Does Din Tai Fung live up to its TikTok hype?

Din Tai Fung (DTF) has risen to international fame, thanks in part to its viral popularity on TikTok. The restaurant is best known for its delicate xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and other dim sum specialties. Din Tai Fung has locations in just seven states — New York, California, Washington, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada — and other international locations. Over fall break, I had the chance to visit its Las Vegas location.

Our reservation was at 9:15 p.m. on a Saturday, and the place was still packed, with many people still waiting for a table. My friends and I had done a lot of research on the must-try dishes.

Our waitress came by and was very helpful, and recommended, of course, the xiao long bao. We ended up ordering string beans, cucumber salad, sweet and sour pork, baby back ribs, korobuta pork xiao long bao, chicken spicy wontons, noodles with spicy sauce and chicken fried rice.

The dishes arrived almost immediately and were served as soon as they were ready. Within five minutes of ordering, our entire table was filled with food. For the soup dumplings, our waitress explained to us that we had to make a special sauce for them. In our sauce tray with strips of ginger already in it, we added vinegar, soy sauce and chili crunch for dipping.

The dumplings were perfect. It made it even better that we could watch the chefs through a window, wrapping each and every dumpling before they were plated. The dumplings were soft and juicy and were a fan favorite at my table. The sauce definitely boosted the flavor as well.

The cucumbers and garlic string beans were light and fresh. The cucumbers were marinated in fresh garlic with sesame oil and the signature DTF chili oil. The string beans, which were coated with minced garlic, had a rich umami flavor and were simple yet delicious.

The sweet and sour pork baby back ribs might have been my favorite menu item. They were so tender and coated in the DTF house-made sweet and sour sauce; an absolute must-have if you get the chance to go.

The spicy chicken wontons were probably my least favorite out of everything, but they were still delicious. They were marinated in the DTF house spicy sauce and topped with garlic and green onion.

The chicken fried rice – a classic – was also delicious and was one of the best fried rice dishes I have ever had. They toss the rice over high heat to enhance the light flavors, and it shows. The noodles with spicy sauce were one of the things I was most excited to try. The sauce was very spicy (so beware), and the noodles were house-made thin egg noodles. Another simple, yet satisfying dish.

Obviously, we couldn't leave without trying a dessert. We decided to get the chocolate and mochi xiao long bao with the sea salt creme foam. And, wow. The perfect way to end the meal. The dumplings literally burst with chocolate, and the sea salt was the perfect dip to balance the sweetness.

I went with four friends and we shared everything. It ended up being $40 per person, with tip and tax included – definitely worth the price and the experience.

In conclusion – yes, Din Tai Fung lived up to its hype and then some. From the famous dumplings to the inventive dessert, every dish felt carefully crafted. It’s easy to see why this restaurant has become such a phenomenon — both online and in real life.