A Michelin-awarded restaurant from Taiwan known for its legendary Shanghai-style soup dumplings that dribble down your chin is already booked for weeks and drawing lines in Downtown Disney.
Din Tai Fung held a grand opening ceremony on Monday, July 1 following a weeklong soft opening at the outdoor shopping mall next door to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
ALSO SEE: Downtown Disney goes upscale with 3 new ‘elevated’ restaurants
You better hurry if you want to get a table. Reservations are already booked four weeks out with a few spots available between lunch and dinner starting on July 29. If you’re lucky, an occasional reservation pops up due to a last-minute cancellation.
The internationally acclaimed Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings chain is among a host of new restaurants and shops replacing the former AMC Theaters, Starbucks West, Earl of Sandwich and Sugarboo & Co. that were demolished in 2023 as part of a multiyear project.
ALSO SEE: Downtown Disney shuffles shops and restaurants in ongoing game of musical chairs
The new Downtown Disney outpost for Din Tai Fung expands on the family-run chain’s growing portfolio that includes locations at Aria in Las Vegas and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa along with additional restaurants in Southern California, Oregon and Washington. The family-owned restaurant also has international locations in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea.
The Orange County Register named Din Tai Fung to its annual list of the 75 Best Places to Eat in Orange County and called the chain’s famous Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings that have spawned countless imitators “still the ones to beat.”
During the media preview, I tasted about a dozen items from the Din Tai Fung menu. Here are five of my favorites:
Chicken Xiao Long Bao; fresh chicken, ground daily in-house, with carrot, celery and hints of aromatic ginger and green onion during the grand opening of Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1) Chicken Xiao Long Bao — $18
The world-renowned star of the show is the reason Din Tai Fung exists and you’d be crazy not to order them.
They should come with dinner like bread at an Italian restaurant or chips and salsa at a taqueria. You’d have to pay for them, of course, like guacamole with your chips. But in a perfect world, the Din Tai Fung soup noodles would arrive at your table as you sit down.
I tried the chicken soup dumplings, but you can also get them filled with Kurobuta pork or a mix of crab and Kurobuta pork.
Chocolate & Mochi Xiao Long Bao; chocolate truffle enveloped in a thin layer of mochi—wrapped with 18 folds during the grand opening of Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
2) Chocolate & Mochi XLB — $11.50
The chocolate dumplings are among the most ununsual desserts you’ll ever try.
They are filled with a rich and fudgy combination of chocolate and mochi and wrapped in the same steamed bun as the soup dumplings.
You dip them in a decadent cream on the side and then pop them in your mouth. They taste like a mini molten chocolate lava cake. They are so good you’ll want to lick your plate — provided you let the bun rest between bites.
Princess Tiana always recommends eating dessert first — and you should at the very least order the Chocolate & Mochi XLB before the food starts arriving at your table.
No one will judge you if you eat this amazing dessert first at Din Tai Fung — although the waiters will bring it at the end of the meal unless you tell them otherwise.
Don’t do anything foolish like claim to be too full as you wind down dinner after a table filled with food.
The Chocolate & Mochi XLB is almost as much of a mandatory order at Din Tai Fung as the soup dumplings.
Braised Beef Noodle Soup; traditional Taiwanese beef stew with house-made egg noodles topped with blanched baby bok choy during the grand opening of Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
3) Braised Beef Noodle Soup — $21
The tender braised beef falls apart at the first touch of your fork. The freshly-made noodles are spaghetti thin. The Taiwanese beef broth is mildly spicy with a bit of bok choy floating in the mix.
The secret cheat code for the Din Tai Fung menu should be standard practice at every restaurant: The first items in every category are the most popular.
As you might expect, the Braised Beef Noodle Soup is the first item listed in the soups section — and for good reason.
Chicken Dumplings during the grand opening of Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
4) Chicken Steamed Dumplings — $18
The crescent-shaped steamed dumplings are a close cousin to the round purse-shaped dumplings — without the exploding soup surprise inside.
The steamed dumplings come with a variety of fillings — including chicken, cod, shrimp, pork, kimchi and vegan.
Both styles of dumplings are hand-made in the display kitchen with the sweeping curved window where chef artists gather around a series of tables to crank out the bite-sized delights.
The dumplings are whisked to the tables in a bamboo basket and dramatically revealed with a cloud of steam when the waiter lifts off the lid.
You’ll want to have your chopsticks ready so you don’t miss out on first dibs. They go fast.
Cucumber Salad; Persian cucumbers with cuts of Fresno chili peppers and sliced, fresh garlic, tossed with drizzles of sesame oil and Din Tai Fung chili oil during the grand opening of Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Related Articles
Disneyland union hands out Mickey Mouse raised fist buttons to theme park visitors
Disney evacuates 20 riders stuck on California Adventure’s Incredicoaster
Disneyland simplifies Genie+ ride reservation system
Will Disneyland spend millions to bring back the ‘Fantasmic’ dragon?
Behind-the-scenes look at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure animatronics coming to Disneyland
5) Cucumber Salad — $9
The Cucumber Salad is a TikTok sensation — and worthy of the social media firestorm.
Pretty much all of the greens on the menu are flavorful and delicious — making Din Tai Fung the place to introduce your vegan-averse kids to some of the most glorious veggies they’ll ever try.
Tell ‘em TikTok says they should eat greener.