Din Tai Fung — Restaurant in New York

Din Tai Fung Review

Visiting Din Tai Fung is always an experience, but unfortunately, this location fell short in several key areas. While the staff was incredibly nice and accommodating, the overall experience left much to be desired.

First, the atmosphere was underwhelming. The loud music made it difficult to have a conversation or enjoy the dining ambiance, creating a chaotic and touristy feel rather than the refined experience the brand is known for. In addition the design of the restaurant copies the design of the 5th avenue Apple Store almost 1-1.

The food, too, wasn’t up to my standard. It felt more toned to an American palate, lacking the authenticity and nuanced flavors that made Din Tai Fung famous. It seemed tailored to a more general, less adventurous taste, which could be a letdown for those familiar with the brand’s legacy.

Service was another drawback. Despite the friendly demeanor of our server, their inexperience was evident in simple tasks, such as pouring water without spilling. The service was slow in the beginning, with long waits for drinks and food, but it did pick up pace as the meal went on. However, even though we had a reservation, we were handed a buzzer upon arrival and made to wait up to 30 minutes before being seated. This gave the impression of disorganization and overbooking.

I do want to mention Jojo, who wasn’t our assigned server but was incredibly nice and honest with us about each dish. He was a breath of fresh air, offering sincere recommendations and giving us the best insight into the food, which made our experience a bit more pleasant.

Finally, it’s worth noting that this location is not expensive, even by New York standards, with the average price per person is around $50, which is quite reasonable for New York and falls into the “good food” category for that price. Still, given the lack of authenticity and the service issues, it felt like the overall experience didn’t justify the cost.

Food Ratings • Cucumber Salad: 10/10 – Perfectly fresh, crunchy, and well-balanced with a great sauce; definitely the highlight of the meal. • Seaweed Tofu Salad: 5/10 – Bland and lacking the depth of flavor expected from such a dish. • Vegetable Dumplings: 6/10 – Decent flavor, but the filling could have been more vibrant and the texture was slightly off. • Boba: 9/10 – Up to standard, smooth, sweet, and refreshing; a treat that almost lived up to expectations. • Chicken Fried Rice: 9/10 – Flavorful, well-seasoned, and packed with tender chicken and vegetables; a great dish overall. • Broccoli: 1/10 – Overcooked and bland, with no seasoning or notable flavor. • Wood Ear Mushroom: 3/10 – Chewy and lacking flavor, with a texture that felt out of place. • Chocolate Bao Buns (Dessert): 8/10 – The flavor was rich and enjoyable, but a bit too sweet for my palate. • Red Bean Buns (Dessert): 6/10 – An acquired taste, as the earthy flavor of red bean didn’t suit my preference.

Overall Food Rating: 7/10 – While a few dishes stood out, others didn’t quite meet my expectations. Overall, it was a solid meal but didn’t live up to the high standards set by the Din Tai Fung name.

Overall Service Rating: 4.5/10 – Despite the friendly and helpful staff, the service was slow at first, and the inexperience of our server showed in simple tasks.

Overall Atmosphere Rating: 8/10 – A modern and clean setting, but the loud music and touristy vibe detracted from the more refined experience typically expected from...

Having been here 4x now, I can say for sure that the green beans are my favorite from here time and time again!

Each time I come here I always make sure to have a reservation. It will minimize the wait time. The interior is dark, wooden, lamp-lit kind of vibe. Tables are close together yet far enough apart to have your own space from a different party.

Food: Once again, I strongly recommend the green beans! They’re crunchy and full of garlic! Flavor is on point!

My second favorite here has got to be the braised beef noodle soup! But you need to eat it while it’s hot otherwise it’s not good when warm/cold. It comes in a pretty big portion, would share this. Decent amount of beef and veggies. Also add chili oil to the beef if that’s your thing :)

My third favorite are the spicy wontons! I tried the chicken ones and the shrimp/pork ones. The shrimp/pork ones were a little more flavorful and juicier which we absolutely loved and were considering ordering another of but we ended up being too full.

We’ve also tried the pork soup dumplings, crab soup dumplings, truffle and kurobuta pork soup dumplings, and the chocolate mochi soup dumplings with a side of sea salt cream to top it off. The pork soup dumplings, though standard, were the best ones here. The truffle one while rich in taste, had too much of a lingering truffle aftertaste for us. A little truffle is good but too much can be overpowering! The chocolate mochi came highly recommended and it was good but at the same time, very sweet!

Noodles with sesame sauce was good but you quickly get tired of this taste. Recommend putting some hot chili oil on it! Noodles with Spicy Sauce was good! Very flavorful! Also would recommend the pork fried noodles!

Would not recommend the cucumber salad (bland), seaweed and bean curd salad, or the pork chop fried rice. The seaweed and bean curd salad is refreshing and good to try since it’s somewhat different but wouldn’t order again. The pork chop fried rice was also pretty bland.

Their boba teas are also pretty good! Not as sweet as other vendors but fulfills the craving and good to have with the meal.

Also at this location only is their black sesame espresso martini which I absolutely loved. Hints of black sesame, stronger espresso taste! Mmm!

Pricier joint than many but would come back to celebrate or catch up...

This restaurant is located right next to the 50th street 1 train exit, and is surprisingly busy on a random Tuesday night. Their restaurant space is huge, easily one of the most spacious restaurants I’ve ever seen, yet all the tables are completely full. We made a reservation a few hours in advance for a late dinner (8:30pm) and upon arrival, first we need to wait in a short line for “check-in” then after checking in, we waited for another about 15-20 minutes for the table to be ready. They have a huge waiting area with comfortable couches for people to wait for their tables to be ready (note this is after first making an online reservation and then “checking in” at a check-in desk that is similar to a hotel check-in desk). In short, reservation is highly recommended and I also recommend you arrive early for checking in to your reservation.

About the food: as an Asian American, and having lived in California before moving to New York, I think the food is actually very good. What I like the most about this place is that their dishes are not salty nor oily. They use fresh high-quality ingredients and all the dishes we tried are fresh and hearty, like how grandparents make them with love. We felt properly nourished after eating there. We had the beef short rib soup which was very hearty and perfectly warming on a cold winter night; I also liked the seaweed and bean curd salad (the ingredients are very fresh, especially the high-quality bean sprouts!), and the salad dressing is very light and refreshing; the buns we had were also very nice and hearty (meat filling wasn’t overly salty and tasted freshly made). The (no spicy) wonton soup had a very hearty broth. Finally the dessert was an absolute highlight: we had the red bean sticky rice wrap, it was easily the best red bean sticky rice wrap (which you can often find at Asian grocery stores and supermarkets) I have ever had!!! It’s clearly freshly homemade, and the red bean paste was so fresh, unlike what you often get at stores. You can taste the herbal leafy flavor coming from the wrapping of the sticky rice. Anyway, I highly recommend this restaurant for a hearty delicious meal with friends, family, dates or for business/work-related meetings (I’ve seen tables for all of the above...