Din Tai Fung is a world-renowned restaurant chain that originated in Taiwan. It was founded in Taipei in 1958 and has since expanded to locations all over the world, including Australia, Japan, the United States, China, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and others. They are famous for their xiao long bao (小笼包), a type of steamed dumpling filled with meat and broth. They also serve dumplings, noodles, and fried rice, among other Chinese dishes.
Din Tai Fung is well-known for its high-quality food, impeccable service, and attention to detail, earning it accolades such as a Michelin star. It is a popular restaurant for both locals and tourists, and there are often long wait times. Hence, eat here only if you have the time.
10.30am to 8.30pm Sat-Sun & PHs
How to get to Din Tai Fung Xinyi Restaurant
If you’re taking public transportation, you can take the MRT to Dongmen Station (R07/O06) via the red or orange line. Exit at Exit 5, walk straight, and cross Yongkang Street. Continue a few steps ahead to find Din Tai Fung on your right.
Efficient queue system
When you arrive at the restaurant, go to the entrance counter and get a queue number first. Then download their app to keep track of the wait time (>60 minutes). This way, you can go explore the area and then return when it’s your turn. There’s no need to waste time standing outside the restaurant like others. Instead, we had mango shaved ice at Smoothie House and scallion pancakes at Tian Jin Onion Pancake on Yongkang Street. Yongkang Street is quite lively! There are plenty of food options and things to see, so make the most of your free time.
Communal table arrangement
We were directed to the third floor, where we would share a large table with two other groups of people. We didn’t like the idea of sharing a table, but we didn’t have much of a choice because it was getting late and we’d have to wait even longer if we wanted another table (which meant we would need to rush through our meal as it would be too close to closing time). When we looked around, we noticed that most of the diners had finished their meals and were simply chatting and hogging the tables the entire time. Anyway, eating with strangers was a little awkward for us.
Guide to enjoy xiao long bao
Menu
Their menus are available in a variety of languages. Depending on the menu you select, they will assign a staff member who is fluent in that language to serve you. Very thoughtful. We were attended to by a service staff member who spoke fluent English.
Xiao Long Bao
They weren’t quite as steaming hot as I would have liked. Normal in terms of taste. Every dumpling contained a generous amount of broth. Unfortunately, these were not the best Din Tai Fung xiao long bao I’d ever had.
Steamed Shrimp and Pork Dumplings
Tasty. There were crunchy prawns in the filling.
House Special Spicy Shrimp and Pork Wontons
Before you dig in, toss everything together so that every wonton is coated in the piquant chilli oil.
Delicious! The wontons were juicy and plump. We all agreed that this was the best dish of the evening.
Braised Beef Noodle Soup (Half Tendon Half Meat)
The broth was flavorful, but the noodles were slightly overcooked. I’d like it to be more al dente. The meat wasn’t particularly tender, but it wasn’t overly tough either. However, the tendon was too gelatinous. When I chewed it, it stuck to the roof of my mouth, lol.
Shredded Pork Fried Brown Rice with Egg
We were hesitant to order this at first because we were concerned we wouldn’t be able to finish it, so they suggested serving us a half portion even though it wasn’t specified on the menu. The portion size was perfect, but the fried rice fell short of our expectations due to a lack of wok hei. Also, because I’m used to eating long grain rice (like jasmine rice) for fried rice, this short grain rice version didn’t appeal to me as much because it wasn’t as fluffy.
Taro Xiao Long Bao
It was like eating or nee (yam paste) in a xiao long bao. The filling wasn’t overly sweet, but it didn’t go well with the xiao long bao skin.
Final thoughts
We came here only because this Din Tai Fung restaurant on Xinyi Road is their very first outlet, making it special. To be honest, we thought the food was subpar and overpriced. That was extremely disappointing. However, the service was excellent, which more than made up for it. One customer who was seated at the same table as us said that the Din Tai Fung at Taipei 101 was far better. After this dining experience, we had no plans to visit another Din Tai Fung in Taiwan. I guess the Din Tai Fung restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia are still the best!