The food is excellent. Especially fried rice-cakes and dim sum (pork/crab one and the sesame one) is delicious. My rating is 4 star owing to their service. It is a first come first serve restaurant with wait times sometimes up to 1 or 2 hours. It is located in an elite downtown area, and will be good to have reservations taken so people who opt for this restaurant know they can get food at a certain time. Also during weekends they are packed, so even if you do manage to wait an hour for a table, the people working are under high pressure to cater to the overflowing crowd, so they do not end up being nice to customers at all times. Which is understandable when I put myself in their shoes, but not what I am paying for! That being said, I will definitely go back on a day I plan to wait and eat, as I know at the end of the wait lies delicious food!
(4)
John S.
Literally everything we tried was good. Dumplings filled with sticky rice and meat are as good as they look, cucumber salad is better than it looks. Get the amazing soup-filled dumplings too, they explode with flavor. Also recommend the sticky rice & pork shao mai. Chicken fried rice is incredible, up there with the best I've ever had (and I've had a lot of rice). Definitely will go back.
(5)
Yaro B.
This place is the bomb. If you like dumplings you can't go wrong by eating here. They are delicious. I had shrimp and pork dumplings as well as chicken. Both were amazing. The host was friendly and the view by the window is amazing. Will recommend and will be back. The only critique I have is the wait time but that just means everyone thinks this place is worth the wait. Loved it.
(5)
Noreen B.
Came here with friends. Super busy! The food were great and came on time. The service was somewhat hectic but it's understandable the place was packed! A bit pricey? But we didn't mind spending obey since the food was so good! Anyway, great place to catch up and try something new ^_^
(4)
Guy G.
Fantastic food and service. This is a michelin one star restaurant at a budget. Be warned, however, that this is not a good place for vegetarian fare. Also, expect a long wait, often upwards of 40 minutes to an hour.
(5)
Stephanie H.
I was enticed by the 1 Michelin star, 1700+ reviews, and 4-star rating. I shouldn't have been so blindsided. The good? Service was great and attentive. The bad? Well, I ordered their famous pork xiao long bao, braised pork noodle soup, tofu puff soup, and shrimp xiu mai. I'll sum up my thoughts by saying they all lacked flavor, especially the pork noodle soup! No distinct Asian flavor at all. And the dumplings fell apart easily. In short, this place is Americanized which immediately knocks off some stars from me. Plus the prices are steep. I don't recommend this place and I don't foresee myself coming back.
(3)
Pierre L.
Even if this feels a bit Americanized, I like it. The xiao long bao are delicious, especially the ones with crab roe although it would be better if there were more crab flavor. The shrimp fried rice, noodles with minced pork sauce, green beans were all terrific. I can't wait to come back or go to the one in San Jose when they open.
(4)
Dave T.
This is a great restaurant for a date or a family night out! Thier dumplings are amazing and not to mention hand made right in front of you! But expect a 30-40 minute wait to get a table, because it is almost always busy! A meal for 2 people will end up around $60.
(5)
Alexander H.
I had been told to go here for awhile now and finally convinced my boyfriend to take me. Everything we had was absolutely amazing! Some of the best dumplings I've ever had! Also if you go make sure to get extra spicy sauce! I actually ordered some to take home and used it to marinate a steak I had in the fridge! Their pork buns were also to die for!
(5)
Holly V.
Food here is amazing. The wait line to eat here is crazy long but the best time to come eat is during the week day between 2-5pm.
Bellevue campus is not as crowded like the one in Seattle, but it still crowded. The food here is awesome, the services are awesome, the food is pretty expensive, but its all fresh. Best here in the restaurant is all kind of Shao Long Bao, or Shang hai dumpling
(4)
Lea A.
Yes. Just, yes. Go here. So, there's a long wait. Just plan for it--go to the restaurant, put your name down, then wander around the mall until you get a text. Done. The dumplings and soup and such are worth it.
(5)
Sailing P.
I had dinner with a group of 5 people and was disappointed with the service. I do not like their policy that all members of the party have to be present when called to be seated. Last month our server didn't even check on us yo see if everything was going OK. We had repeatedly asked for forks from the server and other servers. It took a few reminders to get the server to bring forks to our table. I feel like that this restaurant has hired staff that have very minimal concept of customer service. I I do understand that this restaurant is extremely busy but some of the servers last detail orientated skills. I do enjoy the juicy pork dumplings and the hot and sour soup. The shaved ice is also extremely popular during the hot summer months. The restaurant is also very noisy so this is not a place to have good conversations over a meal.
(3)
Trupti D.
Its only the waiting that worries me always.. But the food and service you get after that pays for it.. Love the sight of the people who make the dimsums continuosly.. I would love to recommend this place..
(5)
Victoria M.
One of the best dumplings you can eat in the area! Din tai fung never fails me and their food is so amazing every time I go. It's a pretty busy restaurant so a wait is a given, but it's totally worth it. The way the whole restaurant is set up is all precise and the workers are on point. They will try their hardest to give you the best experience. There are a few things that I always order: - Spicy pork and shrimp wontons, juicy pork dumplings, shrimp and pork shao mai, sweet and sour ribs and for dessert the shaved ice which is a must! The dumplings are so juicy and are filled with the perfect amount, each one is made perfectly. The only downside for me is that the food is a little salty for my liking but it is still good.
(5)
Bob H.
This is for the Bellevue, WA (USA) restaurant. Food is good. Decor excellent. Good service. However, there are many other places with similarly good food and well presented services. Facing East is one example in the Seattle area. What sets Din Tai Fung (DTF) apart from the others are the hype, the resulting excessive wait for a seat, the higher cost of the items, and smaller servings. I've been to Taiwan and have eaten soup dumplings and potstickers from essentially di-pa-dong (street vendors) that cost a fraction of what I paid at DTF and much tastier. If in Bellevue and have to wait for a table, I rather go to Facing East. Compared with 101 Cafe located in Monterey Park (LA, Calif), DTF gets only three stars.
(3)
frances l.
Soo good! My husband and I ordered the braided beef noodle soup, chicken fried rice, garlic spinach, pork/shrimp potstickers, and pork/veggie dumplings. It was a bit too much for two people. I think we wouldve been fine with three or four dishes bc the dumplings are pretty filling. Our server knew it had been a long time since we had been there, so he was really kind and informative about everything (showing us what each sauce was, and how to order, etc.) Really great service. Will be back soon for more! Last time we were here on a weekend, and it was waaay so crowded. We came on a monday around 12:30, and it was only a 5 minute wait. *So i would reccomend going on a weekday!*
(5)
Jessica G.
I don't know where to start. I don't understand the hype of this place AT ALL. For starters, expect a wait. My friend and I arrived at the Bellevue location at around 2 in the afternoon (so you'd think after the major brunch/lunch rush), and we were told it would be 45 minutes to an hour wait. We were given a menu to pre-fill for our waiter, gave our phone number for them to text us when we could be seated, and we meandered downstairs to grab at coffee at Tully's. When we finally got texted (an hour and a half later), we were seated promptly with our pre-filled menu ready for our waiter. We decided to try quite a few different dishes: sweet and sour sparerib appetizer, green beans, spicy pork wontons, pork buns, pork chop fried rice, chicken chow mein, and small pork dumplings. (We had TONS of leftovers.) - Sweet and Sour Spareribs: Lukewarm but okay. I think it's a bit pricey ($7.95) for the portion given. - Green beans: Probably the best part of the meal (not joking). Well-cooked with a kick. - Spicy pork wontons: Soft wontons served in a pool of "spicy" soy sauce. Bland filling. - Pork buns: Came in a set of 2; very dough-y and super bland pork filling. - Pork chop fried rice: The rice portion was a real disappointment; it was essentially white steamed rice with tons of scrambled egg. No seasoning whatsoever. However, the pork chop on top was really good. Pan-fried, salty, and tasty. -Chicken chow mein: Super big soba noodles with very little seasoning. Meh chicken and vegetables. -Small pork dumpings: Just a smaller version of the bland pork buns. Maybe it's just me, maybe my taste buds have been burned off or something. Maybe I am just used to my food being salty, seasoned, and flavorful. It just seemed like it was very lacking in this department, and I would even venture to say "boring." I wasn't impressed. I do have to say, however, that the service was very good, and the dishes were brought out in a timely and efficient manner. I don't think the prices are commensurate with the quality of food. But, there must be something else to this place I don't see, because it's always packed.
(2)
Heebeen K.
Food is good, but the waiting time is always ridiculous. Don't ever go here if you are hungry and need food ASAP. This place will make you wait 30 mins (minimum) to like an hour and half. But if you are looking for some good quality food, this place might satisfy you. I am not chinese so I don't know much about dim sum, but for my standard their food is pretty decent. My chinese friends tell me you can find a better dim sum place in like seattle China town area for cheaper price, but I haven't tried any other dim sum place yet so I can't compare! I normally order ~2 dim sum plates, shrimp fried rice and wonton soup and that is the perfect portion for 2 people (but then i guess i eat more than a normal person). The price is reasonable but I would say it's a bit toward pricy chinese food side. The place is pretty clean, and you can see chinese and Mexicans making dim sum behind the glass wall and can creep on them (which I do when I am so hungry) and they creep right back at chu. Hehehehehe and it is inside the mall so you can walk around and go shopping after your belly is full and happy. :-)
(3)
Jennifer J.
