Din Tai Fung

I’ve had Din Tai Fung before but this was the first time at this location. The consistency between the restaurants is fairly similar, which is good.
Pork Xiao Long Bao, yum. We ordered two orders and it was nice of them to bring them out staggered so that they didn’t get cold. This means, they were attentive in putting in the first order and then when we had a few left, putting in the second so it was still nice a hot. This was definitely a plus. $ 10 per order.
The difference between the two orders was slight but there, the first order had more soup but was less warm, and the second was hot but less soupy but still present.
Overall, yummy and fairly consistent. I’d return.
We also got first seating, highly recommended so you don’t have to wait if you’re able to do so. The restaurant here is pretty large.
They validate, which is great! You can have a good meal and get to shop around for up to three hours. It was nice to see the Lunar new year decorations around the plaza too.

Of all the din tai fungs I’ve been too, this one was the worse. It’s great how popular the chain has gotten, but I think along the way they’ve lost quality consistency. :(
Clear Beef Soup — Came lukewarm and watered down. Definitely not worth $ 8.
Beef Noodle Soup — Probably the best dish we ordered. I enjoyed this.
Spicy Wonton — Good, but also lukewarm! It really felt like they just left the dish sitting out for a long time.
Xiao Long Bao — Not as juicy as it should be .
Taro Bao — Way more dry than the ones I had in Taiwan.
Overall, a huge disappointment… especially since I’m Taiwanese.

I had heard a lot of good things and was specifically pointed in the direction of the Arcadia locations, but since this one was close by, I ended up at Din Tai Fung at the Americana.
I sat at the bar with no waiting. The bartender, Sarah was fantastic; both helpful and attentive. I was treated to the «it’s your first time here, let me show you some of the things we’re known for» pitch. It was helpful, but somehow reminiscent of a similar talk I’ve heard over the years with various people at another well know Asian chain.
The cucumber salad was light and refreshing but I expected something with some punch as other renditions of this dish I’ve sampled have had. I went with a half order of pork xiao long bao. I’m not sure if I blew the recommended ratios for the vinegar, soy and ginger dipping sauce, but I found that to be just passable as opposed to the rave reviews about it being somehow sublime. The dumplings were good, but not the über delicious treats I was expecting after hearing all the hype. The sauteed green beans with garlic were very good. They were cooked perfectly and had a nice snap with each bite. I added some of the chili oil on the bar which pushed them over the top with a slight kick. I finished up with the red bean sticky rice wrap which was tasty and satisfying but also just big enough for me to realize that I’d not only ordered far too much food — but also managed to eat it all.
I’d certainly go back to Din Tai Fung, but would prefer to try a different location next time around to see if I feel differently about the dishes prepared by a different chef.

We ordred take-​out (aka Postmates) to our Airbnb since everyone else was hungover from the night before. Nothing is better than dim sum after a fun night! We had dumplings, boba, noodles, and rice cake dish! They were all delicious and still warm when it arrived. Packaging was pretty and the boba was my favorite! There was no boba even though I requested for it, but the pudding within the milk tea was just the cherry on top — super satisfying and highly recommend to order. The spicy dumplings were one of my favorites along with the rice cake dish! Definitely will return and hope to one day visit the original Din Tai Fung!

Wooo Hooo… No Lines!
Landed in L.A.X. before 8am and didn’t get out of there till a little after 9am after getting our car rental. Our plan was to make it here before they open so we don’t have to wait. Got here at 10am. right when they open and we got seated right away!
I can honestly say that their XLB are as good as I remembered.
Ordered:
Juicy Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) — mmmmm delicious. The warping was perfect and not sticky… and the juice inside was flavorful… Yummy.
Juicy Pork and Crab Dumplings — good. but not great. I still prefer the original XLB better. I think the taste of the crab over powered the other taste. Guess its good that they aren’t cheap with their crab in this dish.
Shrimp and Pork Shao Mai — Yummy. Different that what I expected but it this dish tasted pretty good. Shrimp on top and pork on the bottom.
Shrimp and Pork Dumplings — Nothing special… just dumplings. Flavors were good.
Green Beans sauteed in Garlic — YUMMY! This dish was very delicious and highly recommend. When this dish came out… I couldn’t stop eating it. Very impressed with the green beans.
This place is known for their Xiao Long Bao… so that is a must try! Love their XLB and the green bean dish.

