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Din Tai Fung London Reviews
I have heard so many glowing reviews of Din Tai Fung
I have heard so many glowing reviews of Din Tai Fung online, so when we saw there was one in the area, we had to try it for lunch. The food was good by all means, but not sure why everyone was raving about it? I like that it is very simple and I feel like pretty healthy too (at least compared to other Chinese restaurants I've been to as it did not feel super oily or heavy), but not anything astonishingly good. We got the pork xiao long bao, noodles with pork cutlet, spinach and prawns, and the chocolate lava red bean dessert dumplings. I know we also didn't get all the most popular dishes so that could be it too. Everything was super tasty, but again just didn't really live up to all the hype. The space was lovely, service was okay, prices were a bit expensive given the portion sizes.
Sadly unexciting and rather average
I thought it was unexciting and the food was average. I was expectign more from the reviews i had read. I shall go back to Baozilnn. The staff were very pleasant but little atmosphere
This is the third location I have visited.
Two in Seattle and now London. I am so sorry I missed eating at the original location in Taiwan a few years ago, but I have been eagerly awaiting the new restaurant in New York City, where I live. The delicious food, friendly professional service and beautiful ambiance is always superior! Thank you.
Disappointing Din Tai Fung.
Leaving a restaurant feeling sad for a wasted 50 minutes (surely no good restaurant experience should be done this quickly?) and a wasted £138 for three people, is never something to write home about. My kids and I love dumplings - and coming here, I feel in retrospect I should have read more closely between the lines of Grace Dent’s Guardian review and given it a miss. Everything about this place smacks of disappointment: processing customers through in 90 minute slots; the food feeling competent and skilled yet lacking any genuine depth of flavour; the room itself feeling somehow disjointed with the only design aim to be to make you relieved to leave before your allocated 90 minutes is up. Part way through eating, my fourteen-year-old daughter observed how ‘absolutely everyone eating at the restaurant is white’, and the penny dropped: for every amazing Chinese cuisine experience we’ve ever had, there has been a significant proportion of the clientele who hail from Chinese ancestry. We’re talking, possibly, about the same places the generally very affable waiting staff go to eat when they’re not serving this prim, but ultimately off-the-mark, fare. In a word? Disappointing. Underwhelming. Forgettable. Take your pick. And pick somewhere else if you want truly memorable food.
Who knew a Texas girl would find one of the best Margaritas
Who knew a Texas girl would find one of the best Margaritas in London here?! This restaurant was recommended to me and I'm so glad we came. Great food!
Great place for large parties
Large party, pre booked spacious seating on the below ground. Service was very good. Have been to Selfridges restaurant, so was expecting similar quality. Didn't disappoint. Hubby loved it, father in law enjoyed it.. kids loved it too! Def will return as a family and enjoy again. Thank you
Makes me happy
I went to their Taipei branch some time ago and it was fabulous. Reason to try one of the London ones. I took the famed soup dumplings, fried rice with pork chops, and stir fried beans with garlick. And jasmine tea. All very nice indeed. The fried rice was one of the best I have ever had and a reason to come back. Perhaps the dumpling filling was a bit dry and the pork a bit under seasoned but the beans were spot on. Made me happy. This restaurant is fully and easily accessible for wheelchair users. Get onto the sidewalk at Bedford Street if you are wheeling on your own.
Very small portions… not good for value
Came here with my friends and had high hopes… but it was just ok, not great. Food portions were really small… tiny in fact. So we thought we had over ordered, but we didn’t & finished everything on the table. Pricey for average food & small portions. Also the hostess told us repeatedly about the 1.5 hr sitting time b/c my friend was running late… even though the restaurant had empty tables and it was huge with 2 floors and tons of tables. Wouldn’t recommend
Absolutely loved our meal here! Everything was delicious
Absolutely loved our meal here! Everything was delicious and we will definitely be back! The soup dumplings were the best I ever ever had!
Keep searching
This is a huge place (200 or so?) Pleasant, bustling atmosphere. The highlight here is watch 4 chefs behind glass assembly lining the production of the dumplings, Alas, if they only tasted as well as their freshness. Disappointingly bland. The search for great dumplings continued.