Recently, I was in the elevator at work and (no, I'm not sure how we got on this topic) a woman mentioned how she was taking her son out for his favorite Chinese dumplings. Naturally, being the unapologetic food addict that I am, I had to ask her where this magical dumpling place was located - assuming that it was in that burgeoning city overflowing with Chinese food goodness, Vancouver BC. Imagine my surprise when she mentioned it was located in Bellevue! Hey, I love Bellevue, I used to live in Bellevue, I have family in Bellevue...but I've never considered it as a foodie-rific destination, especially not for Chinese food. Nonetheless, this elevator conversation left me intrigued. Shortly thereafter, the hubbinator and I (along with another foodie couple we love to travel with) were on (yet another) food/beer pilgrimage to Portland when we decided to make a dinner pit stop in downtown Bellevue and see just how amazing these dumplings were. Uh ma gawd. They were amazing! Of course, we had to start with the Xiao Long Bao (a.k.a. soup dumplings) with pork, but we didn't stop there. We also enjoyed two delicious bowls of soup: a perfectly spiced Hot 'n Sour and, for the tamer tongues in our group, a simple-yet-divine Wonton Soup. Next we shared the Shrimp Dumplings in Spicy Sauce (again, not-too-shrimpy and not-too-spicy combined to create awesome deliciousy goodness) and the Rice Cakes with Chicken (and by "rice cakes" I mean a gnocchi-like flat noodle that was chewy, salty, and bathed in a delicious sauce along with perfectly cooked chicken). For dessert, since it was the hubbaloo's birthday, we enjoyed some steamed buns filled with red bean paste. Yum yum! As stuffed as we were, the only thing we could talk about was "when can we come back?!" Now that is a sign of a good meal, right? We were hooked. Fast forward to this week, I found myself in downtown Bellevue yet again (okay, I made a special trip there - I admit it!) and, of course, had to plan lunch at DTF. This time our group enjoyed the Shrimp Shu Mai (which are like magically-engineered little pillows of soup dumplingy goodness *WITH* shrimp on top - I have NO idea how the white-masked master dumpling creators pulled this one off), the Pork Chop Fried Rice (omg, yummalicious), yet another bowl of the sublime Won Ton Soup, the essential Shrimp Dumplings in Spicy Sauce, and a scary-sounding dish that turned out to be my favorite of the day: Bean Curd and Seaweed in Vinegar Sauce. Seriously, try this dish. It is about 1000x better than it sounds! I also treated myself to a delicious glass of plum wine - theirs was delicious. So now I find myself fantasizing about Bellevue yet again. When can I go back and get some more of those amazing dumplings? Soon, I hope!
(5)
Mrs B.
Delicious one-of-a-kind Taiwanese dumplings, just watch out for long waits at prime lunch and dinner times! Excellent service as well.
(5)
Stuart M.
Very popular dumpling house that is hard to get into and pretty pricey for what it is. Nothing wrong with the dumplings or anything else, but if you want genuine dim sum, there are better options on the Eastside as well as in the International District. Be warned if you come at peak times, you will likely have to wait quite a while.
(4)
Elina K.
I honestly don't think I have ever waited the actual wait time that other crazies have (because I normally sit in the bar area or come during non peak hours on weekdays!) I'll do anything to avoid a line. My patience is nonexistent when food is involved. I come here for what everyone else comes here for, the dumps!! A regular order for me is the juicy pork and crab dumplings, pork and shrimp spicy wontons, and either a shrimp fried rice or fried noodles. I am seriously not a fan of pork, but when it comes to the dumplings and wontons, I'd eat an entire farm of oinkers. The dumplings always come hot and steamy and when you bite into them, you get that burst of warm broth with the juicy meat. People complain of the dough being too thick, but I honestly think that's the best part! It's like a bite sized noodle soup in your mouth. And the fried rice, I'm not too enthusiastic about because it's always reeeeeaaallly salty to me! I think subbing it with brown rice makes it a little bit better. But it's bearable because the portion of the dish is pretty small. I've also tried the spicy braised beef noodle soup, some of the appetizers, and shaved ice. Not worth it, not worth it, and not worth it. The noodle soup was pretty good and had really soft/tender beef but there weren't a lot of noodles and it was pretty expensive for the amount you get. Appetizers are plain and puny. And you can get shaved ice for half the price at any other bubble tea/chinese cafe for way moe betta. SKIP THE BUBBLE TEA! It's almost $5, comes in a small cup, and is not the shiz. Instead, try their cocktails! lol I love them! They add an Asian twist to some of them and are really refreshing!
(4)
Nikki O.
Hands down my favorite place to go every weekend. The food & milk teas are my favorite. The only thing that I don't like is the wait to be seated can take up to 2 hours and the worst part is you can't make reservations. But once you are seated, the food & drinks come out really quickly.
(5)
Doreen E.
Not so sure what else I can add, except I love this joint. I love the service. I loved the food. Our server was particularly good because he checked in with us after we got some food in our bellies. He wanted to make sure we still wanted to rest of the food we ordered. One of the surprising great bites was the veggie rice cake. Yum! The shrimp and pork dumplings were also so good. We gobbled everything up. Even the fruit slushes were so good, we slurped them up. Ask your server to make your dipping sauce. You won't regret it. They validate parking. Take a picture with the cartoon dumpling before you go.
(5)
Gustavo M.
This place is better for groups than the one in the U Village, it has large round tables for larger parties. As for the menu,and the long waits during peak hours, it's the same as any restaurant in this chain. But if you show up early-ish, say noon on a weekend, you won't have to wait for more than 20 mins
(5)
Gabi S.
Din Tai Fung is THE BOMB! We go here all the time and love their juicy pork dumplings. Our 2yr old daughter also loves this place and grubs down on the noodles. The bok choy is off the chain, and we've always had great service! YUMMY!
(5)
Cici P.
The dumplings are really juicy and yummy! The shaved ice is really good too and it has so many toppings (I usually pass on the mochi balls, but otherwise everything there is really good) Customer service really depends, but during this visit the waitress was friendly and nice. And even though I came with my sister only we got seated at a four seat table because it's a weekday and there isn't a line at all (very surprising because I usually have to wait for an hour) This place is never disappointing for me period. I only wish I had a bigger appetite because I can't get enough of the pork dumplings xD
(5)
Mister W.
Yes. Yes. Oh god, YES! ...I'll have what she's having. This is some of the best Chinese food in Seattle. Certainly the best dim sum. While there are occasional sour notes based on personal taste, essentially everything DTF does, they do right. If you plan on going, go early and plan to wait in line for upwards of 45 minutes based on day and time. Saturday and Sunday brunch are the busiest. While ordering the juicy pork dumplings is de jure protocol, consider too the hot and sour soup, the various (homemade and fresh) noodle dishes, and the small red bean dessert buns. The latter especially if you're already a fan of bittersweet flavors and have never tried azuki bean before.
(5)
Yen P.
~this is my first time here. I loved it! I love the noodles, soup, and dumplings. I liked watching them make it in the window! It was very busy place. The wooden chairs was uncomfortable. The booths were all taken. The line of people waiting to eat was long. We got there just in time to get a table. That was before 6pm. Great food! Thank you!
(5)
heather b.
2.5 stars Felt like an imitation of the real thing. Soups were good. The cucumber salad was clearly pre-made refrigerated which changes the texture -bummer on that. The seasoning on pork chop fried rice (on pork chop) was not quite the same as original and the broccoli was kind of dry. Tea was piping hot and so was the soup which is a good thing. Service was mixed. Server was nice and food runner not so much. Disappointing.
(3)
Adrienne C.
We finally eat here today and it was worth it. We arrived here thirty minutes after it opened and surprisingly the wait was only fifteen minutes. The whole dining experience was great. Everything from the time we spoke to the hostess until the end of our lunch was great. The food.....was mind blowing. Yum Yum! If you want great food at a reasonable price, you need to eat here.
(5)
William S.
The service was great. We walked in and did not have tho wait for our waiter. Food was served within a couple of minutes of ordering. The waiter was friendly and knowledgeable. He went over the whole menu with us and answered our questions. The food was fantastic and fresh. The spicy wontons was just the right amount of spice. The sweet and sour spareribs was a boy on the sweet side but was ok for more. Newly ordered food was served quickly and was fresh and hot. The downside of this place is that it is so popular. We have been wanting to go here for several months and the place had hour and a half wait times. Today was the right time on the right day fit us.
(5)
Darren C.
There's a reason this place is always packed and super busy.......they are that good. The food is worth the wait. It's similar in some ways but also different in some ways to dim sum. I haven't been there enough times to try everything on the menu, but the stuff I've had has seemed lighter, fresher, less greasy than comparable items I've had at dim sum restaurants which always seem so heavy and greasy. My experience ordering and eating at the bar was just as good as at a table. The bar can be a good strategy to avoid the long wait for a table sometimes.
(5)
Angela L.
- Wait Time: Skip the line and go to the bar if there's only a few ppl in your party. I originally put off trying Din Tai Fung after hearing about the ridiculously long wait times for tables. Indeed when my lunch date and I finally decided to go, we were
(4)
Cecilia N.
You know those creepy mannequins behind the glass? The ones that creep you out because it feels like they're watching you? That's me whenever I come here. They have people behind a glass making the dumplings and I get to stand there and watch them. Sometimes I'll stare at one person the entire time and when they look up at me I don't break eye contact. I just stare until they awkwardly look down and continue working knowing that my eyes will be on them until my table is called. Oh yeah, the food is really good here.
(5)
Mary X.
Finally got to try din tai fung!..and it happened to be on my trip to Seattle. Got seated right away and our server recommended the most popular items on the menu. We ordered 2 orders of Xiao long bao and spicy shrimp and pork dumplings! I really wanted to try the truffle Xiao long bao but it was $25 for 5 of them?! Food was good but for the price, definitely not worth it!
(4)
Celine J.
Came here on a Thursday night and the wait was only about 15 minutes. You really can't complain about that all because you become so mesmerized by the window where you can watch the army of dumpling makers! I got a ginger pale ale that went very well with the entire meal. I preferred the truffle/pork to the pork/crab soup dumplings. The shard ice was really tasty especially if you like the different gelatinous types of toppings on it. If I ordered it again I would skips the beans.
(5)
Adam A.
Have been here several times. Most authentic dumplings in the US :) YUM.
(4)
Kiera M.
