"How Far In Advance Should You Book? For a reasonable reservation between the hours of 6pm and 9pm, three weeks. If you’re willing to eat at 10pm, a day should be fine. When Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese institution with over 170 locations worldwide, opened its first NYC outpost, the city went wild. But, as with any newly arrived chain, the hype was never going to last. You can easily get a decent reservation as long as you plan a few weeks in advance. If you need somewhere to eat with a group in Midtown, and wouldn’t mind a few perfectly pleated soup dumplings, grab a table. Just keep in mind, the chicken soup dumplings are better than the pork." - bryan kim