Din Tai Fung — Restaurant in Seattle

Din Tai Fung is my favorite restaurant ever, but it is funny because it seems as I only come here for my birthday, or a special event. I recently came here for my birthday, and everything was just so good, as always.

I really like how they closed down that whole street in front of Molly Moons, Starbucks, and Eureka, and a few more restaurants so that they can have some outdoor seating! It didn't seem to affect the quality of the service, and our food came out pretty quick!

Yes, everyone talks about the sauteed string beans with garlic, and if you have not tried it yet... I am telling you now, the hype is real! They are so delicious because you got the saltiness, and the deep and rich garlic flavor, on top of the crisp and crunchy texture. Usually when you think of "fried foods," you think of oil, but the string beans aren't even that oily which I like. If I were to go vegan, it would be because of those string beans, I can eat a whole plate of those all alone.

I love most of the appetizers on the menu, and probably my favorite one is the sweet and sour pork ribs! They are insanely tasty, and again, I would only eat these and I would be happy. They are pretty tender, but that glaze on the ribs is really good because well... it is sweet and sour, but also very savory as well. You really got to savor these though, because there isn't that much meat on each bone!

The other appetizers that I always get, and are still really good is the cucumber salad, and fried pork chop! The pork chop is very nice and crisp, and is really flavorful. I feel like the seasoning the the pork is perfect because it really brings out the true pork flavor, and the crispness from the frying compliments the pork even more. Then, the cucumber salad is very fresh, and has that perfect crunch you would expect from a cucumber. There isn't much to say about this one except it is very good!

I also got some of the shrimp and pork potstickers. These are pretty solid, but not the greatest. I do love how they made it, and how you can break off each potsticker and you get another element of texture because of the crispy and crunchy "chip." The pork filling is pretty good, but slightly bland, but still good.

Finally, my favorite dishes of the night! The xiao long bao, and shao mai!! I got an order of the shrimp and pork shao mai, pork xiao long bao, and the BLACK TRUFFLE pork xiao long bao!

My favorite one in my opinion was actually the black truffle pork xiao long bao. It sure is very expensive, but I like it because it is kind of boujee, plus not many people have actually tried truffle before, or have even heard of it before, and of course it was probably the best tasting dish too. You really got to taste the truffle to have the experience because it is such an interesting ingredient. You have the deep and rich umami flavor, just from the small amount of shavings, but you also have this delicious savory and salty flavor as well. Then, you have the soft and tasty pork AND the hot and delicious soup. Literally one of the best things I have put in my mouth!

From talking about the truffle xiao long bao, it kind of makes the plain pork xiao long bao kind of wimpy, but the pork is still amazing as well! This is because with the truffle one, it isn't something you can eat a lot of because it is so decadent and luxurious, unless you got money. However, with the pork I feel like you can eat a lot of it since it is cheaper and less rich. Don't get me wrong though, the pork xiao long bao is amazing, and I can eat several of those in one night! Same with the shao mai, it is pretty similar to the pork xiao long bao, but it has the shrimp, and it is slightly bigger.

Overall, fantastic, and Din Tai Fung is always very consistent and delicious, but I hope that I can come here more often than once or...

Gave this place another try! James was our server, he was friendly. What we ordered: 1.) Pork Xiao Long Bao $15.50 for 10 pcs. They were cooked perfectly moist outer skin a burst of soup and pork on the inside. Yum! 2.) Shrimp Pork Wonton Soup, broth was not as seasoned as normal but wonton was tasty. 3.) Braised Beef Noodle Soup the beef was tender and well seasoned and noodles were cooked to the right consistency. I would order this again. Just be prepared as this spot is very busy and noise level can be crazy especially if you have a table of very loud talking people seated next to you! 😳

Update: came back here today for Lunch. Joy our server was absolutely great… unfortunately the food we got today was not on par to what we are accustomed to normally. Lets get to it: 1.) Pork Soup Dumplings: the outer skin was not as soft and supple as usual kind of more dense in texture. 2.) Sweet and Sour Pork ribs my husband said they were a bit too sweet and the meat did not fall off the bone. 3.) Wonton Soup was tasty with the broth that was not over powering and with a slightly ginger taste. 4.) Pork Potstickers they were a bit over cook outer skin was tough. 5.) my husband ordered a Knob creek Rye Neat and he said that the pour was a bit stingy.

This restaurant is located on the second level above Starbucks. First time visit. I wanted to have my hubby taste legit Xiao Long Boa. He rarely makes comments on food, but to my surprise he really liked everything we ordered! Alejandro our server was attentive and helpful. We ordered: 1.) Two orders Xiao Long Boa made perfect when you bite into the dumpling its bursts with flavor and juices. 2.) Shrimp & Pork dumplings tasty also. 3.) Won Ton in spicy sauce…yum. 4.) Red Bean Buns 5.) Jasmine Hot Tea We will go again next time I...

If you want all-around consistency of flavour and service, and love or are willing to try Taiwanese food, definitely try to eat here. After watching food and travel bloggers gush about this restaurant that’s all around the world and its location in Hong Kong with a Michelin star, my partner and I dragged a couple of friends on our trip to Seattle to come eat here. My partner and I are soup dumpling lovers and make them at home, but nothing could compare to the legitimate taste and texture of the ones we ate here.

The picture I’ve added onto my review is definitely one of the most lavish items on their menu: their truffle and pork soup dumplings. After our excellent server recommending that we don’t use any sauces and use clean chopsticks for the taste, he was totally right. The flavour of the soup and the seasoning in the meat filling were a total treat. We also got the shrimp and pork shumai, a regular batch of soup dumplings, and the cucumber salad. I would recommend all of them, they were so delicious! Our friends got a pork noodle soup and a shrimp fried rice, and after trying a little of both, they were really delicious as well. This really suggests the quality and consistency of their kitchen, and I can’t wait to go back again.

Our server Patrick was knowledgeable, personable and really engaging. He recommended what he needed to in terms of dipping sauce and gave his own menu suggestions, and made sure we had everything we needed consistently and made us feel very well looked-after.

If you’re in the University Village area, do yourself a favour and eat here. Even if you don’t feel like eating the more adventurous dishes, I guarantee you will like something on the menu to want to...