I’ve been to Din Tai Fung only twice so far, but both times have been good experiences. I believe I went to the Arcadia location the first time, but this place is just as good.
The décor to this place is a little nicer than the Arcadia location. It’s so modern, you wouldn’t really think that this place is a Chinese restaurant.
My favorite things to get here are the Pork and Shrimp Wontons in Spicy Sauce and Cucumber Salad. Though the spicy sauce isn’t as hot as I’d like it to be, the flavor is just amazing. The cucumber salad is served chilled with a very refreshing sauce.
I’ve also tried the Xiao Long Bao (both pork and crab), fried noodles with shrimp, and string beans. All were pretty good and up to par. I was a little disappointed that the pork Xiao Long Bao didn’t have much soup in it, while the crab one had a good amount. I also tried the sticky rice shiu mai, which was not my cup of tea. The skin used to wrap everything together was super thick and doughy, it tasted undercooked.
Overall, I really enjoy eating at Din Tai Fung. After the meal, I thought «Wow, that was a good meal…» I can’t wait for the location in San Jose to open!

Cannot argue with the yumminess of Din Tai Fung. It’s not exactly the same as the one in TW but I can’t complain! I love xiao long baos and this is as close as it gets in the states! There’s always a wait, so come early!
Modern décor, friendly staff, quick service, yummy food.
First time here? Pork xiao long bao and a sweet red bean sticky rice dessert. Don’t forget some bubble tea!

This was a nice dinning experience for din tai fung. It’s busy, but not as busy as the Arcadia location. The staff is very fast, and the quality of the dim sum is superb. I was really impressed with how efficient the staff is. I don’t deal well with long waits… we arrived, were seated in under 5 minutes. We paid our bill about 40 minutes after we sat. I LOVE THIS!
Din Tai Fung in Glendale is a sure shot, no brainer choice!

I love DTF. I’ve been to several locations (including the Arcadia ones and also the ones in Taiwan), but this location is one of my favorite. It’s clean, large, and serves alcohol as well (which isn’t available most elsewhere).
The must get at DTF is the:
— Pork Xiao Lung Bao (soup dumpling) — The skin is delicate and springy, the seasoning in the filling is delicious, and just a bit of that hot broth in the dumpling rounds it out. I usually bite a small hole in it and then enjoy (it’s very hot so be careful of scalding your mouth!).
— Shrimp and Pork Wontons in Spicy Sauce — The wontons are delicious and perfectly seasoned as well. But what is amazing about this dish is the spicy sauce. It’s so good i use it to dip my xiao lung bao in.
— I usually add a smattering of side dishes, bean curd, sauteed vegetables, or soy noodle salad and a complete meal is made. There are just days that I really crave DTF, it’s that good.

So after hearing about all the hoopla, I decided to try this place since they opened this Glendale location. It’s still about a 40 minute drive, but I was determined. In short, it was totally worth it. I’m giving it 5 stars because it’s great and I really have nothing else to compare it to. This is not your typical Cantonese dim sum house.
Everything is tasty, but you have to order the soup dumplings. They are out of this world. And depending on how many people you have in your party, you may not want to order everything at once, otherwise things get cold.
So I’ve been twice now. The first time we came with a party of 5 right after they opened and we were seated within 5 minutes. The second time, we came with a party of 4 around 1:00 and we waited about 75 minutes. I will say that the wait isn’t too bad because you can just walk around the corner and go shopping. You can also grab a cup of coffee or just get a drink at the bar inside Din Tai Fung or another spot in the Americana.
I’ll be back and there are still things on the menu to try. I may even try a different location for comparison.

I feel like both service AND food can be a little inconsistent at times. I’ve been to this location several times (at least one time with each visit to SoCal) and at first I was absolutely SMITTEN with Din Tai Fung, but with each additional visit I’ve been less and less impressed. With today’s take out visit– I feel superbly disappointed by the service and food quality/​/​temperature.
I’ve always had a pleasant experience with the waiters while dining there, but I when I walked in today to ask about wait times I was greeted by a front stand waitress who couldn’t care any less in answering my inquiry or helping me out when I asked if I could get take out. She briskly waved me to the side to wait for another person to help me that wasn’t even standing there. When FINALLY a nice hostess came to help with my order I was told to wait 20 minutes and and was handed my drinks. We checked back every 10 minutes for our order and it wasn’t ready. When we finally got our order we walked out to look for a space to eat it so that it would still be fresh and delis— That’s when we encountered 3 main pain points with this idea:
1. Despite eating literally around the corner at the Americana the food was COLD.
2. There was no soy sauce and too little vinegar given to us. I literally asked for them to give me chilli and soy sauce before we walked out with the food.
3. THEY FORGOT TO GIVE US OUR XLB. They didn’t even bother to check that we had everything. UGH. Thank god we were around the corner so we went back to get that missing order. (for some reason, even though supposedly they forgot to give it to us and went to make more for us, the XLB was still cold AF when we tried to eat it right outside.)
TLDR; If you eat in, expect a long wait but good (ish) service. If you decide take out, they hostesses really don’t give a damn about you as a customer, and may even forget to give you a thing or two. The XLB is probably the best thing here, but the veggies are good and the drinks are good. This might be the best XLB the west coast has to offer but it certainly doesn’t beat East Coast XLB. (this is coming from a person who screams WESTCOASTBESTCOAST to anyone and everyone.)

