🤮
We had a reservation at 11 am on Saturday.
We showed up at 10:50 am, thinking we were early. I checked with the front desk.She pointed me to the line out the door: Everyone with a reservation needed to be in the line.Looking at the line, at least 20 minutes wait. "But that line is for non-reservation people?" I asked."Yeah, we only have one line," she said. " And once checked in, you will wait in the open area until our hostess can take you in."I look around the open space, at least 5 groups waiting to be seated.We canceled the reservation and walked away.We made a reservation two weeks ago precisely because we did not want to wait. Which restaurant makes you wait 20 minutes, and be in line, when you have a reservation? You made a reservation at 11; you want to sit down at 11. But DTF's reservations are like a waitlist. They make the reservation customers wait for an available table, not a table waiting for the reservation customers, as most restaurants do.I have been eating in DTFs since I was 10-year-old, in Taiwan. DTFs in Taiwan were always busy, but they were humble, very humble. The servers would apologize for making you wait, as there was no reservation system back then. DTFs were never this arrogant, not until now and only in the US. But I guess they have the right to be arrogant - there is no competition!I have been in this DTF more than a hundred times, with more than 50 check-ins. I think I earned the right to criticize; I want them to be better.
🙂
Did go back after dining at another location.
This time I got delivery via Uber. The vegetarian hot and sour soup was very good. So were the noodles. The food quality is great. Surprised. no Chinese broccoli but seem to have everything else. Would definitely order again. But going to the location in the past proved problematic with so much of a wait time.
😍
Our first time ever and it was amazing.
The Braised Beef Noodle Soup was flavorful and hot, Pork XLB dumplings were delicious and extremely good. Our server was very helpful and friendly, we were able to get attended very quickly and our food was served at perfect timing. As our first time at Din Tai Fung the overall experience was excellent and would recommend going. We would definitely go back again.
So good as always! We got there about half an hour before closing. They were able to seat us and serve us fairly quickly! Everything is so good.
🙂
This is one of my family's favorite restaurants to go to
This is one of my family's favorite restaurants to go to for meals! It's located inside South Coast Plaza and it does get fairly busy during lunch and dinner times. I recommend getting there a little early to put your name down then shop around while waiting. We've been going here for years and the food and service never disappoint. I recommend getting the shrimp pork spicy wontons and the shrimp fried rice. Everything tastes so freshly made and delicious!
😒
The food is the same with every Din Tai Fung that I go to
The food is the same with every Din Tai Fung that I go to (great delicious dishes), but the lines are the same as well. Very long wait (even for the bar) to get seated and long wait for food as well. It is not because the employees are slow, but because it's always so busy.If you don't mind the wait, I suggest ordering the famous xiao long bao. I have yet to find a place where they make the skin as thin as Din Tai Fung. The fried rice is flavorful, and the chicken soup is too. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the dishes honestly.
😍
din tai fung is such a staple in california.
but it's always impossible to get a reservation. i have taken out multiple times but this was my first time eating in restaurant. the difference is drastic. the soup dumplings are exponentially better freshly served. their desert dumplings are also amazing as they melt in your mouth in a goey goodness. this is a must try for anyone visiting and wants good chinese food.
😍
The food is great and the service is amazing!! I was so
The food is great and the service is amazing!! I was so impressed by how friendly each staff members was! The food came out hot and delicious. I love this location! Our server was the best, very attentive and never left our glasses empty! 10/10 for Vince!
After being here countless times I just know what I like by now.Let me try and add some unique comments:* love the red bean bun, chocolate bun, & taro. Still can't decide what is better.* when you really break down the menu, it seems a lot but it's actually simple with all the same, yet delicious, ingredients. I hope the franchise / chain whatever it is ads more variation one day. I could use a soup that's a bit more complex yet tofuless, maybe more meat dishes, etc.Still love it though.
😍
Been going here for 5+ years starting at the original in
Been going here for 5+ years starting at the original in Arcadia. Amazing every single time. No complaints.
😍
I love this place! Everything is GOOD.
5/5 by
Pi P. on 04/02/2022
It takes a while for the food to be done but I promise it is worth to wait. Would recommend
😍
One of my favorite restaurants, period! You can't complain
5/5 by
Y. P. on 03/24/2022
One of my favorite restaurants, period! You can't complain about any item they serve. The quality is always there.
😍
Everything is fantastic.
Recommend: Pork Chop Fried Rice, Shrimp & Kurobuta Spicy Wontons, Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bar.
😍
Parking: South Coast Plaza parking never troubles me!