The dumplings are suuuper good, I love the juicy ones. The spicy ones are awesome too, they have a slight sweet taste before the spice hits you- they are killer. The spareribs are super good, very sweet and delicious. My favorite item is probably the green beans though. They are the perfect amount of crunchy and are lightly coated with a delicate garlic sauce. The wait time for a table has decreased dramatically since they opened up the University village location.
(5)
Tiffany K.
Xiao Long Bao. Soup dumplings. Whatever you prefer. That's what you order here, if you're coming here for other items, not too sure if I can fck w u. 2 things before we begin: 1.) can we just take a second to reflect on how inappropriate DTF sounds?! But I use it anyway... 2.) sorry this review is long! Been to the flagship DTF in Taipei, so I'm afraid stateside locations can't compare. I was never phased by soup dumplings growing up UNTIL I went to Din Tai Fung. As a 7 year old, I knew what I had just consumed was mind blowing. Something kept you wanting more. So maybe that's why I still go to the DTF here from time. Anyway, I know there's a lot of hype, but on a good day without a wait, Bellevue DTF is serving up that heat. It's as close to authentic as you can get in the Northwest. The juicy pork dumplings are bursting with flavor with each bite. The soft but slightly chewy texture of the dough goes perfectly with the 'xian' or inside contents, pulling the whole dumpling eating experience together. Pro tips: MUST EAT WHILE HOT. Tastes even better when paired with a careful mix of ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Lastly, won't catch me here on a weekend. And yes I agree it's way overpriced, I die a little inside when I get the check. Quality of the food is inconsistent as well depending on the day.
(3)
Daniel C.
I took my parents here for Christmas lunch. The Bellevue location is inside the Lincoln Square mall, so it was really hard to spot from the street. After parking in the underground lot and taking the lift up to the 2nd floor, we saw a line of people. Yep - that must be the place! We lined up at half an hour before opening, and was happy to get seated. Overall service was great and most of the food items were excellent. 1. XLB - The default pork XLB were juicy and incredibly addictive. An order of ten easily feeds two and we split it four ways. Can't go wrong here. 2. XLB with crab and pork - Not as impressive - a few bits of crab meat mixed with the pork but juiciness is sacrificed. Bad trade! 3. Beef noodle soup - Tender braised beef and the noodles were soft yet having some chewiness. Very good broth as well! 4. Pot Stickers - Four pieces fused to a thin,crispy rectangular skin. Pairs really well with their spicy dipping sauce! 5. Spicy Pork Wonton - Smooth skin, juicy pork filling, and a good punchy red chili oil. Pieces are larger than we're used to. 6. XLB Black Sesame - Imagine a firm XLB wrapper containing a good dollop of black sesame paste. The sweet, granular filling made this one of our favorite desserts for the day. 10 per order and they went fast! 7. Red Bean Buns - Good but pricey, since only two per order. Comes piping hot and they give a good ratio of red bean filling to bun. 8. Taro Bun - OK only - sweet but pales compare to the previous two dessert dishes. 9. Shaved Ice - This was the final dessert. we ordered a small order and it was still shareable with four! Tapioca Pearls, red beans, shaved taro ice, and topped with mango pudding! A wonderful mix of textures, flavors, and temperatures! Overall an excellent Christmas lunch! I wished Nor Cal had a branch. Hard to believe Seattle has two branches equal distances from my parents' house!
My favorite! I love the sesame noodles, the shrimp and pork dumplings, the potstickers, and the pork chop fried rice! Absolutely delicious and ordering is easy; they give you a paper sheet of all the items listed and you check off what you want to order. Waiter//waitresses are generally attentive, helpful, and knowledgable! Their milk teas are a little bland and watery, but other than that everything is great. Wait time is long, so get there early!
(4)
Tracy M.
Love, love, love this place. Juicy pork dumplings....won ton soup...pot stickers....and green milk tea are a few of our favs. Voted one of the top ten restaurants in the world. Long wait times and no reservations are the only downfalls.
(5)
Arry Y.
Okay. Okay. 30+ Checkins and visits to Din Tai Fung later, it is definitely a 5+ for the food and experience. AND as long as you go with no more than 1 other person, it's easy - always go directly to the bar if possible, because it's always faster than waiting for a table. OOOOORRRRR, go in the "offtimes", like 11AM or 3PM. Agree with Dae Y --- Din Tai Fung, you need t-shirts, with I love DTF. LOL.
(5)
Prashali R.
Except for the long waits really love this place. I'm a vegetarian, I love the veggie dumplings and string beans! The sesame dumplings round up any meal very nicely!!
I've been wanting to go to Din Tai Fung for so long, and finally got a chance to eat here yesterday. My fear was if I go I might have to wait for a long time before I can enjoy their food. There was a line yesterday at 3ish and that line was uhm.....long, but since I went by myself I grab a seat at the bar...no waiting. Food: Juicy dumpling pork XLB made fresh was delicious. The dumpling skin was soft, the meat chunk was not to sweet or salty. Shaved Ice for dessert was so good. Service: Friendly service here with a smile. I really like that the waitress at the bar constantly checking to make sure that I have what I need. That is excellent service! Price: Not too much to complaint because I rarely eat in Bellevue area. Overall, 5 star for yummy food, excellent service and no waiting in line.
(5)
Janet K.
The dim sum here is awesome......best dim sum place ever! The one thing I really love about their dumplings is the hot dumpling juice that squirts out of the dumpling when you bite into it. It can burn so you have to be careful but it is delicious! One thing I hate about din tai fung is the extremely long wait during the weekends. The service is decent especially for a place that is super busy. They are very forgetful but I understand due to how busy it gets. Def have to come here..
(5)
Angela B.
Every time I've walked by this place (during the day or in the evening) it's always jam packed and a line or huddle of people waiting outside. But I finally made it here one evening. They don't take reservations and they won't let you put your name down until everyone in your party is there. We arrived at 7:30pm but had to wait until around 8pm to get seated. They text you when your table is ready. Wow, tried so many good foods here. For the greens the "sauteed string beans with garlic" was really great and boy do I love garlic. Great salty taste. They are pretty famous for their braised beef noodle soup, but I just found this to be o.k. It's a bit spicy which I like, but other than that was not too impressed. Next time will try the Hot n Sour soup. Also tried the Vegetable & Pork dumplings which were pretty good, and so was the shrimp and pork won ton with spicy sauce. And my all time favorite were the juicy pork dumplings. mmmmm mmm good! service was excellent and the food actually came out pretty fast once we were seated. So it's really just waiting for your table that takes so long. Parking is free in the parking garage (at least in the evening it is) underneath and it's a great location if you want to go shopping before/after dinner or catch a flick at Lincoln Cinema's which we did. Looking forward to more good food the next time I come here!
(5)
James H.
This is my 3rd Din Tai Fung location that I've been to. (Arcadia, Taipei and Bellevue) though this is one of the nicer and cleaner restaurants of the three. The wait time was the longest. Put name down on a Saturday evening at 4:45 pm and the wait to get seated was 50 minutes. They do text you once a table is ready so that is very convenient but the wait seemed longer than expected. But you can't go wrong with their soup dumplings no matter which location you go to. I had the pork soup dumplings and they were fantastic as usual. With exception to the top of the dumpling which seemed a little dryer and harder than usual. Maybe they twisted the top too much. The reason for the 4 stars is wait time and logisitcs of putting your name down. Instead of people making a formal line, people just huddle around the hostess desk until they are assisted. There should be at least a ticket number system in place like other locations.
(4)
Apryl S.
This is my forth time here. The pork soup dumpling was good as always. Very juicy and the skin is super thin! Probably the best you can get around here. The pork chop over fried rice is the second item I would recommend here. In addition, the shaved ice was yummy. The small is enough for 2-4 people. The rest of the food we ordered was really very typical/normal. Nothing special. Food is a bit overpriced and servings are small. Most dishes are only enough to share with 2-3 people. The wait is long as well. We waited 90 minutes to get a table.
(3)
Tuan V.
Very busy place, even on a Wednesday evening. I've always wanted to try this place while I lived in CA but never had the chance. When I took my first bite into their house special dumpling with spicy sauce I automatically knew why. Great opposing flavors, texture, and sauce. Key ingredients to any good eats. Definitely will be coming back, due to the hospitality, service, and time took for our waitress to explain to us how to eat certain dumplings. #bombdotcom
(5)
Amy L.
The wait is usually 60-90 minutes for a dinner table for 2 from 8-10pm on Friday or Saturday. This is predictable, so just plan for it and grab a drink at one of the many nearby bars or go shopping across the street to kill an hour. There's a reason for the wait! It's hard to find other places to eat when we're always craving this stuff. Favorites are the hot and sour soup & juicy pork dumplings. I've been here over a dozen times (eek we are addicted) and service has a great record considering the organized chaos. If you can, I'd recommend ordering dessert WITH the meal. Just put it aside until you're ready to eat it. Most problems we've encountered here are related to waiting for dessert. Also if you love the ginger, just order a bowl for $2 extra so you don't have to keep asking for little refills. I'll be back soon!
(5)
Jacques I.
Luuurve me some dumplings and Taiwanese food! When it first opened I wasn't sure what the big deal was until I finally was able to check it out myself. Although it's packed and the wait can be long, especially during peak hours - I recommend to all who've never been to DTF or have never eaten Taiwanese dumplings to eat here. I usually get the house specialty, the pork soup dumplings and pork & shrimp dumplings, with pork chop fried rice and green beans. Everything is awesome! Both sets of dumplings come with 10 pieces. It's definitely recommended for family-style dining, so come with a group of friends. That way - you can also try the other dumplings and other dishes. Also, if the waiter doesn't suggest, ask him or her to demonstrate how to properly eat a soup dumpling. I'm telling you, that ginger goes a long way when eaten correctly. I've been to the DTF in Taipei, which was of course as crazy busy, but was amazing. You know when people say that certain things just taste better from where they're from? Like how coffee seems to just taste better in Seattle because we're a coffee town, I guess? Yeah, that's how I felt about DTF. I can't really explain why, but it just tasted better in Taipei. Also, it's a pretty penny hence the four stars instead of five.