Came here to see what the hype was about.
Put our names down and walked around the shopping area to kill time. I really liked that I could check how many people were ahead of us through the app.
Came back because I got a text telling me to head back and spent another 10 minutes or so waiting for our table. To kill time, I watched the workers make the dumplings and bao. I’m sure they hate people watching them because I would hate it too but it was pretty interesting although it was really repetitive.
Our server Michael was really nice and helped us through the process. Although, we are Asian and had Xiao Long Baos before & already knew what we wanted, we still let him do his speel.
I didn’t really think the Xiao Long Baos here were very special. Yes, I was impressed that they don’t break when you pick them up but they weren’t $ 1 something each good. I’ve been to other places in the Bay Area where you can get 10 for $ 6 and you can pick them up and not break. The other thing I didn’t like about it was that the dumplings didn’t come out piping hot, I guess they do that so you don’t burn yourself but I like my dumplings hot, these were just warm.
I honestly can’t say I can hop on this bandwagon. I don’t their food is that amazing to wait hours for or even worth the price. I definitely can eat similar quality dumplings for half the price.

I came here with a friend on a weekday and it was still packed! Surprisingly, it only took 20 minutes to get seated despite the amount of people around. I guess it helps if you come in as a pair. When inside, I thought it was neat to see the many cooks making the dumplings through the glass display. I was definitely able to better appreciate the amount of work and finesse that goes into making the soup dumplings!
Once seated, we looked over the menu and filled out our order on a piece of paper. We ordered the pork xia long bao, shrimp & pork shao mai, cucumber salad, and sweet & sour soup. The xia long bao was delicious, especially dipped in the ginger, spicy oil, and vinegar dipping sauce. However, I thought the shrimp and pork shao mai was much better. The big chunk of shrimp was so meaty and juicy! I was caught by surprise to find that inside the shao mai, it was similar to the xia long bao as my mouth was not ready for the steaming soup inside. The cucumber salad was refreshing but lacking in flavor. And as for the sweet and sour, it was also quite flavorless.
Overall, although the soup dumpling and the shao mai were delicious, I definitely think it’s overhyped and overpriced. I understand the appeal since it’s a very trendy and modern restaurant that serves traditional-​style food. I don’t think I’ll be back, but definitely glad I tried it.

I’ve been wanting to go to Din Tai Fung for a while, and I finally got the opportunity when one of my close friends was visiting San Diego over Fourth of July weekend. We ended up shopping at the Glendale Galleria, so we made an impromptu decision to meet another friend for lunch at Din Tai Fung. Because this wasn’t planned, we had to wait about two hours for lunch for three. However, we were able to kill time at the Galleria.
Needless to say, we ended up eating lunch around 3 p.m. and I was starving by this time. We ordered a good amount of food for three people, but we also got a good assortment. I really liked the different dumplings at that we got, as well as the soup and vegetables.
There’s a lot to choose from on the menu. I would recommend starting with the dishes that you absolutely want to try (instead of over-​ordering); you can always add more to your order later. I was definitely full after our lunch, but I don’t regret getting the dishes we chose.
Here’s what we got:
«Braised Beef Soup»: My friend likes her beef, and we decided to get one soup, one veggie dish and dumplings to round out our meal. I was a bit nervous because I saw the «spicy» icon next to this menu selection, but we got it mild … and it was actually really delicious. I don’t eat too much beef, but I had a few chunks of it in this soup and it was tender, tasty and flavorful. I think I tend to stay away from beef as a whole because I’ve experienced some really tough pieces, but I would gladly order this soup dish again. It was a surefire winner.
«Sauteed Spinach with Bean Curd and Wine»: My friends both like bean curd (while I preferred straight up spinach and garlic), but our server assured us that this was a really popular vegetable dish … so I agreed to try it. To my surprise (and relief), the bean curd was actually a mild component of the dish. The spinach was delicious (spinach is my favorite vegetable) and whatever sauce the veggies were soaked in was super flavorful. I still do want to get the «Sauteed Spinach with Garlic» at some point, but I would recommend this dish if you’re looking for something green and mild to balance out your meal.
«Shrimp and Pork Shao Mai»: I think this was one was my favorite dish of all the dumplings we got. I loved the blend of shrimp and pork in every bite; you got a good blend of both. The shrimp was tender and flavorful, and the pork was juicy and succulent. If you’re narrowing down your choices, definitely opt for this one!
«Vegetarian»: I don’t know quite what was in these vegetarian dumplings, but they were really good. They didn’t taste that much different from the shrimp and pork-​filled ones, but they had a nice consistency and texture to them, as well as a lighter taste. My friends and I definitely are not vegetarian, but we really enjoyed these dumplings.
«Pork XiaoLongBao»: My friend wanted to get these dumplings because they included both pork and soup in them. Our waitress cited these as one of the most popular, and indeed, they were one of my favorites. Not only are the dumplings moist and tender, but the interior is especially flavorful because of the soup. There’s a good balance in each dumpling, and even though there’s a little bit of soup in every one, it’s not soggy in the slightest. I would highly recommend this option if you’re dining here for the first time.