Parking: South Coast Plaza parking never troubles me! Always easy to find parking even if it's a bit farther from an entrance. Food: Din Tai Fung rarely ever disappoints and my group was super full after our meal. We opted for some fried rice, noodles, and different kinds of dumplings. - Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao (10 each)- Shrimp Fried RiceAmbiance/Service: Every DTF location I've visited is usually pretty loud, especially when there are many parties waiting to be seated (which is all the time lol). Our service was still quick nonetheless and I appreciated the brightness of the inside. Usually most locations are pretty dimly lit so this was a pleasant change in terms of atmosphere.
😍
The place was PACKED on a Tuesday evening first of all, and
The place was PACKED on a Tuesday evening first of all, and that says something. The service was great while we waited, especially Christopher, who went out of his way to make us feel welcome. Once seated in a surprisingly awesome environment, Michelle provided quick and friendly service as well. We started off with the vegetable fried rice with mushrooms, and the flavors of each ingredient worked very well together. Next were the pork noodles which were very good. The following dish was the spicy wontons which were perfectly cooked with a good hit of spice that everyone loved. The green beans were very good as well. The hit of the evening were the pork soup dumplings, or xiaolong bao! They were an explosion of flavors that my entire family savored every second of! Amazing taste, flavors, and texture! The boba and teas were great as well! My daughter who is a certified boba fiend claimed "That was the BEST BOBA!!"Cheers to the chef, waitress, and staff! What a great dining experience for our entire family! Can't wait to come back!
🤮
We waited over three hours for a table for two with no
We waited over three hours for a table for two with no preference of inside or outside. We started to get so sick and nauseous it completely ruined my birthday. Honestly, if you're going to give me the incorrect time estimate of an hour and a half for a table, just move to reservation only at this point. We were offered no compensation for their error. As soon as we sat down, we were told they were doing a last call on all food and that they were out of several menu items. For an establishment offering such a small amount of reservations, this place is an operational disaster and ruined so many others nights. To top it all off, this was on a weekday and kids were screaming in the restaurant.
The restaurant gets packed very quickly. The prices are on the high side. The food tastes OK at best. A bit disappointing, sorry to say.
🤮
Way to slow, 3 hour of wait, low efficiency, under staffed,
1/5 by
JC Y. on 03/19/2022
Way to slow, 3 hour of wait, low efficiency, under staffed, and over priced, not coming back again.
😍
This place is delicious! I love the expanded vegan menu
This place is delicious! I love the expanded vegan menu they have added. The service has been good every time, the only issue is the wait is usually over an hour.
😍
Ordered their food to go through their website and the
Ordered their food to go through their website and the experience was seamless! I would recommend ordering ASAP because it does take awhile but it's better waiting 2+ hours in line.
😍
Awesome food, whenever my girlfriend is down that way she
Awesome food, whenever my girlfriend is down that way she always gets me some dumplings. I went one time for pickup and the lines were very long..No pictures however great food and free parking.
🙂
Very professional and organized.
Wonderful staff. The wait is 3 hours though so get there early or call ahead a month in advance.
😍
My MIL lives this place so we all came here on our visit to
My MIL lives this place so we all came here on our visit to OC. It's in the South Coast Plaza, which is a very nice shopping mall. This was my first time and I was immediately impressed with the professional wait staff. I continued to be impressed during our time there. Fast, courteous, knowledgeable and really organized. Can't say enough. The food was as good as I'd been told. I've heard this location is one of the better ones. To me, the star items were the spare ribs, xiao Lim bao, and the beef soup. Dry-sautéed green beans and shrimp pot stickers were also really good. Loved watching the XLB makers. I uploaded a video. My conclusion is this DTF is great and worth the $$ and time.
😍
For my birthday lunch, friends treated me to DTF.
Service was pleasant and attentive. Unanimously, we all agreed that everything we ordered was spot on. Here's what we had: Cucumber SaladPork Xiao Long BaoSpicy WontonsBraised Beef Noodle SoupPot StickersString BeansSweet and Sour Pork Baby Back RibsShao MaiJasmine TeaReserving a table must be made at least a week in advance, but longer is preferable. See my photo for the line of people waiting WITH a reservation. In regards to the tea, you get a choice of oolong or jasmine. I chose the latter. The best part about the tea is that it's served in a thermal carafe which keeps the tea hot. Brilliant. As for the size of party, you can book for 2-4 people, but everything else is walk-in. Here's a secret tip: if you have a party of 5 like we did, book for 4 and and the hostess will probably seat you.
I had never tried it, but had heard tons of great things through friends. Came around 1:30, only had about a 30 minute wait. The service was amazing. The food spectacular. It's pretty inexpensive for being in South Coast Plaza! Excited to come here again!
😍
Din tai fong is sooooooooooo delicious.