(4)
Deena Z.
I have been going to din tai fung for a while now! The food has undoubtedly been excellent! From dumplings to noodles to rice cakes, we have tried it all! but my reason for giving three stars is the service (only for the kind of service we got yesterday!) So apparently we ordered chicken dumplings and they goofed up the order and got us the sweet taro buns! When I told them, the waiter seemed clueless! He was like the rest of the bunch will come later. I politely told him but thts not the order we gave, he read the checked menu and still didn't understand! Then finally the guy who took our order stepped in. I told him that I think there has been some mistake cz we didn't order this. To which he said "neither did I" unapologetically!!!! Anyways they changed the dumplings and got the right order finally and behaved as if nothing happened!! this is the first time I have seen this happen at din tai fung coz the service has always been great in the past! but Thursday was not great at all! The food definitely is excellent but so will the service be if the guy had shown less attitude and more politeness.
(3)
Julie V.
We got lucky and didn't have to wait very long to be seated! I heard that the wait can be intense sometimes. We had 6 people in our party at 6pm and we were seated within 10 mins. If it had been an hour wait, I would argue that the food isn't worth the wait. We ordered 10 items off the menu, which our server recommended for the amount of people we had. We tried several different things--dumplings in a spicy sauce, xiaolongbao, spicy noodles, shrimp fried rice, and a few vegetable dishes. In my opinion, the dumplings in the spicy sauce were the most flavorful and delicious of all the things we ordered. Everything else was pretty basic in flavor and could have easily been replicated at home or tasted the same at any other Chinese restaurant. Compared to any ordinary Chinese restaurant, I feel that the dishes were overpriced here and were very small portions (we left hungry and had to get something else to eat!). However, I do have to say that the service was excellent -- our server was fantastic and she really worked her butt off.
(4)
Carly K.
Part of my family is from Taiwan and I am sure that in Taiwan... Good xiao long bao is everywhere. But here in Seattle.. This is the best place to get that Taiwan quality xiao long bao. Yes it is a little pricy here but u get the nice atmosphere, great service, and consistent quality of food. Must try- lychee Mojito !!!
(5)
Courtney L.
One of my favorite restaurants - always great flavorful food and service. My favorites are Pork & Shrimp dumplings, Juicy Pork/Crab dumplings, Green Beans, Fried Noodles, Spicy Pork/Shrimp Wontons and Red Bean Dumplings. The juicy dumplings have a nice light broth and aren't salty like some other soup dumplings that restaurants try to imitate. As for the fried noodles, there is a pretty equal proportion between the noodles, meat and veggies in the dish - it's a nice supplement to the dumplings and makes a nice take-out order as well. Same for the rice cake dishes, which taste almost identical to the noodles except for the perfect chewiness of the cakes. The Spicy wontons are one of my favorites - the flavor of the spicy sauce is so unique and something that other restaurants can't match. It doesn't have a vinegary taste like ordinary spicy sauces (i.e. Tabasco). Instead, there is a slight sweetness to the sauce which offers a nice contrast to the heat. Din Tai Fung's green beans are also very superior compared to other restaurants. They are always perfectly crunchy with a wonderful garlic flavor. Dumplings other than the spicy wontons also taste great dipped in either the garlic or spicy sauces. Finally, the Red Bean Dumplings are my favorite way to finish off the meal. They are slightly sweet with a chewier wrapper that differentiates them from the meat-filled dumplings. I have tried over half the menu haha...it's always so hard to choose. I haven't tried anything that I wouldn't recommend, so you can't really go wrong with ordering. The atmosphere is also very modern and the staff always makes sure that you have a pleasant experience. Waiting times can be up to 1.5 hours though, so either get there when it opens or go at some off-peak time.
Food is great if you're willing to wait the long line. Luckily we only waited 45min... But once you're seated, the food comes out fairly fast! Ate at din tai fung once before in LA and this location seems to have more menu choices and better food. Or maybe they expanded the menu since last year... Regardless, we had a bit of everything. -Cucumber was like eating refreshing cucumber kimchi -Pork ribs had great flavor and was savory for its size -You can't ever go wrong with the soup dumplings -Jja jang myun tasted really like the real korean jja jang myun except less saucy -The soy sauce ddukboki dish that was delicious, along with seasoned green beans -Spicy dumpling had unique spicy sauce -Pork bun is not the same as sweet pork bun, but still good -chicken soup had good clean broth -Finished off with some sweet mango tapioca smoothie Oh, one last thing, the location can be tricky to find, but you can't get the restaurant to pick up their phone since their so slammed... better look into it before you go. Recommend parking in the deck going into westin and I believe it was 4th floor? in the corner behind the elevators.
(4)
Larry L.
Wow noodles with spicy sauce awesome. Pork XiaoLongBao is crazy good Must go back to try them all Best fried rice I've had. Worth the wait at this place
I've been to several Din Tai Fung (ones in Cali and Taiwan), and I think the food at this particular Din Tai Fung isn't as good as the others. Also, it is EXTREMELY busy... a little too ridiculous. We got there on a Saturday around 5pm, and the wait was about 2 to 2.5 hours long. I mean, seriously? The food was good, but not 2.5 hours wait good. Since it's in the same building as Microsoft, I imagine it to be quite the lunch place. Luckily the restaurant is right by the mall, so there is plenty to do in the area. The restaurant will also give you a call/text when your table is ready, so that's pretty convenient. We had the famous pork soup dumplings and some side dishes. Like I said, the food was pretty good, but didn't amaze me.
(3)
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Address :700 Bellevue Way NE,Ste 280
Bellevue, WA, 98004
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Brunch, Lunch, Dinner Parking : Garage Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Helen J.
Came here for a date night. It was Friday and we came at 9pm. There was a wait but worth it. It's 45 minutes wait. We ordered the shrimp and pork in spicy sauce (my most favorite), hot and sour soup, pork sticky rice, noodles in sautéed pork, and soup dumplings. All of those for 2 people, we could almost finished them all. So delicious.
(5)Veez M.
The food is excellent. Especially fried rice-cakes and dim sum (pork/crab one and the sesame one) is delicious. My rating is 4 star owing to their service. It is a first come first serve restaurant with wait times sometimes up to 1 or 2 hours. It is located in an elite downtown area, and will be good to have reservations taken so people who opt for this restaurant know they can get food at a certain time. Also during weekends they are packed, so even if you do manage to wait an hour for a table, the people working are under high pressure to cater to the overflowing crowd, so they do not end up being nice to customers at all times. Which is understandable when I put myself in their shoes, but not what I am paying for! That being said, I will definitely go back on a day I plan to wait and eat, as I know at the end of the wait lies delicious food!
(4)John S.
Literally everything we tried was good. Dumplings filled with sticky rice and meat are as good as they look, cucumber salad is better than it looks. Get the amazing soup-filled dumplings too, they explode with flavor. Also recommend the sticky rice & pork shao mai. Chicken fried rice is incredible, up there with the best I've ever had (and I've had a lot of rice). Definitely will go back.
(5)Yaro B.
This place is the bomb. If you like dumplings you can't go wrong by eating here. They are delicious. I had shrimp and pork dumplings as well as chicken. Both were amazing. The host was friendly and the view by the window is amazing. Will recommend and will be back. The only critique I have is the wait time but that just means everyone thinks this place is worth the wait. Loved it.
(5)Noreen B.
Came here with friends. Super busy! The food were great and came on time. The service was somewhat hectic but it's understandable the place was packed! A bit pricey? But we didn't mind spending obey since the food was so good! Anyway, great place to catch up and try something new ^_^
(4)Guy G.
Fantastic food and service. This is a michelin one star restaurant at a budget. Be warned, however, that this is not a good place for vegetarian fare. Also, expect a long wait, often upwards of 40 minutes to an hour.
(5)Stephanie H.
I was enticed by the 1 Michelin star, 1700+ reviews, and 4-star rating. I shouldn't have been so blindsided. The good? Service was great and attentive. The bad? Well, I ordered their famous pork xiao long bao, braised pork noodle soup, tofu puff soup, and shrimp xiu mai. I'll sum up my thoughts by saying they all lacked flavor, especially the pork noodle soup! No distinct Asian flavor at all. And the dumplings fell apart easily. In short, this place is Americanized which immediately knocks off some stars from me. Plus the prices are steep. I don't recommend this place and I don't foresee myself coming back.
(3)Pierre L.
Even if this feels a bit Americanized, I like it. The xiao long bao are delicious, especially the ones with crab roe although it would be better if there were more crab flavor. The shrimp fried rice, noodles with minced pork sauce, green beans were all terrific. I can't wait to come back or go to the one in San Jose when they open.
(4)Dave T.
This is a great restaurant for a date or a family night out! Thier dumplings are amazing and not to mention hand made right in front of you! But expect a 30-40 minute wait to get a table, because it is almost always busy! A meal for 2 people will end up around $60.
(5)Alexander H.
I had been told to go here for awhile now and finally convinced my boyfriend to take me. Everything we had was absolutely amazing! Some of the best dumplings I've ever had! Also if you go make sure to get extra spicy sauce! I actually ordered some to take home and used it to marinate a steak I had in the fridge! Their pork buns were also to die for!
(5)Holly V.
Food here is amazing. The wait line to eat here is crazy long but the best time to come eat is during the week day between 2-5pm.
(5)Xiang L.
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(5)Anita C.
Bellevue campus is not as crowded like the one in Seattle, but it still crowded. The food here is awesome, the services are awesome, the food is pretty expensive, but its all fresh. Best here in the restaurant is all kind of Shao Long Bao, or Shang hai dumpling
(4)Lea A.