I’ve been to this location a few times as well as several other Din Tai Fung locations, and honestly, I think Din Tai Fung is a bit overrated since there are many other better Taiwanese restaurants, but I do feel that Din Tai Fung is consistently good, and there are many locations making it convenient for those who want their dumpling fix.
I alway get the soup dumplings with crab and pork, although it was a bit dry during my last visit! Other items I like are the cold cucumber appetizer, shrimp pork dumplings, beef noodle soup, wontons, steamed red bean bun, and the hot & sour soup-​the small was actually a nice size for one bowl each for two.
If you are coming for dinner, I recommend coming early. I came around 530pm on a Weds night and walked right in, and as we were dining, I noticed a crowd waiting around 630pm/​7pm. Also, don’t forget to validate your parking.
I particularly like this location, since I frequent the Glendale area, and it’s a nice option to have among the other restaurants in the area. There’s so much to do around here, and you can come here in between shopping and enjoy a nice walk around the Americana after.

After coming back about another 5 – 6 times, I decided to give an update:
XLBs: Never fails to disappoint. ⁵⁄₅ every time and it is always on point! Their recommendations for the dipping sauce: 3 parts vinegar, 1 part soy sauce, 1 part chili. However, I don’t follow their recommendations because I find the vinegar to be too potent for me (I like more spice).
Pork Fried Rice: ⁴⁄₅ Great flavors! The fried rice was simple, yet flavorful. The pork was crisp and has a nice salty flavor to it.
Pork Fried Noodles: ²⁄₅. Not that good. I just wanted to try everything on the menu. Thick chewy noodles that were lacking a punch! The only thing I wouldn’t recommend :(
Green Beans w/​Garlic: ⁵⁄₅ Comfort food. Strong garlic flavor, which I love. Gotta have those greens on the table!
Noodles with Spicy Sauce: ⁵⁄₅ Not Spicy, but delicious. Has a soy sauce flavor with a spicy hint. You can basically drink that sauce like some Remy!
Noodles with Sesame Sauce: 3.5÷5 Nothing too special here. Had a peanut butter type of sauce to it. Reminded me of Dan Dan noodles that I had before.

ME HEART DIN TAI FUNG.
I can’t think of any place that serves better juicy pork dumplings. The flavor inside, and the delicate thinness of the dumpling skin, along with its ability to not break. THEY’RE GOLDEN. I mean the worst thing is when you try to pick it up and all the juices come pouring out. :(Not here, though!
Juicy pork dumplings– 5 stars.
Shrimp and Pork Shumai– 3 stars.
Wonton in chili oil– 2 stars. It lacked major kick compared to other places.
That’s all I had here, as I solely came to stuff my face with juicy pork dumplings.
The wait is at least 1 hour, so good luck. Great thing they validate parking for 3 hours. A nice buzzer will allow you to roam and shop for a bit.

