Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

02/01/09

Expensive

by buckwheat22 at Citysearch

Was curious why such long lines. I counted up to 100 people waiting in line one Sat. 30 min.before they opened. WOW! Visited the following Sat. and I am still wondering ...did I miss something? Five of us. We ate decently but it cost us $25 each (included tip) HUH? For what? Each type of dumpling seemed to have the same taste. Yes...juicy, but he same taste? The best item was the flat noodles and the red bean dessert dumpling. For the cost and quality, I wouldn't go back again. Not worth it. Service also seemed rushed. Had to chase someone down several times to get water refills for the table.

• Pros: Flat noodles, red bean dumpling
• Cons: expensive, every "type" of dumpling had the same flavor

12/04/08

yummy food

by thebiggerhalf at Citysearch

the dumplings are great! very tasty and juicy and it goes great with the vinegar sauce

however, the waiting is really extensive and sometimes you have to share a table with others. the price is pretty expensive for dumplings

• Pros: great food
• Cons: expensive! long wait

11/26/08

Dumplings worth the Walk

by unimaster at Citysearch

The best dumpling house in LA. Too bad the other reviews can not walk a block or two. This is not McDonalds or even Panda Express. Please enjoy the great dumplings, vegetables, chicken soup and then enjoy a brisk walk afterwards.

• Pros: Everthing
• Cons: None

10/10/08

BEST PORK DUMPLING ANYWHERE

by todorvich at Citysearch

BEST PORK DUMPLINGS ANYWHERE it is the best in food in town and by far the best dumpling place in the area parking is a hassle but its worth it

• Pros: GOOD SERVICE
• Cons: BAD PARKING

08/04/08

I will be back

by BaraGreg at Citysearch

Very nice location. Plenty of parking. Driving instruction could be improved that parking and entrance is in the back. Nicely decorated and friendly hostess. I will definately come back to this place but I have some comments about the PR/Service.

The first thing I want to say is "thank you" for pointing out that we ordered too much food. My bother and I are big but you helped us save money by saying two soups was too much and could be shared. With all the other food we ordered, that was kind of you.

Now, my comments, please don't wait until you have a line of people waiting for their table to open the upstairs area. Its not fair to those few people that are waiting for a table.

I know there is a lot of talk and special instructions about eating the dumplings being juicy but I don't understand why when the dumplings are so small and they are no bigger then a mouthful.

BTW, to the female server who dropped the check off list, I was being a gentlemen by picking up the list so you wouldn't have to bend down with your tray. Yes, you thanked me afterwards, but you will scare away men if you insist on picking it up yourself next time.

• Pros: Nicely decorated and good food
• Cons: No comment.

12/18/07

My favorite dumpling house

by yoliwong at Citysearch

When I say that this is the best dumpling house, many of my friends don't agree with me. So, I say that this is my FAVORITE dumpling house. The reason why I love the dumplings here so much is because the skin used is so soft, smooth, and thin. Also, I've noticed at other places that there's always this really strong "pork meat" odor to the dumplings. At this place, I've never once caught whiff of that smell and it makes eating the dumplings that much more yummy! I've tried other dishes besides the dumplings and some were pretty good and some were just ok. Overall, the food is good and a good place to eat with your friends or family. The only bad thing is the parking...almost impossible on the weekends and always during lunch hours.

• Pros: Good casual friendly atmosphere
• Cons: Crazy parking

12/15/07

WHat?? FOUR STARS?? ------- Oh yes I did.

by elainet at Citysearch

I know just that alone was blasphemous to some of you shao long bao lovers out there- but the food here is simply just above average. Not superb. The crab shao long bao is the best item on the menu, hands down. But there are other items worth mentioning as well... such as the veggies (da dou miao + gai lan), and the small single cup chicken soup.

The reason I took off one star was this:

Parking for this place is horrid. Plan on wasting 20+ mins on finding a spot in the obviously overcrowded plaza (think 100 spots for like 9 business- three of which are restaurants, one bakery, one bank, a spa!!, and a Charles Schwab). Yeah- then add in a whole bunch of crazy Chinese drivers. This parking lot could very well be one of the most dangerous places in LA.

Annywayyys, go to Din Tai Fung for the awesome crab meat shao long bao...and turn off your cell phones + radio + conversation the MOMENT you drive into the plaza's parking lot. No seriously- playing musical chairs for parking spaces requires your full attention.

12/09/07

Great dumplings (and service!)

by wendyfromcali at Citysearch

I'm not sure how people can say the service was bad at this restaurant. Maybe they haven't been there recently or they went during a super-busy time of day. I just went to this restaurant for the first time and got there 10 minutes after opening (5:00 p.m.) and already the restaurant was full and there was a wait. However, the hostess greeted us quickly and in a friendly manner and told us of their new restaurant just around the corner (which they opened over Thanksgiving). The hostess took the time to walk us over there to the new restaurant and we were seated immediately, with hot tea to start. Our orders also came quickly and they were some of the best dumplings I've had in a long time. Even my date, who is a vegetarian, enjoyed the meal. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys dumplings or to anyone who may like to try dumplings for the first time. My advice is to get there early, though. Right as we were leaving the restaurant (around 6:00 p.m.) there was already a wait. Also, be prepared to spend $6 to $9 per dish you order. Just thinking about the juicy dumplings makes me want to go again tomorrow.

• Pros: Juicy dumplings, new restaurant, friendly staff
• Cons: Parking, Long Wait (not for us, but I can see how the wait could be long!)

07/01/07

Bad Service not worth the wait!

by hlite at Citysearch

They have you pre-order your food while you are waiting 30 min - 1 hour outside. When we sit down in the restaurant, I was told that the food will arrive as we are seated. It looked like our food was not ordered yet because as we sat, we watched one of the waiters just taking the kitchen copy of our order sheet to the kitchen. The point is, we waited a little while for the first dish to come out. The worst part is when they make a mistake and give you the wrong order, rather than taking back the wrong order, the supervisors will argue to try to convince you to keep what you've got, although what you've intended to order is clearly written on your order sheet. Keep your food order sheet close to you to make sure you've got what you've ordered. This was totally not worth the wait!!!

05/24/07

Heavenly dumplings

by phlordsfo at Citysearch

What a glorious experience it was to have a good friend bring me here on my visit to LA. Wow. We ordered glistening fried noodles and sticky pork fried rice. Sauteed spinach and garlic erupted with fresh taste in every bite, but nothing could compare to the dumplings. A little vinegar, a little soy sauce, a steaming hot dumpling and the savory hot broth that filled the spoon as I bit into each tender dumpling...wow. Pork, chicken, veggies - nothing disappointed. These were the most amazing dumplings I've ever had. And the experience of each bite kept me reaching for more. I didn't think it could get any better, but even the red bean dumplings for dessert surprisingly tantalized... Not too sweet, yet even a few weeks later, I can still remember the flavor perfectly. A little pasty, definitely red bean, yet sweet. Wow. Really wonderful. I can't wait to return.

• Pros: Fabulous dumplings. Fresh, perfectly prepared and authentic food.
• Cons: Long waits, rushed service.