Tasty dumplings and noodles for a special occasion
Conveniently located just at the corner of Covent Garden market, Din Tai Fung is a great choice for all things dumplings, noodles and cocktails. On a previous visit I tried their famous cucumber salad, which was delicious and something I constantly imitate at home, and wood ear mushroom salad, which had a great vinegary kick. This time around I chose the Dan Dan noodles (you must specify if you want the vegetarian version) and a Chicken steamed bun, both of which were satisfying and tasty. Because of the price I would only go for a special occasion, but the restaurant lives up to this with its beautiful interiors and lively but measured atmosphere.
Great restaurant for friends, families or couples. Delicious food and friendly service.
Superb dinner. The food was amazing as was the service (and with a smile). Pork Xaio Long Bao was as good as we had hoped, the beef ones were excellent too. Chilli crab & pork steamed buns we 3rd favourite then shredded pork and egg friend rice. Highly recommended.
Never disappoints
Another return visit for us to our favourite dumpling spot and fantastic as always. Classic pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings) were flawless as usual but we also tried the beef soup dumplings for a change and will definitely order more of these in the future as they were out of this world! Also even if you only order the smallest portion, go for the chocolate/bean dessert dumplings too- I am not a dessert person but was so impressed with them as a little treat at the end and craved them a few times since! Booking definitely recommended as the queue can be quite long
Amazing and great value
What an amazing experience. Everything was superb, from the food to the drink to the staff and service. Very relaxed atmosphere and prompt service. Dishes are served as they are prepared and you can tell that it is all very freshly prepared. Do try the mushroom and truffle dish.
This restaurant brings Taiwanese and Shanghainese culinary
This restaurant brings Taiwanese and Shanghainese culinary heritage to London. They are the home of the Xiao Long Bao. Each one goes through a 45 minutes surgical process to deliver absolutely exquisite boa. You have amole choices with Crab & Porc, Beef, Chicken, Truffle & Pork s d Chili Crab and Prof Xiao Long Boa. They also have delicious sweet Taro Buns. The service was solid but a little bit to process oriented for my taste. The host told us that we needed to vacate the restaurant within 90 minutes when the place was almost empty. The food is really good but on the expensive side $30 for 10 XB is just too much. In Las Vegas or LA you get that for $15. So the value proposition is not there.
Small plates; Big on flavour
Delicious food! The small plates work very well. Just the right touch of SE Asian spices, and not overpowering. The meats were very tender, the egg fried and other rices excellently flavoured. I especially rate the beef and noodles very highly, the soupy stock was simple yet rich in taste. Hanni was an excellent hostess, charming, helpful and efficient.
A great find!
The restaurant is a great find! The dumplings are delicious and the service was great. I would highly recommend this restaurant especially after the theater.
A taste of Asia
We have a large experience of Din Tai Fung in Asia (Singapore, Jakarta, Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai). We were curious to test it in London / Europe. The menu is the same and the restaurant room sounds very similar, slightly upscale versus Asia. Taste of the meals is very close to what you get in Asia maybe slightly less spicy for the spicy wanton and the xiao Lon bao a bit less juicy. But all in all very close and good. The prices however are much higher than in Asia, even compared with Singapore. So not a place for a casual dinner as you would do in SG.
There are no better soup dumplings that I have tried, and
There are no better soup dumplings that I have tried, and I've tried many across numerous continents. I am not a fan of chains, but din tai fung is the exception. I've been to multiple locations both in London and abroad. On my most recent trip to LondonI had 2 lunches at separate locations. It's that good, and that's not my travel style. Pork soup dumplings by the 20's are a must. Explore the rest of the menu at your pleasure, though we like the spinach, Taiwanese chicken form the bar menu, and the shrimp pancake.
High quality and tasty chain
It’s a chain that I know I love, and Covent Garden did not disappoint. Easy to get a seat for one at 7 on a Saturday with no reservation. The pork dumplings are by far the best but I loved that you can try single pork with truffle and pork with spicy crab and both were great. I always start with spicy cucumber and if I have room after a few bao, it’s the fried pork chop. I think the one here was even better than Hong Kong, and you can dip it in the excess cucumber sauce. I also liked the lemon Earl Grey iced tea. All around amazing with great service too!
when i went to london this was my favorite restaurant
when i went to london this was my favorite restaurant there! this most memorable food item i ordered was the soup dumplings and they were out of this world! the service was nice and patient when i had a hard time deciding what to order. the ambiance was loud but not too loud, so just enough loud. it is still my favorite restaurant in london after going there several more times.
Bland, tasteless, overpriced food.
