Devin B.
Yelp
My husband and I have loved Din Tai Fung for a long time but it is very difficult to actually get a reservation at the Costa Mesa location, which is our closest location. Needless to say we were thrilled at the news that a new one was opening up at Downtown Disney! I quickly made a reservation and we were excitedly looking forward to this.
To start, there is almost no way around d having to pay for parking. Most people are going to be parking in Downtown Disney parking areas, which will cost you about $10 even after getting validated at the restaurant. This is a major downside, because nobody likes to pay to park.
The walk to the location is easy, but you have to pass through DTD security bag check. There wasn't much of a wait when we arrived, so we got right through, but give yourself some extra time for the walk and the bag check. Once you get through the metal detectors, the restaurant is right there in front of you in a beautifully remodeled area of DTD about where the movie theater used to be.
On to the good stuff!
We arrived about 20 min early and checked in outside where they have a couple staff members waiting. They checked and said they would be able to seat us early, which was a nice surprise! We were checked in and given a little menu sheet that you will use to order. After waiting about 5 min we were taken to our table.
The outside and inside of the restaurant are beautiful! Everything looks brand new, clean, and inviting. The restaurant is large, larger than the Costa Mesa location too.
Staff were super friendly and helpful the entire time. You do get the Disney level of service here, which is great. They gave us a kid's plate for our daughter, but we didn't realize that would be a non-slip silicone plate (more ideal for babies or toddlers). Daughter is 5 and she asked on her own if she could have a "big girl plate' and chopsticks, so the server was happy to bring that for her and take the child plate away.
We ordered the 10 piece pork XLB, sweet and sour ribs, and the garlic string beans. Everything was so delicious! The Xiao Long Bao are the famous "soup dumplings". They have a thin delicate dumpling skin filled with tender, juicy meat filling and a little bit of broth that makes the "soup". These are a must!
The ribs were new for me, and I am so happy we tried them. The sauce is perfect! Highly recommended. Please note these are listed as an appetizer and are quite small. The price feels a bit high for the quantity you get (I think there were 6 of them). They are worth getting though.
The string beans provided a much needed punch of greenery to our plates! My daughter liked them too. They are not spicy at all and not too strong with the garlic. Just right!
Pros: beautiful location, lots of seating so hopefully reservations are easier to get, staff is friendly, food is delicious.
Cons: Paid parking even with validation, slow down to go through bag check, and prices are reportedly a tad bit higher than other locations. Our 3 items cost about $56 before the tip.