Yes. Just, yes. Go here. So, there's a long wait. Just plan for it--go to the restaurant, put your name down, then wander around the mall until you get a text. Done. The dumplings and soup and such are worth it.
(5)Sailing P.
I had dinner with a group of 5 people and was disappointed with the service. I do not like their policy that all members of the party have to be present when called to be seated. Last month our server didn't even check on us yo see if everything was going OK. We had repeatedly asked for forks from the server and other servers. It took a few reminders to get the server to bring forks to our table. I feel like that this restaurant has hired staff that have very minimal concept of customer service. I I do understand that this restaurant is extremely busy but some of the servers last detail orientated skills. I do enjoy the juicy pork dumplings and the hot and sour soup. The shaved ice is also extremely popular during the hot summer months. The restaurant is also very noisy so this is not a place to have good conversations over a meal.
(3)Trupti D.
Its only the waiting that worries me always.. But the food and service you get after that pays for it.. Love the sight of the people who make the dimsums continuosly.. I would love to recommend this place..
(5)Victoria M.
One of the best dumplings you can eat in the area! Din tai fung never fails me and their food is so amazing every time I go. It's a pretty busy restaurant so a wait is a given, but it's totally worth it. The way the whole restaurant is set up is all precise and the workers are on point. They will try their hardest to give you the best experience. There are a few things that I always order: - Spicy pork and shrimp wontons, juicy pork dumplings, shrimp and pork shao mai, sweet and sour ribs and for dessert the shaved ice which is a must! The dumplings are so juicy and are filled with the perfect amount, each one is made perfectly. The only downside for me is that the food is a little salty for my liking but it is still good.
(5)Bob H.
This is for the Bellevue, WA (USA) restaurant. Food is good. Decor excellent. Good service. However, there are many other places with similarly good food and well presented services. Facing East is one example in the Seattle area. What sets Din Tai Fung (DTF) apart from the others are the hype, the resulting excessive wait for a seat, the higher cost of the items, and smaller servings. I've been to Taiwan and have eaten soup dumplings and potstickers from essentially di-pa-dong (street vendors) that cost a fraction of what I paid at DTF and much tastier. If in Bellevue and have to wait for a table, I rather go to Facing East. Compared with 101 Cafe located in Monterey Park (LA, Calif), DTF gets only three stars.
(3)frances l.
Soo good! My husband and I ordered the braided beef noodle soup, chicken fried rice, garlic spinach, pork/shrimp potstickers, and pork/veggie dumplings. It was a bit too much for two people. I think we wouldve been fine with three or four dishes bc the dumplings are pretty filling. Our server knew it had been a long time since we had been there, so he was really kind and informative about everything (showing us what each sauce was, and how to order, etc.) Really great service. Will be back soon for more! Last time we were here on a weekend, and it was waaay so crowded. We came on a monday around 12:30, and it was only a 5 minute wait. *So i would reccomend going on a weekday!*
(5)Jessica G.
I don't know where to start. I don't understand the hype of this place AT ALL. For starters, expect a wait. My friend and I arrived at the Bellevue location at around 2 in the afternoon (so you'd think after the major brunch/lunch rush), and we were told it would be 45 minutes to an hour wait. We were given a menu to pre-fill for our waiter, gave our phone number for them to text us when we could be seated, and we meandered downstairs to grab at coffee at Tully's. When we finally got texted (an hour and a half later), we were seated promptly with our pre-filled menu ready for our waiter. We decided to try quite a few different dishes: sweet and sour sparerib appetizer, green beans, spicy pork wontons, pork buns, pork chop fried rice, chicken chow mein, and small pork dumplings. (We had TONS of leftovers.) - Sweet and Sour Spareribs: Lukewarm but okay. I think it's a bit pricey ($7.95) for the portion given. - Green beans: Probably the best part of the meal (not joking). Well-cooked with a kick. - Spicy pork wontons: Soft wontons served in a pool of "spicy" soy sauce. Bland filling. - Pork buns: Came in a set of 2; very dough-y and super bland pork filling. - Pork chop fried rice: The rice portion was a real disappointment; it was essentially white steamed rice with tons of scrambled egg. No seasoning whatsoever. However, the pork chop on top was really good. Pan-fried, salty, and tasty. -Chicken chow mein: Super big soba noodles with very little seasoning. Meh chicken and vegetables. -Small pork dumpings: Just a smaller version of the bland pork buns. Maybe it's just me, maybe my taste buds have been burned off or something. Maybe I am just used to my food being salty, seasoned, and flavorful. It just seemed like it was very lacking in this department, and I would even venture to say "boring." I wasn't impressed. I do have to say, however, that the service was very good, and the dishes were brought out in a timely and efficient manner. I don't think the prices are commensurate with the quality of food. But, there must be something else to this place I don't see, because it's always packed.
(2)Heebeen K.
Food is good, but the waiting time is always ridiculous. Don't ever go here if you are hungry and need food ASAP. This place will make you wait 30 mins (minimum) to like an hour and half. But if you are looking for some good quality food, this place might satisfy you. I am not chinese so I don't know much about dim sum, but for my standard their food is pretty decent. My chinese friends tell me you can find a better dim sum place in like seattle China town area for cheaper price, but I haven't tried any other dim sum place yet so I can't compare! I normally order ~2 dim sum plates, shrimp fried rice and wonton soup and that is the perfect portion for 2 people (but then i guess i eat more than a normal person). The price is reasonable but I would say it's a bit toward pricy chinese food side. The place is pretty clean, and you can see chinese and Mexicans making dim sum behind the glass wall and can creep on them (which I do when I am so hungry) and they creep right back at chu. Hehehehehe and it is inside the mall so you can walk around and go shopping after your belly is full and happy. :-)
(3)Jennifer J.
Recently, I was in the elevator at work and (no, I'm not sure how we got on this topic) a woman mentioned how she was taking her son out for his favorite Chinese dumplings. Naturally, being the unapologetic food addict that I am, I had to ask her where this magical dumpling place was located - assuming that it was in that burgeoning city overflowing with Chinese food goodness, Vancouver BC. Imagine my surprise when she mentioned it was located in Bellevue! Hey, I love Bellevue, I used to live in Bellevue, I have family in Bellevue...but I've never considered it as a foodie-rific destination, especially not for Chinese food. Nonetheless, this elevator conversation left me intrigued. Shortly thereafter, the hubbinator and I (along with another foodie couple we love to travel with) were on (yet another) food/beer pilgrimage to Portland when we decided to make a dinner pit stop in downtown Bellevue and see just how amazing these dumplings were. Uh ma gawd. They were amazing! Of course, we had to start with the Xiao Long Bao (a.k.a. soup dumplings) with pork, but we didn't stop there. We also enjoyed two delicious bowls of soup: a perfectly spiced Hot 'n Sour and, for the tamer tongues in our group, a simple-yet-divine Wonton Soup. Next we shared the Shrimp Dumplings in Spicy Sauce (again, not-too-shrimpy and not-too-spicy combined to create awesome deliciousy goodness) and the Rice Cakes with Chicken (and by "rice cakes" I mean a gnocchi-like flat noodle that was chewy, salty, and bathed in a delicious sauce along with perfectly cooked chicken). For dessert, since it was the hubbaloo's birthday, we enjoyed some steamed buns filled with red bean paste. Yum yum! As stuffed as we were, the only thing we could talk about was "when can we come back?!" Now that is a sign of a good meal, right? We were hooked. Fast forward to this week, I found myself in downtown Bellevue yet again (okay, I made a special trip there - I admit it!) and, of course, had to plan lunch at DTF. This time our group enjoyed the Shrimp Shu Mai (which are like magically-engineered little pillows of soup dumplingy goodness *WITH* shrimp on top - I have NO idea how the white-masked master dumpling creators pulled this one off), the Pork Chop Fried Rice (omg, yummalicious), yet another bowl of the sublime Won Ton Soup, the essential Shrimp Dumplings in Spicy Sauce, and a scary-sounding dish that turned out to be my favorite of the day: Bean Curd and Seaweed in Vinegar Sauce. Seriously, try this dish. It is about 1000x better than it sounds! I also treated myself to a delicious glass of plum wine - theirs was delicious. So now I find myself fantasizing about Bellevue yet again. When can I go back and get some more of those amazing dumplings? Soon, I hope!
(5)Mrs B.
Delicious one-of-a-kind Taiwanese dumplings, just watch out for long waits at prime lunch and dinner times! Excellent service as well.
(5)Stuart M.
Very popular dumpling house that is hard to get into and pretty pricey for what it is. Nothing wrong with the dumplings or anything else, but if you want genuine dim sum, there are better options on the Eastside as well as in the International District. Be warned if you come at peak times, you will likely have to wait quite a while.
(4)Elina K.
I honestly don't think I have ever waited the actual wait time that other crazies have (because I normally sit in the bar area or come during non peak hours on weekdays!) I'll do anything to avoid a line. My patience is nonexistent when food is involved. I come here for what everyone else comes here for, the dumps!! A regular order for me is the juicy pork and crab dumplings, pork and shrimp spicy wontons, and either a shrimp fried rice or fried noodles. I am seriously not a fan of pork, but when it comes to the dumplings and wontons, I'd eat an entire farm of oinkers. The dumplings always come hot and steamy and when you bite into them, you get that burst of warm broth with the juicy meat. People complain of the dough being too thick, but I honestly think that's the best part! It's like a bite sized noodle soup in your mouth. And the fried rice, I'm not too enthusiastic about because it's always reeeeeaaallly salty to me! I think subbing it with brown rice makes it a little bit better. But it's bearable because the portion of the dish is pretty small. I've also tried the spicy braised beef noodle soup, some of the appetizers, and shaved ice. Not worth it, not worth it, and not worth it. The noodle soup was pretty good and had really soft/tender beef but there weren't a lot of noodles and it was pretty expensive for the amount you get. Appetizers are plain and puny. And you can get shaved ice for half the price at any other bubble tea/chinese cafe for way moe betta. SKIP THE BUBBLE TEA! It's almost $5, comes in a small cup, and is not the shiz. Instead, try their cocktails! lol I love them! They add an Asian twist to some of them and are really refreshing!