We waited 30 minutes to get in. The restaurant appeared lively and busy so we decided to wait. The staff members were pleasant and polite. The dumplings were soggy and tasteless. The pork and noodles were dry, tasteless and bland (I had to ask for a sauce to add some flavour). We had a selection of dumplings - we were not impressed with the truffle dumplings priced at £5 each and were the size of a 50p piece. Overall, we paid over £40 each for very basic food and a single glass of wine and we were still hungry when we left.
Excellent Chinese dumplings and efficient service
We know Din Tai Fung extremely well as it's a staple chain in Singapore, where we lived for over 25 years. In Singapore it's considered a middle-market almost fast food restaurant but that hasn't stopped them from 'upscaling' here both in terms of image, with some premium locations, and also, perhaps inevitably, in price, with most menu items running about twice the price that they are in Singapore. Having said that, I can't fault the quality of the food, which is remarkably authentic - not something you can say about Southeast Asian food in London too often. Their dumplings are of course the star of the show. Give me xiao long bao for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I'll be happy. Maybe for dessert too. And what they do is good. Don't skimp - go for the larger portion - it makes economic sense. The spare ribs are a good starter too, something to chew on as you're waiting for your dumplings perhaps. But perhaps the hidden gem on the menu is the dao miao - certainly one of my favourite greens on Chinese menus but not always easily available in Asia due to their seasonality - but here in Blighty you're spoiled because they're grown here. The service is efficient but getting a table is not always easy so it's highly recommended to book in advance, other wise be prepared to queue for perhaps 30-40 mins (or more) at the busiest times. I believe that DTF is launching some kind of loyalty scheme soon too.
Chinese at the top
If you like dim sum, you’ve come to the right place! We went to the same restaurants in Singapore and Sydney and I must say that we were not disappointed! The service is certainly fast - order as you go - but it's great. We had spiced cucumbers, chicken wings and goizas. The best. Then we had 45 pork dim sum! Yum yum! One of our favorite restaurants for sure! Go straight for it
Food is amazing and delicious.
Key is to get it while it's hot and tasty! We ordered take away and it took over 40 minutes to get our order and this was at 445 and by the time we got it everything was cold No apologies no sorry just here's your food and see ya. So while my experience at other locations are much more positive this place is not well organized
A great find!
We stumbled across this great find whilst at Covent Garden. The decor was pleasant, we had a table by the far end by the wall. The service was prompt and staff were attentive and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, a good selection, very high quality, we would highly recommend, and look forward to returning,
Top Dim Sum and very efficient service
This is a superb place if you are into Dim Sums. The five of us went on a busy night. The place was packed but the reservation system efficiently got us to a table that had been booked. Drink orders were taken immediately and served quickly. We gorged on all sorts of Dim Sum. They sure look and taste like they are homemade and a quick perusal of the preparation area confirmed that. The restaurant is very busy, noisy, full of people thinking of food only and having a good time. Perfect for an evening in London. Prices are not cheap but reasonable considering the top quality. They have no MauTai for an after dinner digestive sip but promised to look for it served up a Taiwanese version (Ming River) just as strong but somewhat sweet ! I will definitely be back.
Overrated
I was quite looking forward to my lunch. I flew over from EU becoz of my cravings in xiaolongbao. For such high prices, I would expect the same standards as what I get in HKG, TPE or SIN branches. Food was not hot/warm, applies for both my dishes. The broth in the bao was bland, ingredients probably low in quality. The crab meat didn't add anything nor the pork meat, and there was little broth inside. The Sichuan boodle could be nice but was almost a cold dish. The quality of wantan was unfortunate also so-so. For the price of 50 quid, I would go to another place that serve more tasteful food. Nevertheless, service was great & friendly. Do suggest to book your table if you wanna try, esp when you are solo. Duo's without reservations were let in with shorter queue time
The room is beautiful.