I cant imagine a better dumpling place :) :D.
😍
Din tai fung was absolutely amazing!! Workers were helpful
Din tai fung was absolutely amazing!! Workers were helpful and the management team always went the extra mile for the guests. Would definitely go back.
😍
Customer service was amazing.
I cant tell you how many times we were asked if we needed anything, if the food was good and all that. We were a little late to our reservation so we called to let them know and they were so accommodating. When we arrived we waited in a short line to check in and got a menu. When we sat down our waitress Briana, in a very detailed manner went over the menu and showed us some popular items and some of her recommendations. We ate 10 dishes total between three of us and had the pear lychee martini, all of it was delicious. I need to go back and try some dishes I didnt get to try so see you soooon My recommendation are the cucumber salad, shrimp and pork pot stickers, spicy noodles, chicken spicy wontons, the pork dumplings with the spicy sauce and the chocolate buns for dessert
😍
ITS AMAZING!!! Go and try it for yourself, the food is just
ITS AMAZING!!! Go and try it for yourself, the food is just absolutely delicious!!!!
😍
It's so good I always try to go eat here if the line/wait
It's so good I always try to go eat here if the line/wait isn't too long and my family and I love it so much especially their xlb
😍
So good definitely will be back! The only down side is if
So good definitely will be back! The only down side is if you do walk up you have to wait up too 3.5 hours! But other then that everything is amazing and the service is unmatched!! Super duper friendly staff
😍
The cure for all ailments is the soup dumplings from Din
The cure for all ailments is the soup dumplings from Din Tai Fung. I swear to god they will fix your life. The wontons too. An unbeatable duo. ALSO the chocolate & mochi xiao long bao IS DIVINE. It's as if heaven was compacted into one teeny tiny bite. This place is impossible to get a reservation at for a reason! I recommend reserving weeks in advance, getting it to go, or asking to seat small groups at the bar. Every good thing you've heard about this place is true.
😍
They make the food in front of you so you know it's fresh.
Always great to have fresh dumplings and the beef noodle soup also good. Finish it off with a boba.
😍
The staff here was absolutely amazing! Best location I've
The staff here was absolutely amazing! Best location I've been so far! Food is always great but the staff definitely earns this location an extra star, would definitely recommend getting a reservation to avoid long wait times.
😍
I ordered via DoorDash but I feel like I have to leave a
I ordered via DoorDash but I feel like I have to leave a review. I don't wanna sound weird but the chopsticks just don't seem cheap. They're the fanciest I've seen from the food I ordered to go. But let's talk about the food! I've been wanting to try this for the longest time and I'm glad I did. It's just really good. I ordered the string beans, xiao long bao (cuz why not?), braised beef. I wasn't hungry, but damn! I finished all of it.
😒
To start, I should say that this place has great ambience.
The overall atmosphere is fairly welcoming and feels completely different, like walking into a different world. The waitresses were really polite, and helped us out since it was my friends' first time and my first time. With that said, I definitely was definitely anticipating for the food to taste better than it did. I don't mind small portions and everything we ordered was shared among us, however portioning was particularly small for even one person let alone enough for more than one. The food came out decently warm but not hot enough to stay warm, most of the food had to be eaten right away because it would cool down quickly. We had shrimp wontons, garlic string beans, pork and shrimp soup dumplings, and the chocolate dumpling. The shrimp wontons were delicious, it contained the most flavor out of anything and the sauce had such familiar depth in flavor. I couldn't figure out how to describe it but it tasted rich, savory, and had undertones of sweetness. The string beans were great as well, light crunchiness and refreshing at the same time. The shrimp and pork soup dumplings were different from what I expected, they were small and had a decent taste but it wasn't something that was memorable. They were made fresh too, however they were a bit sticky when we tried to eat them and wouldn't stay hot. Finally the chocolate bun for dessert, it was 2 larger buns filled with melted chocolate, which didn't have any significant taste or quality. It was good, but it was as if I grabbed a melted Hershey's out of my pocket and ate that.Everyone is different of course, I really did enjoy my experience here. If I get the opportunity to eat here again I'll try something different.
😍
Soup Dumpling spot to go.
When down in Orange County ... Delicious Great service. Recommend
😍
Super good but make your reservation in advance! I made
Super good but make your reservation in advance! I made mine a month in advance but so worth the wait!