(4)Nikki O.
Hands down my favorite place to go every weekend. The food & milk teas are my favorite. The only thing that I don't like is the wait to be seated can take up to 2 hours and the worst part is you can't make reservations. But once you are seated, the food & drinks come out really quickly.
(5)Doreen E.
Not so sure what else I can add, except I love this joint. I love the service. I loved the food. Our server was particularly good because he checked in with us after we got some food in our bellies. He wanted to make sure we still wanted to rest of the food we ordered. One of the surprising great bites was the veggie rice cake. Yum! The shrimp and pork dumplings were also so good. We gobbled everything up. Even the fruit slushes were so good, we slurped them up. Ask your server to make your dipping sauce. You won't regret it. They validate parking. Take a picture with the cartoon dumpling before you go.
(5)Gustavo M.
This place is better for groups than the one in the U Village, it has large round tables for larger parties. As for the menu,and the long waits during peak hours, it's the same as any restaurant in this chain. But if you show up early-ish, say noon on a weekend, you won't have to wait for more than 20 mins
(5)Gabi S.
Din Tai Fung is THE BOMB! We go here all the time and love their juicy pork dumplings. Our 2yr old daughter also loves this place and grubs down on the noodles. The bok choy is off the chain, and we've always had great service! YUMMY!
(5)Cici P.
The dumplings are really juicy and yummy! The shaved ice is really good too and it has so many toppings (I usually pass on the mochi balls, but otherwise everything there is really good) Customer service really depends, but during this visit the waitress was friendly and nice. And even though I came with my sister only we got seated at a four seat table because it's a weekday and there isn't a line at all (very surprising because I usually have to wait for an hour) This place is never disappointing for me period. I only wish I had a bigger appetite because I can't get enough of the pork dumplings xD
(5)Mister W.
Yes. Yes. Oh god, YES! ...I'll have what she's having. This is some of the best Chinese food in Seattle. Certainly the best dim sum. While there are occasional sour notes based on personal taste, essentially everything DTF does, they do right. If you plan on going, go early and plan to wait in line for upwards of 45 minutes based on day and time. Saturday and Sunday brunch are the busiest. While ordering the juicy pork dumplings is de jure protocol, consider too the hot and sour soup, the various (homemade and fresh) noodle dishes, and the small red bean dessert buns. The latter especially if you're already a fan of bittersweet flavors and have never tried azuki bean before.
(5)Yen P.
~this is my first time here. I loved it! I love the noodles, soup, and dumplings. I liked watching them make it in the window! It was very busy place. The wooden chairs was uncomfortable. The booths were all taken. The line of people waiting to eat was long. We got there just in time to get a table. That was before 6pm. Great food! Thank you!
(5)heather b.
2.5 stars Felt like an imitation of the real thing. Soups were good. The cucumber salad was clearly pre-made refrigerated which changes the texture -bummer on that. The seasoning on pork chop fried rice (on pork chop) was not quite the same as original and the broccoli was kind of dry. Tea was piping hot and so was the soup which is a good thing. Service was mixed. Server was nice and food runner not so much. Disappointing.
(3)Adrienne C.
We finally eat here today and it was worth it. We arrived here thirty minutes after it opened and surprisingly the wait was only fifteen minutes. The whole dining experience was great. Everything from the time we spoke to the hostess until the end of our lunch was great. The food.....was mind blowing. Yum Yum! If you want great food at a reasonable price, you need to eat here.
(5)William S.
The service was great. We walked in and did not have tho wait for our waiter. Food was served within a couple of minutes of ordering. The waiter was friendly and knowledgeable. He went over the whole menu with us and answered our questions. The food was fantastic and fresh. The spicy wontons was just the right amount of spice. The sweet and sour spareribs was a boy on the sweet side but was ok for more. Newly ordered food was served quickly and was fresh and hot. The downside of this place is that it is so popular. We have been wanting to go here for several months and the place had hour and a half wait times. Today was the right time on the right day fit us.
(5)Darren C.
There's a reason this place is always packed and super busy.......they are that good. The food is worth the wait. It's similar in some ways but also different in some ways to dim sum. I haven't been there enough times to try everything on the menu, but the stuff I've had has seemed lighter, fresher, less greasy than comparable items I've had at dim sum restaurants which always seem so heavy and greasy. My experience ordering and eating at the bar was just as good as at a table. The bar can be a good strategy to avoid the long wait for a table sometimes.
(5)Angela L.
- Wait Time: Skip the line and go to the bar if there's only a few ppl in your party. I originally put off trying Din Tai Fung after hearing about the ridiculously long wait times for tables. Indeed when my lunch date and I finally decided to go, we were
(4)Cecilia N.
You know those creepy mannequins behind the glass? The ones that creep you out because it feels like they're watching you? That's me whenever I come here. They have people behind a glass making the dumplings and I get to stand there and watch them. Sometimes I'll stare at one person the entire time and when they look up at me I don't break eye contact. I just stare until they awkwardly look down and continue working knowing that my eyes will be on them until my table is called. Oh yeah, the food is really good here.
(5)Mary X.
Finally got to try din tai fung!..and it happened to be on my trip to Seattle. Got seated right away and our server recommended the most popular items on the menu. We ordered 2 orders of Xiao long bao and spicy shrimp and pork dumplings! I really wanted to try the truffle Xiao long bao but it was $25 for 5 of them?! Food was good but for the price, definitely not worth it!
(4)Celine J.
Came here on a Thursday night and the wait was only about 15 minutes. You really can't complain about that all because you become so mesmerized by the window where you can watch the army of dumpling makers! I got a ginger pale ale that went very well with the entire meal. I preferred the truffle/pork to the pork/crab soup dumplings. The shard ice was really tasty especially if you like the different gelatinous types of toppings on it. If I ordered it again I would skips the beans.
(5)Adam A.
Have been here several times. Most authentic dumplings in the US :) YUM.
(4)Kiera M.
The dumplings are suuuper good, I love the juicy ones. The spicy ones are awesome too, they have a slight sweet taste before the spice hits you- they are killer. The spareribs are super good, very sweet and delicious. My favorite item is probably the green beans though. They are the perfect amount of crunchy and are lightly coated with a delicate garlic sauce. The wait time for a table has decreased dramatically since they opened up the University village location.
(5)Tiffany K.
Xiao Long Bao. Soup dumplings. Whatever you prefer. That's what you order here, if you're coming here for other items, not too sure if I can fck w u. 2 things before we begin: 1.) can we just take a second to reflect on how inappropriate DTF sounds?! But I use it anyway... 2.) sorry this review is long! Been to the flagship DTF in Taipei, so I'm afraid stateside locations can't compare. I was never phased by soup dumplings growing up UNTIL I went to Din Tai Fung. As a 7 year old, I knew what I had just consumed was mind blowing. Something kept you wanting more. So maybe that's why I still go to the DTF here from time. Anyway, I know there's a lot of hype, but on a good day without a wait, Bellevue DTF is serving up that heat. It's as close to authentic as you can get in the Northwest. The juicy pork dumplings are bursting with flavor with each bite. The soft but slightly chewy texture of the dough goes perfectly with the 'xian' or inside contents, pulling the whole dumpling eating experience together. Pro tips: MUST EAT WHILE HOT. Tastes even better when paired with a careful mix of ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Lastly, won't catch me here on a weekend. And yes I agree it's way overpriced, I die a little inside when I get the check. Quality of the food is inconsistent as well depending on the day.
(3)Daniel C.
I took my parents here for Christmas lunch. The Bellevue location is inside the Lincoln Square mall, so it was really hard to spot from the street. After parking in the underground lot and taking the lift up to the 2nd floor, we saw a line of people. Yep - that must be the place! We lined up at half an hour before opening, and was happy to get seated. Overall service was great and most of the food items were excellent. 1. XLB - The default pork XLB were juicy and incredibly addictive. An order of ten easily feeds two and we split it four ways. Can't go wrong here. 2. XLB with crab and pork - Not as impressive - a few bits of crab meat mixed with the pork but juiciness is sacrificed. Bad trade! 3. Beef noodle soup - Tender braised beef and the noodles were soft yet having some chewiness. Very good broth as well! 4. Pot Stickers - Four pieces fused to a thin,crispy rectangular skin. Pairs really well with their spicy dipping sauce! 5. Spicy Pork Wonton - Smooth skin, juicy pork filling, and a good punchy red chili oil. Pieces are larger than we're used to. 6. XLB Black Sesame - Imagine a firm XLB wrapper containing a good dollop of black sesame paste. The sweet, granular filling made this one of our favorite desserts for the day. 10 per order and they went fast! 7. Red Bean Buns - Good but pricey, since only two per order. Comes piping hot and they give a good ratio of red bean filling to bun. 8. Taro Bun - OK only - sweet but pales compare to the previous two dessert dishes. 9. Shaved Ice - This was the final dessert. we ordered a small order and it was still shareable with four! Tapioca Pearls, red beans, shaved taro ice, and topped with mango pudding! A wonderful mix of textures, flavors, and temperatures! Overall an excellent Christmas lunch! I wished Nor Cal had a branch. Hard to believe Seattle has two branches equal distances from my parents' house!
(4)Roland L.