That's about the best I can say. Service is okay, just largely indifferent. I didn't feel that the servers hated us, just that they really didn't care one way or another. The food is decent but not memorable in the slightest. The XLB are being churned out and served in such huge quantities that you will see towering stacks of steamer baskets passing by every few minutes. It also means that the dumplings are waiting post-cooking until the tower is assembled so that when we got our pork XLB they were warm rather than hot and the tops were starting to dry out. No leakers and the thickness of the wrapper was good, but the filling was bland. A better but significantly more expensive choice are the spicy crab XLB. They had a good flavor. Cucumber salad is not smashed but served as large spears and the marinated wood ear mushrooms were tasty but absolutely no different from any other iteration of that dish I've had anywhere else. Wonton soup (described as "Superior Broth) had flavorless broth and was also served lukewarm. Pork chop and dry noodles in house sauce (again warm, not hot) were nothing special. The pork chop was decent but the noodles and sauce were meh. There were also barely any noodles. The vaunted red bean dessert XLB weren't bad at all but the dumplings were tiny and grossly overpriced. And there's the problem. The food is only average at best and the servings are small but the prices are obscenely exorbitant. Similar or better food can be found many at places nearby without prices that make you cry. Zero points for price-value ratio. And to add insult to injury, after one of my most expensive meals in recent memory, two of us were hungry enough that we stopped for sandwiches on the way home.
Way too over hyped.
The restaurant is very very nice. Slow service, but food is apparently made fresh. Food had lots of cilantro and looks better than it tastes. If you're coming here because of TikTok, it's a nice experience but the food is not what it seems online. Was a 1 time thing.
It seems the further away from Taiwan the less they are
It seems the further away from Taiwan the less they are able to keep to the standards of execution. The xlb was either too mushy or too hard and there was no soup at all in it. The skin ranged from a thick blob to paper thin. For the first time in my life. I didn't finish my xlb order from din tai fung. Just absolutely terrible.
This was one of the recommended places for me to try on a
This was one of the recommended places for me to try on a recent trip to London. This location is very convenient to the Covent Garden area and we were able to grab a table without a reservation. Service was a bit slow and lacking during our visit, but the food did make up for it. The signature Bao that they are famous for were delicious and something I miss about the traditional offerings we get at home. I had the pork fried rice for my entree and it was very good.
I've been to Din Tai Fung in Taiwan, Australia and the U.
S. and always have a great experience
The food is a little pricey but definitely worth it! Go
The food is a little pricey but definitely worth it! Go early if you can't make a reservation. I actually appreciate that they tell guests dining is limited to an hour which helps those waiting in line.
- tons of seating overall without much wait in the
- tons of seating overall without much wait in the afternoon - downstairs area is also another full set of seating - the XLB were super tiny compared to others I've eaten, but were well made - the cucumbers were disappointing as they are cut differently and not smashed; they taste strongly like cucumber, not the sauce - NO rice cake here, which is surprising - good cocktails overall - good minced pork noodle Overall, disappointed with the cucumber and lack of certain dishes. They are experts at turning tables, and there is abundant seating.
I have been to dinner tai fung in Singapore but never the
I have been to dinner tai fung in Singapore but never the other locations and I took my wife here for her first time. The service was quick despite a very busy restaurant. Our food was brought out in a timely manner. The restaurant was quite clean and we were in the queue (no reservation) for only a few minutes. the food was quality as always. the only minor complaint was the custard bun as it was a bit gritty. overall a very solid but pricey meal.
Duuuumings.
Yum Yummy yum. This place didn't disappoint. What I like outside of the food and service was that if you showed up at opening, you might be able to get a table but only for maybe 45 minutes or an hour. While I liked that, the staff was definitely aware of the time. We had an hour to eat and go. 30 minutes in and as we were eating, the check comes. Then the waiter deliberately walks past the table as a sign to gogogogo. I get it. I do. I didn't have a reservation but we also had another 30 minutes. That's why I knocked off a star. It's the experience. The food though was amazing. While we rushed to eat, the dumplings and everything we got was so tasty. I would come back for sure. This restaurant is also stateside in WA so I will check that place out.
Restaurant inside department store Selfridges
Decorate nothing special for food e.g. dumplings, noodles to be more expensive than Chinatown. Nevertheless menu much cheaper than Harrods new Dim Sum place. Service was O.K. and staff in nice uniform but nothing special. Harrods DS place service was much better. DTF in Selfridges you have to wait to be seated although there was no queue on a weekday.
Old fashion deco, good food, bad service
We make the reservation at 21.30, when we arrive, the waiter says that the kitchen was almost closed, the food was good, but they brought everything at the same time, at 22,30 the waiter come with the bill and the pay machine, this is unacceptable, if they accept reservations at 21,30 they have to give a good service. Bad decoration, good food.
