proudly owns 15 to 20 Wo Hop shirts. He enjoys wearing them while working, calling them “a good conversation starter.”
“Back when New York was old New York, when it was the city that never slept, that was where you go after the club or after the bar,” Mr. Locascio, 36, recalled about Wo Hop. “You learn to love places like that.”
Mr. Locascio makes regular pilgrimages from Long Island to Lower Manhattan specifically for the Lunar New Year T-shirt releases. He prefers to go with friends, but he won’t hesitate to go alone if he must.
“I just make sure that I go,” he affirmed.