REVIEW: Come With Us to the Soft Opening of Din Tai Fung at Downtown Disney!
Din Tai Fung is preparing to officially open in Downtown Disney this July! In case you’re not familiar with the extremely popular culinary experience, Din Tai Fung is a restaurant that specializes in dumplings, with locations all around the globe.
Din Tai Fung
So, naturally, when we heard their Downtown Disney location was having a soft opening, we jumped at the opportunity. And of course, we’re taking you with us!
Location
Din Tai Fung is located on the west side of Downtown Disney, and the exterior is gorgeous. Its sleek and unique architecture pays homage to Din Tai Fung’s Tawainese roots. (Fun fact: this is the chain’s only freestanding location!)
Din Tai Fung Exterior
The interior matches the exterior’s impressive design–just check out this bar area!
Din Tai Fung Bar
Guests can view the dumplings being made in-house…
Din Tai Fun Expo Kitchen
…which is definitely worth witnessing!
Din Tai Fun Expo Kitchen
The dining areas combine comfort and beauty, making this the nicest dining experience we’ve ever had in Downtown Disney. (Some areas also provide the perfect Downtown Disney people-watching opportunity, which is a plus in our book.)
Din Tai Fung Dining Area
And, in case it’s your first time enjoying their signature Xiao Long Bao, they provide instructions at your table. (Extra points for a user/diner-friendly experience.)
Instructions
Without further delay, let’s dig in!
Review
During this soft opening period, the location only has a limited menu. But trust us when we say that’s not a problem–there’s still plenty to choose from. Everything is served family-style here, and the portions are perfectly sized.
They gave us a menu sheet and pen to mark down our orders. Items shaded in grey were unavailable, but there were still plenty of appetizers, bao, dumplings, buns….
Din Tai Fung Menu Sheet
…wontons, greens…
Din Tai Fung Menu Sheet
…noodles, wok items…
Din Tai Fung Menu Sheet
…desserts, and beverages to choose from!
Din Tai Fung Menu Sheet
We started off light with the Cucumber Salad. The dish comes with Persian cucumbers, mild Fresno chili peppers, and garlic, tossed with sesame oil and their signature Din Tai Fung chili oil.
Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
This was very fresh–but it wasn’t packed with the spice we hoped for. However, their signature chili oil enhanced the flavor, making this a great option overall.
Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
Next up, we tried the Shrimp Fried Rice with shrimp, scrambled egg, green onion, and California-grown rice. The rice was cooked perfectly–it wasn’t greasy and had the right amount of fluff! The shrimp was also very clean and fresh.
Din Tai Fung Shrimp Fried Rice
We dug into the Chicken Spicy Wontons after, which come with their signature house spicy sauce, garlic, and green onions. These are very popular and we can absolutely understand why–they were packed with flavor! We’d even go as far as to say the wontons were our favorite dish! (Yeah, we went there.)
Din Tai Fung Wonton
Of course, we had to try the Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao (a.k.a the dumpling that started it all). These bad boys were filled with broth and were enhanced by the soy and vinegar dipping sauce. We consider this a must-try!
Din Tai Fung Bao
You cannot skip dessert here. Their options are way too good to pass on. We opted for the Chocolate Buns which are chocolate truffles enveloped in soft, fluffy buns. They weren’t too sweet or rich, and the buns were fluffy. 10/10, we’re recommending this one.
Din Tai Fung Chocolate Bao
During our meal, we sipped on the Sea Salt Cream Green Iced Tea, topped with hand-whipped cream. It’s pretty hard to describe this, as it’s definitely one-of-a-kind. However, we can sum it up with one word: yum!
Din Tai Fung Sea Salt Green Iced Tea
We also had to try the Pear Lychee Martini (okay, maybe we didn’t have to, but we’re glad we did). It was smooth and refreshing, and the lychee was sweet and bright. We will definitely be getting this again.
Din Tai Fung Lychee Martini
Overall
We promise this culinary experience is worth the struggle to find reservations! Din Tai Fung has earned their amazing reputation and leaves you wanting more (despite how full you may be). Currently, they can accept Cast Member and Din Tai Fung employee discounts–Magic Key discounts may come at a later date. Their customer service was excellent, and the food was impressive–you’ll hear no complaints from us!
So be sure to head over to Din Tai Fung during your next visit to Downtown Disney! You can get your reservations here. And we’ll keep bringing you the latest from the resort, so stay tuned to MickeyBlog.com!
