Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung, or more commonly known as DTF is a popular chinese chain that is famous for their soup dumplings (xiaolongbao). You’ll likely find a DTF location in the larger cities. Washington has a total of 4 locations – two in Seattle, one in Bellevue, and one in Tukwila – so you likely have seen one or passed on if you have driven around these areas. They are typically located in malls or shopping centers, so they are a great spot if you’re hungry after all that shopping. As I mentioned above, they are well known for their soup dumplings and offer them in a variety of flavors.

I have been to DTF a few times and have very mixed feelings and reviews of it. I think it is good, sure. I mean you can’t go wrong with dumplings, right? However, I feel that it is really pricey and the consistency and quality isn’t the best. It is a chain afterall and usually chains aren’t as good as local mom and pop shops that make similar dishes. I think their soup dumplings are okay, but nothing to ride home on. There is a local shop about 10 minutes away from the DTF Tukwila location called Mama Dough’s that makes way better tasting soup dumplings AND they are much cheaper. Anyways..the one thing I will say that I do love from DTF is their Chocolate + Mochi Dumplings, especially when eaten fresh. I also really enjoy their green beans with garlic – it stays good even when cold! That is another problem I have with DTF. Their food seems to get cold pretty quickly and most of their dishes do not taste that good when they start to cool off and most don’t reheat well either.

This place gets way more hype than it is worth in my opinion, but check it out for yourself. Will I eat there? Absolutely. But will it be my first choice? Absolutely Not. It is definitely a convenient spot if you’re shopping or if you want to spend a large amount of money for sub-par food. I am sure I will get a lot of different views on this place, and I welcome the discussion. I just think you can find much better spots locally, wherever you live, than spending money on this chain. If you do find yourself at a DTF, definitely do grab their green beans, and order of soup dumplings, and save room for their chocolate mochi dumplings after dinner! If you love fried rice, I recommend the pork chop fried rice – the fried rice by itself is pretty boring and bland, but the pork chop it is served with is actually pretty delicious – a little dry, but the flavor is there. I have also tried the Noodles with Minced Kurobuta Pork Sauce and I would give it a 7/10, just don’t let it get cold or it’s not very good. Their wok fried noodles are also a decent option, but they are a lot heavier than the other dishes so keep that in mind when ordering for the table! For their menu and locations, click here.