Pricey dim sum but came here with my partner as they
Pricey dim sum but came here with my partner as they haven't been before. Got the XLB, dan dan noodles, and lava buns. It wasn't as good as I remember but the quality of food is still pretty good and for the price point as well.
Is this the best Dimsum in London?
A taste of Taiwanese Dimsum at the heart of London, their HK branch has won a Michelin star and its good to see that the quality hasnt dropped across international branches like the one in London 🔻 Fairly priced for the quality and range available. Mid range and wont break the bank, if you are with a group of friends, seeing relatives or a date night this is a good spot to go to especially if you like sharing! 🔻 I had: Xiao long Bao (Soup Dumpling), Crispy Wonton, Chilli Chicken, 🔻 Food: Their Xiao Long Bao is incredible, Absolute star of the show here and a must-try. Their Pork Chop with Egg fried rice is amazing too! Generally the dimsum quality is great and we havent tried something here that we didnt like. 🔻 Ambience/Service - Good. Very professional and friendly staff, generally the food comes in waves/when its ready so you know its freshly cooked and not waiting under a heat lamp. Great service overall. 🔻 Summary Really good Dimsum at an appropriate price range. This is definitely one of the restaurants i suggest when someone wants quality Dimsum.
This is the 6th DTF that I have visited (3 in Taipei, 2 in
This is the 6th DTF that I have visited (3 in Taipei, 2 in Seattle) and I rank this place as a top contender. Decor is actually the best of them all. Service was top notch as usual. The DTF management has the system down. Service quality is excellent throughout the system and this one did not disappoint. Food was excellent as usual. Signature Soup dumplings, drunken chicken, sweet spare ribs, pea shoots all prepared to the usual standards. The only knock is price. What can you do, you are in London. If you want cheap DTF get on a plane and go to Taipei.
Consistent Service and Excellent Food
It has got to be the prettiest Din Tai Fung there is. Beyond the excellent food, the whole ambience of it made the evening meal lovely. Service was both warm and efficient. Food kept to the Din Tai Fung standard you would get in Asia. Consistent. An excellent choice for a meal.
Food is really good and the price is reasonable, the place
Food is really good and the price is reasonable, the place is nice too, close to many shops and underground station. Highly recommend this place
One of the best dim sum eateries in the world
We didn't have a reservation, but the line moved pretty quickly and we were allowed in in less than 20 minutes. Xiao Long Bao is also delicious and what they are known for. The restaurant is huge with and upstairs and a downstairs. A full bar with amazing drinks.
Delicious dumplings, Efficient service
Delicious dumplings and buns. Tasted a selection of savoury dumplings and buns, including excellent truffle dumplings. Dessert selection was also very good, especially the sweet taro. Efficient and friendly service. Highly recommend.
If you have a chance to eat at a Din Tai Fung, do it!
If you have a chance to eat at a Din Tai Fung, do it! There are many soup dumpling places in China town area but this is what I consider the original!Favorite flavor is the classic pork soup dumplings. You can easily eat a whole order per person but if you have more people, order this one as your go to and then sample others flavors in smaller quantities. This is a must visit place for me wherever they have a location!
Good but Gold
Service and quality are undisputed but prices went up to levels that we found unacceptable compared to last year. It has become one of those places where you leave still hungry
🥟
Delicious dumplings but not a lot of meat choices without pork in them! It’s also definitely not cheap for the amount of food - so choose wisely between being full and paying a lot!
Rating Service and Attitude. Did not get to try the food.
One of the worst day out experiences. Had a wonderful day out for the opera at ROH and subsequent dim sum lunch (which my kids adore and would be a good balance after first ever opera experience)! I prepared well in advance- somehow from central booking website I erroneously booked centerpoint (I guess my mistake but I would say system is misleading as I went on website and clearly intended to book the Covent Garden one!!). After waiting in line to the restaurant with very hungry kids- and losing time - they sent me to centerpoint stating that was what I booked and it was only 10 mins away. As I walk there in particularly cold, windy and rainy weather - I called to say that I was 10 mins late, explained the circumstances, the person on the call confirmed I can still come if I come within 10 mins (which I did!) and upon arrival we found out that our table was given away! There was no communication between person taking the call and whoever was allocating the table. This is not acceptable service! To turn the kids away this way after all the advance communication! The rare carefully planned day out for the family was nearly spoilt until it was gracefully and deliciously saved by a wonderful restaurant (Punjab! in Covent Garden which I will gratefully review. We will never try to visit this chain again.
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