Critic Rating: 7/10
A popular – and TikTok hyped – new location of Din Tai Fung just recently opened up in New York City. Although notoriously known for its competitive reservations, I made mine for two people on Friday the 10th at 1:15 PM, just three days in advance. With a simple Q64 bus ride to the E train at Forest Hills, Din Tai Fung is only about an hour away from Townsend Harris, and worth the trip once or twice; that is, if you’re willing to make it.
The quick service of the restaurant makes the dark, moody atmosphere more welcoming, and makes you feel like each customer is important. We got to the restaurant about 30 minutes early, and although we were expecting to wait in the comfortable waiting room until 1:15, we were quickly escorted to our table, given the secret sauce recipe for their infamous dumplings, and handed the menus.
To start the meal, I ordered the highly recommended cucumber salad for $9, which consists of about one cucumber sliced up, plated with a light soy sauce concoction and a sliver of garlic. Although it was a light and refreshing way to start the meal, I would rate it a 6/10 — it was not worth the money.
With the salad also came the sweet and sour pork baby back ribs, which were drenched in a thick, sweet, teriyaki-like sauce. These were absolutely delicious and the meat fell off the bone quite easily. For $16, we got six pieces in the meal, which can be easily shared between two or three people — anything more than that, the portion would be quite small.
Now for the most “infamous” Din Tai Fung category of the menu: the dumplings and wontons. To get a feel for the entire restaurant, I ordered the two most popular options in this section: the shrimp and kurobuta pork spicy wontons and the chicken xiao long bao. The wontons were absolutely delicious,, and as someone who does not have a great spice tolerance, there is a slight kick which only adds to the flavor of the 8/10, and $17 wonton dish.
Moving on to the arguably most well-known dish, the chicken xiao long bao was good, but fell short of expectations, especially for $18.50. I felt as though it lacked some defined flavor. The paired dipping sauce complemented the flavor of the dumplings well, but the combo wasn’t particularly memorable ; I would rate them a 6/10. Despite the underwhelming dish, it’s important to mention an interesting aspect of the Din Tai Fung experience — they have a window in the restaurant where you can watch their chefs making the xiao long bao dishes.
When watching videos and doing my research on what to order for lunch, I did not see one person recommend the Shanghai chicken rice cakes. However, they sounded too good on the menu to pass up, and I am so happy that I ordered them. The hot, chewy rice cakes are paired with sauteed spinach, onions, and slivers of chicken which are all coated in a delicious soy sauce. If I were to go back for one dish, it would be this one. It comes out in a mound of steaming and intoxicating food. I highly recommend it, rating it a 9/10 and think it is worth the $17.50 price tag.
Ultimately, Din Tai Fung is a great experience if you’re looking for a fine dining meal at a relatively affordable price. My meal, split between two people who definitely ordered too much, was about $60 per person, including tips, which didn’t surprise or upset me. When dining with a big group, there are definitely some challenges when making a reservation, and I feel as though the serving sizes aren’t as suitable for parties bigger than four people without breaking the bank. The meal was fun and the staff were great, making for an overall enjoyable experience, but ultimately, I won’t be going again.