Are you craving dumplings? Din Tai Fung can satisfy that craving with mixed results. After consuming so much espresso in a short time, it's a good idea to put something in that stomach of yours to help out with those jitters. That was exactly the situation at hand. Loren L and I needed to put some substance in the digestive tract or else it would have been an unpleasant flight back to Los Angeles. The extent of my Din Tai Fung exposure is limited to their Arcadia, CA restaurant, where, I am well familiar with a very lengthy wait (easily 30-60 minute wait) for above average, overpriced dumplings made by non-Taiwanese, non-Chinese (usually Mexicans or Central Americans rapidly building dumplings) staff. Thankfully, the delightful hostess swiftly located a vacant table for us in the midst of a dining area practically at full occupancy. Despite their bustling dining room floor, DTF's staff maintained a level of attentiveness normally found in empty restaurants. What's more, our order was brought out from the kitchen in impressive speed. Juicy Pork Dumpling: 4.5/5 I'll admit, I haven't bought into the whole XLB craze, although I can appreciate one that is ideally constructed. These were well made and exactly as advertised, with a satisfactory amount of pork filling swimming a piping hot broth. Pan Fried Shrimp & Pork Dumplings: 3/5 When these arrived on our table, my excitement spiked as I could hardly wait to bite into these...but in the end, these pan fried dumplings were nothing special. Just plain bland and lacking a fair amount of shrimp and pork mixture. Sautéed Mustard Cabbage w/Shredded Ginger: 4/5 You gotta add some sort of veggies with your meal, so we settled upon mustard greens (which I actually love). DTF's kitchen performed well with this dish and I appreciated that they did not overcook these greens nor saturate with an overwhelming amount of sodium. Red Bean Rice Cake: 2/5 Ugh, these were a bit sweeter than I prefer...and the dense chew possessed a texture reminiscent of stale cake. All in all, I'm grateful for their well accommodating staff and ability to satisfy an empty stomach. I wouldn't hesitate returning to DTF. I'll just have to make sure I order a few different things.
(3)Merina H.
My favorite! I love the sesame noodles, the shrimp and pork dumplings, the potstickers, and the pork chop fried rice! Absolutely delicious and ordering is easy; they give you a paper sheet of all the items listed and you check off what you want to order. Waiter//waitresses are generally attentive, helpful, and knowledgable! Their milk teas are a little bland and watery, but other than that everything is great. Wait time is long, so get there early!
(4)Tracy M.
Love, love, love this place. Juicy pork dumplings....won ton soup...pot stickers....and green milk tea are a few of our favs. Voted one of the top ten restaurants in the world. Long wait times and no reservations are the only downfalls.
(5)Arry Y.
Okay. Okay. 30+ Checkins and visits to Din Tai Fung later, it is definitely a 5+ for the food and experience. AND as long as you go with no more than 1 other person, it's easy - always go directly to the bar if possible, because it's always faster than waiting for a table. OOOOORRRRR, go in the "offtimes", like 11AM or 3PM. Agree with Dae Y --- Din Tai Fung, you need t-shirts, with I love DTF. LOL.
(5)Prashali R.
Except for the long waits really love this place. I'm a vegetarian, I love the veggie dumplings and string beans! The sesame dumplings round up any meal very nicely!!
(5)Cassie N.
So I think it's time for an update! I had taken a 3 year hiatus from Din Tai Fung due to massive overdose. Haha. No joke. I went with my bf for his very first time and all I can saw is WOW it is better than what I remember. The food was just awesome, it was always good before but everything we ordered came out perfect, hot and fast. Service was freaking excellent too. Our server Jovan was friendly and attentive. The stellar standouts are of course the The Dumplings but do not miss out on the Pork Chop Fried Rice, Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic, Sweet and Sour Riblets and the Shaved Iced. I like all the dumplings here but usually I always get the Juicy Pork Soup Dumplings (Xiaolongbao) and the Shao Mai, I always get the fried rice too and have never been disappointed. The Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic are AMAZING!!! I could eat these all day and am kind of annoyed it took me this long to try them out! They should just call them Crack Beans. The riblets are also my new favorite and remind me of the riblets my grandmother used to make me when I was a kid. They had the most perfect texture; crispy, juicy and tender. Dipped in a little chili sauce they offer the most wonderful, salty, sweet and spicy little Mosel that is just out of the world! I almost wanted 2 orders of this. We ended our meal with the Shaved Ice which was light and refreshing. The ice was soft and had awesome texture. It was creamy too almost like ice cream but not as heavy. It was also not too sweet and was a perfect way to end the meal. Oh! I almost forgot! They now give you nice and fancy packaging for your leftovers and to go items. Nice touch. I had a perfect meal here with my love and he will never view dim sum the same way again. I think service really just knocked it out of the park for me. Our server Jovan always made sure we had we had everything we needed and was always on top of everything! Hands down the best service I've ever had from all the times I've been here. Amazing food and excellent service, we will definitely be back for more!!
(5)Derek L.
I've been wanting to go to Din Tai Fung for so long, and finally got a chance to eat here yesterday. My fear was if I go I might have to wait for a long time before I can enjoy their food. There was a line yesterday at 3ish and that line was uhm.....long, but since I went by myself I grab a seat at the bar...no waiting. Food: Juicy dumpling pork XLB made fresh was delicious. The dumpling skin was soft, the meat chunk was not to sweet or salty. Shaved Ice for dessert was so good. Service: Friendly service here with a smile. I really like that the waitress at the bar constantly checking to make sure that I have what I need. That is excellent service! Price: Not too much to complaint because I rarely eat in Bellevue area. Overall, 5 star for yummy food, excellent service and no waiting in line.
(5)Janet K.
The dim sum here is awesome......best dim sum place ever! The one thing I really love about their dumplings is the hot dumpling juice that squirts out of the dumpling when you bite into it. It can burn so you have to be careful but it is delicious! One thing I hate about din tai fung is the extremely long wait during the weekends. The service is decent especially for a place that is super busy. They are very forgetful but I understand due to how busy it gets. Def have to come here..
(5)Angela B.
Every time I've walked by this place (during the day or in the evening) it's always jam packed and a line or huddle of people waiting outside. But I finally made it here one evening. They don't take reservations and they won't let you put your name down until everyone in your party is there. We arrived at 7:30pm but had to wait until around 8pm to get seated. They text you when your table is ready. Wow, tried so many good foods here. For the greens the "sauteed string beans with garlic" was really great and boy do I love garlic. Great salty taste. They are pretty famous for their braised beef noodle soup, but I just found this to be o.k. It's a bit spicy which I like, but other than that was not too impressed. Next time will try the Hot n Sour soup. Also tried the Vegetable & Pork dumplings which were pretty good, and so was the shrimp and pork won ton with spicy sauce. And my all time favorite were the juicy pork dumplings. mmmmm mmm good! service was excellent and the food actually came out pretty fast once we were seated. So it's really just waiting for your table that takes so long. Parking is free in the parking garage (at least in the evening it is) underneath and it's a great location if you want to go shopping before/after dinner or catch a flick at Lincoln Cinema's which we did. Looking forward to more good food the next time I come here!
(5)James H.
This is my 3rd Din Tai Fung location that I've been to. (Arcadia, Taipei and Bellevue) though this is one of the nicer and cleaner restaurants of the three. The wait time was the longest. Put name down on a Saturday evening at 4:45 pm and the wait to get seated was 50 minutes. They do text you once a table is ready so that is very convenient but the wait seemed longer than expected. But you can't go wrong with their soup dumplings no matter which location you go to. I had the pork soup dumplings and they were fantastic as usual. With exception to the top of the dumpling which seemed a little dryer and harder than usual. Maybe they twisted the top too much. The reason for the 4 stars is wait time and logisitcs of putting your name down. Instead of people making a formal line, people just huddle around the hostess desk until they are assisted. There should be at least a ticket number system in place like other locations.
(4)Apryl S.
This is my forth time here. The pork soup dumpling was good as always. Very juicy and the skin is super thin! Probably the best you can get around here. The pork chop over fried rice is the second item I would recommend here. In addition, the shaved ice was yummy. The small is enough for 2-4 people. The rest of the food we ordered was really very typical/normal. Nothing special. Food is a bit overpriced and servings are small. Most dishes are only enough to share with 2-3 people. The wait is long as well. We waited 90 minutes to get a table.
(3)Tuan V.
Very busy place, even on a Wednesday evening. I've always wanted to try this place while I lived in CA but never had the chance. When I took my first bite into their house special dumpling with spicy sauce I automatically knew why. Great opposing flavors, texture, and sauce. Key ingredients to any good eats. Definitely will be coming back, due to the hospitality, service, and time took for our waitress to explain to us how to eat certain dumplings. #bombdotcom
(5)Amy L.
The wait is usually 60-90 minutes for a dinner table for 2 from 8-10pm on Friday or Saturday. This is predictable, so just plan for it and grab a drink at one of the many nearby bars or go shopping across the street to kill an hour. There's a reason for the wait! It's hard to find other places to eat when we're always craving this stuff. Favorites are the hot and sour soup & juicy pork dumplings. I've been here over a dozen times (eek we are addicted) and service has a great record considering the organized chaos. If you can, I'd recommend ordering dessert WITH the meal. Just put it aside until you're ready to eat it. Most problems we've encountered here are related to waiting for dessert. Also if you love the ginger, just order a bowl for $2 extra so you don't have to keep asking for little refills. I'll be back soon!
(5)Jacques I.
Luuurve me some dumplings and Taiwanese food! When it first opened I wasn't sure what the big deal was until I finally was able to check it out myself. Although it's packed and the wait can be long, especially during peak hours - I recommend to all who've never been to DTF or have never eaten Taiwanese dumplings to eat here. I usually get the house specialty, the pork soup dumplings and pork & shrimp dumplings, with pork chop fried rice and green beans. Everything is awesome! Both sets of dumplings come with 10 pieces. It's definitely recommended for family-style dining, so come with a group of friends. That way - you can also try the other dumplings and other dishes. Also, if the waiter doesn't suggest, ask him or her to demonstrate how to properly eat a soup dumpling. I'm telling you, that ginger goes a long way when eaten correctly. I've been to the DTF in Taipei, which was of course as crazy busy, but was amazing. You know when people say that certain things just taste better from where they're from? Like how coffee seems to just taste better in Seattle because we're a coffee town, I guess? Yeah, that's how I felt about DTF. I can't really explain why, but it just tasted better in Taipei. Also, it's a pretty penny hence the four stars instead of five.
