Din Tai Fung — Restaurant in Zhongshan District

Their flagship store at the main entrance of Taipai 101! Efficient. Efficiency. Excellence.

Though we arrived before the lunch rush, we walked up to front desk, saw that the current wait time was 45 minutes, and were given a slip with our guest number (#1132) with a big QR code to scan and start our food order. So efficient.

Since we only needed a table for 2, the wait would be 40 to 60 minutes. But in 40 minutes, they called our number. The number board is split up into 4 groups based on party size. So efficient.

We browsed the supermaket, gift shops and food court and 30 minutes passed quickly. We waited another 10 minutes in the special waiting area for DTF waiting guests. When our number was called, the hostess confirmed our number and asked us to follow "Ollie" the robot, who'll lead us tonour table. Amazing. So efficient.

As we walked, I recorded our walk to the table. Robots help transport dirty dishes to the dishwashers. Ollie had to navigate through a crowded restaurant with guests, serving staff and other robots. So efficient.

Shortly after we sat down, we got out appetizer dish (cucumbers) thanks to our pre-ordering. The waiter already printed our order and checked off each dish after each is delivered. So efficient.

We ordered the shrimp shumai and a vegetable dish that was not available in Los Angeles. We were also able to order 5 xiaolongbao (XLB) instead of 10. This way the 2 of us can order more variety. Brilliant. The XLB were steamed atop a white linen, not the waxy cooking papers. Nice classy touch. The linen cloth also prevents the XLB from sticking to the paper and pulling apart the XLB and spilling the precious XLB juices. We received all the dishes quickly and well paced. So efficient.

Excellence and efficiency are 2 words that comes to mind when experiencing their flagship store. There are many, many contenders out there who claim to have Din Tai Fung XLB or better. But in terms of service, and for those who don't mind paying more, the food quality, consistency, and service efficiency, DTF is...

food is great, no doubt, but their waiting system needs major improvement.

their hours of operation stated they start at 11am, line began to form beforehand and they allowed people to walk downstairs to B2 twenty mins prior to opening. I've already explained to their staff that everyone in my party has arrived, but 2 of them are elderly and has trouble ambulating and thus are waiting in the subway station across the street where there are outside seating available. I explained to the staff that once the mall opens at 11am and their elevators are running then they will walk towards here to take the elevator down, because they cannot walk two flights of stairs down to the basement. The staff will not make any sort of compromises and demanded that she sees full party present before she can give me a ticket, or else if I want to wait till the mall opens at 11am I would have to most likely wait for additonal 30 to 40 mins before seating is available. She cannot guarantee me a seat even though I was already standing in line at 1030 and only wants to wait until 11am for the elevator to start running. She stated, if the two elderlies must wait for the elevator at 11am, then I must wait till then before she can give me a ticket, and by then we would need to wait for additional 30 to 40 mins because seatings will be full.

I am fumed and beyond shocked. I dont understand why they think it is appropriate and safe for elderly people who already has difficulty ambulating to stand and wait outside in raining conditions for 10 mins just so that they can see the head count. I dont understand why they expect all of their customers have the capability to walk two flights of stairs before the mall...

One does tire of establishments that, upon receiving a star or two, promptly lose their culinary compass and begin the inexorable march toward mediocrity. Din Tai Fung, however, is a most refreshing anomaly, like finding a silk handkerchief in a haystack of fast food napkins.

Let us begin with consistency, that most elusive of virtues. While many a restaurant wilts under the expansionist ambition of international franchising, Din Tai Fung has managed to keep its house in perfect order. The xiao long bao remain delicate as ever, each one a small miracle of balance, restraint, and juiciness without the vulgarity of excess grease. It is as if the dumplings have had etiquette lessons at Eton.

Indeed, the entire menu carries itself with the quiet confidence of a butler who knows the wine cellar by heart. There is no dish that seeks attention through over-seasoning or gimmickry; everything is composed, dignified, and dare I say, rather delightful.

What elevates Din Tai Fung from a mere restaurant to a respectable institution is its sense of duty, both to its patrons and to its own people. Unlike certain glittering establishments that trade stars for IPOs, this house of dim sum has not sacrificed its soul at the altar of profit. Staff are paid decently, service is trained with rigour, and the entire operation runs like a well-oiled Rolls-Royce: smooth, polished, and thoroughly dependable.

Din Tai Fung is what one might call the culinary equivalent of a trusted valet—always there, impeccably turned out, and quietly making your life better without a single complaint. It is, to put it plainly, a restaurant one can admire with both palate and...