Updated: 7/12/2022 | Best Dishes to Order at Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung (abbreviated as DTF) is a Taiwanese restaurant that has taken the world by surprise with their famous Xiao Long Bao (小籠包) soup dumplings.

When approaching Din Tai Fung, you can see the kitchen staff busy stuffing dumplings through a clear glass window. 

In 2010, the DTF branch in Hong Kong received a Michelin star for their soup dumplings. While they did lose their Michelin star, they are still mentioned in the Michelin guide with a Bib Gourmand label, an award for restaurants with friendly service, good food and decent prices.

While they are known for their famous soup dumplings, it’s important to know that they specialize in Taiwanese and Chinese Huaiyang cuisine and offer a wide range of dishes. Their menu is extensive and can be overwhelming to new diners. 

Below, we’ll share our favorite DTF dishes and give you recommendations on what to try the next time you visit this reknown restaurant.

Now onto the good stuff!

Best Dishes to Order at Din Tai Fung

We’ve probably dined at DTF over 50 times. So, yes, we are OBSESSED with their food and we know quite a bit when it comes to dining here.

When it’s your turn to dine here, the host will hand you a paper menu which you then mark with lines to indicate the dishes you want to order. 

Not sure what to order? 

Below are our favorite dishes that we order time and time again. We categorized the dishes you should try by the sections they are located on the paper menu.

Appetizers

• Cucumber Salad – Their cucumber salad is super refreshing and a great way to start your meal. The cucumbers are very crunchy and are doused in a tangy and savory sauce.

XiaoLongBao (Soup Dumplings)

The soup dumplings are the main attraction at all DTF locations and are often abbreviated as XLB. You don’t go to DTF without ordering one of their tasty little flavor bomb dumplings that explode in your mouth.

Below are the flavors we highly recommend trying:

• Kurubota Pork XiaoLongBao – This is the most popular flavor or XLB. The thin dumpling skin houses a silky broth and meatball that goes amazing with their dumpling sauce.*
• Kurubota Pork & Crab XiaoLongBao – The second most popular. 

* The dumpling sauce is a mixture of 1/3 soy sauce, 2/3 vinegar, thinly sliced ginger, and as much spicy chili oil as you can handle. The flavor of the sauce is up to your liking.

Steamed Dumplings

While these do not have soup in them, they are delicious with the dumpling sauce mix (mentioned above). 

• Shrimp & Pork Shao Mai
• Shrimp and Pork Dumplings
• Chicken Dumplings

Buns

• Pork Buns

Wontons

• Shrimp and Kurubota Pork Wontons with Spicy Sauce – This dish is a house specialty! The super tender dumplings are tossed in an umami-packed sauce that is slightly spicy.

Soup

• Shrimp and Kurubota Pork Wonton Soup – This soup is always great. I love eating it when I am feeling under the weather.
• Braised Beef Noodle Soup – You used to be able to order this dish without noodles. Now you have to order them with noodles and ask them to leave it out, which means it costs more for you. I would ask for the noodles on the side and eat them with another saucy dish.

Noodles and Rice Cakes

We are a HUGE fan of their noodles and rice cakes. The sauce is super flavorful and it’s well balanced with enough meat, veggies, and carbs.

• Pork/Shrimp/Chicken Fried Noodles
• Shanghai Rice Cakes with Jidori Chicken/Shrimp/Pork

Rice

• Kurubota Pork Chop Fried Rice – DTF’s fried rice is fluffy and super flavorful! When topped with their sliced pork, it’s a win!

Veggies

• String Beans with Garlic – We love how crispy and flavorful this dish is. 

Pot Stickers

• Shrimp and Kurubota Pork Pot Stickers – These are pan-fried dumplings that are then made crispy with a flour batter. It comes with a tangy sauce, but we prefer to eat it with the dumpling sauce. 

Dessert

• Chocolate and Mochi XiaoLongBao – You get 5 steamy pieces of chocolate covered in mochi and flour dough.

Do I Need a Reservation?

Din Tai Fung takes reservations now!

They didn’t use to and people would wait HOURS to dine at this famous establishment. The most I’ve ever waited 3 hours with a party of four. 

If there are seats available in the bar area, I highly recommend dining there. The wait is usually shorter and people get in and out of the bar area pretty quickly. 

If you decide to show up without a reservation, expect to wait for a table. The busiest times are during lunch and dinner every day of the week. 

And if you’re not up for waiting to dine at DTF, you can always order take-out or delivery. You can enjoy DTF anywhere you like!

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