(4)Deena Z.
I have been going to din tai fung for a while now! The food has undoubtedly been excellent! From dumplings to noodles to rice cakes, we have tried it all! but my reason for giving three stars is the service (only for the kind of service we got yesterday!) So apparently we ordered chicken dumplings and they goofed up the order and got us the sweet taro buns! When I told them, the waiter seemed clueless! He was like the rest of the bunch will come later. I politely told him but thts not the order we gave, he read the checked menu and still didn't understand! Then finally the guy who took our order stepped in. I told him that I think there has been some mistake cz we didn't order this. To which he said "neither did I" unapologetically!!!! Anyways they changed the dumplings and got the right order finally and behaved as if nothing happened!! this is the first time I have seen this happen at din tai fung coz the service has always been great in the past! but Thursday was not great at all! The food definitely is excellent but so will the service be if the guy had shown less attitude and more politeness.
(3)Julie V.
We got lucky and didn't have to wait very long to be seated! I heard that the wait can be intense sometimes. We had 6 people in our party at 6pm and we were seated within 10 mins. If it had been an hour wait, I would argue that the food isn't worth the wait. We ordered 10 items off the menu, which our server recommended for the amount of people we had. We tried several different things--dumplings in a spicy sauce, xiaolongbao, spicy noodles, shrimp fried rice, and a few vegetable dishes. In my opinion, the dumplings in the spicy sauce were the most flavorful and delicious of all the things we ordered. Everything else was pretty basic in flavor and could have easily been replicated at home or tasted the same at any other Chinese restaurant. Compared to any ordinary Chinese restaurant, I feel that the dishes were overpriced here and were very small portions (we left hungry and had to get something else to eat!). However, I do have to say that the service was excellent -- our server was fantastic and she really worked her butt off.
(4)Carly K.
Part of my family is from Taiwan and I am sure that in Taiwan... Good xiao long bao is everywhere. But here in Seattle.. This is the best place to get that Taiwan quality xiao long bao. Yes it is a little pricy here but u get the nice atmosphere, great service, and consistent quality of food. Must try- lychee Mojito !!!
(5)Courtney L.
One of my favorite restaurants - always great flavorful food and service. My favorites are Pork & Shrimp dumplings, Juicy Pork/Crab dumplings, Green Beans, Fried Noodles, Spicy Pork/Shrimp Wontons and Red Bean Dumplings. The juicy dumplings have a nice light broth and aren't salty like some other soup dumplings that restaurants try to imitate. As for the fried noodles, there is a pretty equal proportion between the noodles, meat and veggies in the dish - it's a nice supplement to the dumplings and makes a nice take-out order as well. Same for the rice cake dishes, which taste almost identical to the noodles except for the perfect chewiness of the cakes. The Spicy wontons are one of my favorites - the flavor of the spicy sauce is so unique and something that other restaurants can't match. It doesn't have a vinegary taste like ordinary spicy sauces (i.e. Tabasco). Instead, there is a slight sweetness to the sauce which offers a nice contrast to the heat. Din Tai Fung's green beans are also very superior compared to other restaurants. They are always perfectly crunchy with a wonderful garlic flavor. Dumplings other than the spicy wontons also taste great dipped in either the garlic or spicy sauces. Finally, the Red Bean Dumplings are my favorite way to finish off the meal. They are slightly sweet with a chewier wrapper that differentiates them from the meat-filled dumplings. I have tried over half the menu haha...it's always so hard to choose. I haven't tried anything that I wouldn't recommend, so you can't really go wrong with ordering. The atmosphere is also very modern and the staff always makes sure that you have a pleasant experience. Waiting times can be up to 1.5 hours though, so either get there when it opens or go at some off-peak time.
(5)Teaira L.
If there is a model franchise business, business owners pay attention to Din Tai Fung. They have accomplished the art of faux-authentic, from the manner in which the food is presented to the visual decorative aesthetics. Newbies to dim sum, this place is for you. You get enough exposure to a dumpling house without having the awkward situation of not knowing what to do when you finally venture to a more traditional dim sum restaurant like the in the International District. Trust me, I have experienced those said situations and they are best left avoided. The Juicy Pork Dumplings are a must. As the name implies, eat with the aid of a spoon; otherwise the soupy goodness will land all over your plate...or lap. The Pork Fried rice is a decent filler, if that is what you are looking for. I would easily swap out the fried rice in favor of the Chicken Fried Noodles. The Shrimp and Pork wonton soup is a nice palette cleanser for the next bang of flavor; crisp and light. I would hold off on getting of the milk teas. Yes, they are tasty, but you would get more for your money if you stop at a boba tea shop. The beverage to ice ratio is quite disproportionate. The serving staff have always been wonderfully helpful, attentive, and in a good mood. In my experiences, they treated me as an old friend who they have not seen in a while. Anticipate long wait times if you are in a party of two and/or you are queued up during dinner/the weekend; prepare to wander. Their notification system is current, by sending you a text message when your turn to be seated comes up. That being said, be sure to speak clearly when saying your phone number. Do not let your eyes get too big, the menu selection is quite extensive. Remember, you can always order more...or pack up your leftovers. (The containers are darling!) A good rule of thumb is to image each dish serving up to four people, unless indicated otherwise. Food Recap The Must-Haves Juicy Pork Dumplings Pretty Good Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup Chicken Fried Noodle Shrimp and Pork Potstickers Meh Pork Fried Rice Sautéed Spinach with Garlic Pork Buns
(4)Helen K.
Food is great if you're willing to wait the long line. Luckily we only waited 45min... But once you're seated, the food comes out fairly fast! Ate at din tai fung once before in LA and this location seems to have more menu choices and better food. Or maybe they expanded the menu since last year... Regardless, we had a bit of everything. -Cucumber was like eating refreshing cucumber kimchi -Pork ribs had great flavor and was savory for its size -You can't ever go wrong with the soup dumplings -Jja jang myun tasted really like the real korean jja jang myun except less saucy -The soy sauce ddukboki dish that was delicious, along with seasoned green beans -Spicy dumpling had unique spicy sauce -Pork bun is not the same as sweet pork bun, but still good -chicken soup had good clean broth -Finished off with some sweet mango tapioca smoothie Oh, one last thing, the location can be tricky to find, but you can't get the restaurant to pick up their phone since their so slammed... better look into it before you go. Recommend parking in the deck going into westin and I believe it was 4th floor? in the corner behind the elevators.
(4)Larry L.
Wow noodles with spicy sauce awesome. Pork XiaoLongBao is crazy good Must go back to try them all Best fried rice I've had. Worth the wait at this place
(5)Amos Y.
Doesn't take reservations and wait is pretty horrendous during peak hours; we had to wait 1.5 hours on a weekday dinner. But they will call you when it's time, so if you're fine with shopping around the mall or chilling it's not too bad. If you go right when they open or late at night around 9pm, the wait is very short. Service is good, but slowish. In general the food portions tend to be on the smaller side and it's a little pricey. Alternatively you can do take out, but dim sum is one of the things that are much better eaten there. UNIQUE * Sweet and sour spare ribs - They are served cold, and have a soy sauce, honey, vinegar flavor. The flavor is pretty strong. I enjoyed them, but it will vary depending on your taste palette. EXCELLENT * Shrimp & Pork Wonton w/ Spicy Sauce * Vegetable & Pork Wonton w/ Spicy Sauce - I prefer the shrimp one because I like my meat, but both are pretty similar and delicious. The wontons are plump and moist. But it's the spicy sauce that really stands out, it isn't that spicy and has a slight sweetness. It's good enough that we got an extra order of noodles just to mix with the spicy sauce. * Juicy Pork Dumplings - These are probably the best you will find in Seattle. Thin skins, and tasty piping hot soup inside. * Juicy Pork & Crab Dumplings - Not bad, basically the Juicy Pork Dumplings with a slight crab flavor. I actually prefer the normal Juicy Pork Dumplings. * Shrimp & Pork Pot Stickers - It's interesting how they are all connected slightly in a flat sheet and are served upside down. Love the crispy bottom and slightly chewy skin, and goes great with the spicy sauce. * Shaved Ice - Large portion (small can feed 3-4, large 6-8) and with a solid assortment of toppings: flan, red bean, taro cubes, tapioca pearls, lychee jelly, and mochi balls GOOD * Noodle w/ Sesame Sauce - Found the sauce to be a little too thick and a bit overpowering in peanut flavor. But still a tasty dish. * Shanghai Rice Cake w/ Pork - Not the most flavorful, but if you like your chewy rice cakes, it's decent. Don't expect much pork. * Sautéed String Bean w/ Garlic - Hard to mess these up, slightly crunchy with a slight garlic flavor. * Pork Chop Noodle Soup - Has a strong peppery pork flavor. Not bad, but not a favorite. MEH * Shrimp Fried Rice - It's alright and has a pretty small portion. I would probably order their noodles instead. * Fish Dumplings - Has a very strong fish flavor and the fall apart fish texture doesn't quite feel right to me in a dumpling.
(4)Amber F.
I've been to several Din Tai Fung (ones in Cali and Taiwan), and I think the food at this particular Din Tai Fung isn't as good as the others. Also, it is EXTREMELY busy... a little too ridiculous. We got there on a Saturday around 5pm, and the wait was about 2 to 2.5 hours long. I mean, seriously? The food was good, but not 2.5 hours wait good. Since it's in the same building as Microsoft, I imagine it to be quite the lunch place. Luckily the restaurant is right by the mall, so there is plenty to do in the area. The restaurant will also give you a call/text when your table is ready, so that's pretty convenient. We had the famous pork soup dumplings and some side dishes. Like I said, the food was pretty good, but didn't amaze me.
(3)