A two-​hour wait!!! Ai ya! The food was good, but was a little underwhelming.
The soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) were overrated. Everybody keeps talking about Din Tai Fung having the best soup dumplings so I was expecting to have my mind blown. The meat and soup filling was tasty, but the skin was just so-​so. A little too thick and chewy for my taste. The soup dumplings come in a steamer of 10 as opposed to the usual 8 so they’re kind of bite-​sized. Not enough soup inside. I like the crab soup dumpling filling. It didn’t have an overly fishy taste.
We also ordered:
–Sauteed String Beans– Really good! The string beans has a nice crisp to it.
–Shrimp Fried Rice– It was a very simple fried rice dish that is very easy to make yourself. Not bad, but a small dish for $ 10.
–Shrimp and Pork Shao Mai– This was pretty much soup dumpling in the form of a sack, topped with a shrimp. The shrimp was a little dry and flavorless. Skip and try something else.
–Shanghai Rice Cake with Chicken– This was good. It wasn’t super oily like some other Chinese restaurants. It’s a stir-​fry. Can’t really mess up on this. It had a good amount of chicken and veggies.
For dessert, we had the Red Bean Rice Cake, Taro Bun, and Sesame Bun. I wasn’t a fan of the Red Bean Rice Cake, but the Taro Bun and Sesame Bun were melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious. It was a great way to end a delicious dinner!
The restaurant was really clean and had nice modern décor. The food came out fast for a packed restaurant. Service was top notch. Our server (Eduardo?) took great care of us!
I’m actually not surprised by the long wait, considering it is located in a town center full of stores and a beautifully lit Christmas tree. All of the tourists and locals are commingling here. If you’re shopping, the wait will pass by quickly. They don’t take reservations. You just got to put your name down and give them your number so they’ll text you when your table is ready. You can also download their app, which gives you an estimate of how close you are to getting a table.
Garage parking is pretty close by. Din Tai Fung validates the first three hours. I’d likely be back, but I wouldn’t wait another two hours.

I will never NOT crave Din Tai Fung. Once you have it, you will never NOT crave it.
Yes yes, there is a hype for this place. There is also an insanely long wait time usually (1hr-1:30hr). However, once you sit. Once you take that first bite of your Pork XiaoLongBao. It’s all over. You’ll understand why people wait.
FOOD: Soup dumplings are just made for those cold chilly days where when you’re having a bad day, one dumpling will make it just all better. We had:
— Pork XiaoLongBao (Most popular)
— Pork/​Shrimp Shao Mai
— Pork/​Shrimp dumplings
— Shrimp fried rice (Not enough shrimp clearly.)
— String beans (My favorite! &so simple!)
— Seaweed/​bean curd salad
None of those orders did my family’s appetite wrong. We were happily stuffed and sad when that last XiaoLongBao was eaten.
SERVICE: On our first visit we had such an awesome waiter who knew exactly how to treat first-​timers! Tons of charm. He set up our dipping sauce, gave us the top favorites (without asking), & checked up on us whenever we finished a plate. Great service for that first visit. However our second visit? Meh. Not as good of a waiter. He was pretty lazy. The hostess cancelled out that server’s laziness though because our wait time was already up. But my parents were having a hard time finding parking yet they were very lenient & just told my friend, «That’s alright. Just let us know when your whole party of 4 is here & we’ll seat you then!» Very very accommodating.
So Din Tai Fung, looks like you got another fan. Looking forward to my next meal with you but no lazy servers please!
Get to eating, Unilocalheads!
Top Hits:
— Their milk tea is wonderful. Their hot tea is easily shared so your party just has to pay for one pot.
— First timer? They typically say to start off with 4 – 6 orders. A good average for a party of 4 would be 6 items that is quickly shared once they hit the table!
— Half orders are always possible, just note it!
Heads up:
— Wait on average can be from 45min to 1:45min really depending on how busy Americana is that evening. (Holiday season? Expect the latter.)
— No table reservations
PRO-​tip: If you have a party of 4 or more, at least one or two of you can be there to place your name down while the others of your party can use the wait time to meet up! Once they text you that the table is ready, make sure you are all there!

I totally didn’t know you get valet free for 3 hours when you validate, so LIKE A DUMMY, I parked in the Americana parking lot and walked 10 minutes DTF.
Pork and Crab XiaoLongBao ($ 11)
I’m guessing this is the most popular item. I mean, why wouldn’t it be? One bite and juices are all up in your mouth. It comes with 10 pieces so plenty to share but make sure you order a bunch of other things.
Shrimp Fried Rice ($ 9.50)
A little small for a $ 10 fried rice. This is probably only going to be enough for 2 people to share. Definitely not a family-​style-​sharing-​friendly. It’s good, but for $ 10, probably not worth it.
Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup ($ 9.50)
Note that this only comes with the wonton and soup. There is no noodles that comes with it. I had to pay a few dollars extra to get the noodles added inside. What’s wontons and soup with no noodles? A little weird if you ask me. The wontons were great but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about having to pay extra for these noodles.