🤮
Solo no Bayan x no es para familia las meseras se las
Solo no Bayan x no es para familia las meseras se las arreglan para cobrar hasta lo que ellas respiran
😒
Unpopular opinion, but food at Din Tai Fung is very average
Unpopular opinion, but food at Din Tai Fung is very average and definitely not worth the crazy wait and high price tag. There are plenty of local mom and pop shops in the 626 area whipping up more delicious xialongbaos and noodles at affordable prices. What Din Tai Fung does extremely well, however, is offering top notch service and making you feel like a VIP. If you're trying to impress a guest/date or just enjoy the fine dining experience (while sacrificing taste and paying $$), then this is the place for you.
🙂
So first thing I'd recommend, is get there early! Like
So first thing I'd recommend, is get there early! Like ideally before they open, otherwise the wait is usually over an hour at least. Once the restaurant was open, everyone was seated quickly, and served right away. Service was great, friendly overall. Lots of yummy options. You have to try the soup dumplings of course!- Pork XLB (4.5/5): the best of the XLBs in my opinion. Wish they were more soupy but still so tasty and so much flavor!- Sweet and sour pork ribs (4/5): tender and tangy! Great appetizer to share.- Shrimp and pork spicy wontons (4/5): also very flavorful, has a nice kick to it without being too spicy- Sautéed string beans with garlic (4/5): a solid option for veggies. Love the garlic, and not too greasy which is great- Braised beef soup (3.5/5): pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. Beef was tender and seasoned well.- Chocolate XLB (4.5/5): wow, you have to try these. Like a perfect explosion of sweet chocolate in your mouth. A must have!
The food is absolutely delicious.
I crave Din Tai Fung. The dishes are excellent every time. The staff friendly and helpful. It’s my go-to each time we head to CA.
😒
Ridiculous reservation system and wait times
Their reservations system allows people to book a month in advance. People seem to fill in all the time slots as soon as available and then never show up. They must come up with something better. Once finally seated, their food and service is outstanding, but is it really worth the wait if you can't get a reservation? For me, it's not.
😍
Great place, with great service
CON: I still give this place 5 stars, but we can start with what I’d personally like to see improve. The wait time is long, on a Wednesday afternoon we waited 2 hours to be seated for a party of two. Then again I understand this is a popular spot, they seemed short staff (as the rest of the country right now due to labor shortage), and the establishment simply isn’t large enough to accommodate to the large crowds who enter the plaza. So although the wait time was long, I was not bothered, because having came here once before, I know the food is good, the service provided is excellent for their given conditions.
PRO: for starters, every employee here seems to be well trained in proper etiquette for their positions. Not only that but they are all so helpful, and considerate. I truly felt respected by the workers here, as a person, and guest. Our server helped us figure out the menu, options, and how to eat the foods we ordered. It was so fun, and I felt so included in learning a different cultures form of dining etiquette. She made to sure to recommend wonderful ways to enjoy our food as well. The service support was also very helpful in recommending and making sure our table was always accommodated at all times.
The food was excellent! This is my second time coming here, and I’m just glad I tried different things, their buns are wonderful, I personally could not stop savoring the chocolate dessert bun. The food here is always warm, and they’ll even ask you such questions as to which good items I’d like to enjoy first, so that every food item is fresh to our table. I will be coming back here when I get the chance, and despite the wait, this place has my loyalty.
😍
Amazing food and well worth the wait
This is a restaurant for people that care way too much about how wonderful perfectly made dumplings are. If you do not care, you will not understand why people rave about this place. I really enjoy xiao long bao and I have gone to places around the country to try them. I have read about Din Tai Fung and how they approach the "art" of making dumplings. I have had this place on my list to try whenever I got back to the West coast. We got in the walk in line before opening at 10:30 am, put our names in and then wandered the mall for an hour plus. We ordered crab and pork XLB - they were wonderful. Tender as anything with a wonderfully thin dumpling shell and not chewy at all. The soup was tasty especially with the vinegar, soy, and ginger. The spicy wontons came next. They too were delicate and wonderful, although I am a pepperhead and would have liked more heat. The potstickers came out and were a beautiful combination of thin and crispy. The soups were excellent with tender noodles and the hot and sour was some of the best I have ever had. Two of the desserts we ordered were OK - the red bean paste sticky rice and the taro buns. They were decent, but not up to par with the rest of the meal. The dessert that was over the top and trumped everything else was the chocolate filled xiao long bao. Imagine the inside of a lava cake but in a little tender dumpling package. It was unbelievable.
😒
Good but not great. A little over hyped.
A lot of my friends have been hyping this place up so we went and tried it. Its was good but not great. We went early and were able to get a table without waiting. Service was good, food was OK. It wasn't out of this world like some people make it out to be. Glad I tried it but I wouldn't wait long for a table to eat here. Food was just par. Tried a lot of things on the menu. The BBQ Ribs were the best thing on it. Soup Dumplings and Fried Rice were average and the Buns were sub par.