Din Tai Fung

"Capacity: 42 It’s easier to solve a Rubik’s Cube with your eyes closed than it is to get a table at Din Tai Fung. Which is why it makes more sense to book a private event here than try to get in for dinner. The upstairs mezzanine space is removed from the rest of the main dining room’s craziness, but you’re not so secluded eating dumplings and fried green beans in silence—you can still hear the buzz of the restaurant." - aimee rizzo

"At Din Tai Fung, you will wait anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours for a table while a vortex of small children shriek around you. Luckily, the legendary pork soup dumplings are worth the wait. The rest of the lineup including boiled wontons in spicy sauce, potstickers, pork buns, and sesame noodles are great too, but we all know you’re here for those xiao long bao—so get several orders, and don't forget to add the dry-fried garlic green beans, a.k.a. the best way to consume vegetables that we can think of." - Aimee Rizzo

"Would you rather wait for dumplings at Din Tai Fung for 45 minutes, surrounded by a vortex of shrieking children, or get through a couple episodes of your favorite show on the sofa while you wait for the dumplings to get delivered? Yeah, we’d pick the second option, too. The best part about getting a selection of boiled wontons, pork buns, spicy noodles, and soup dumplings from this place is that they’ll be packed perfectly, and they’re easily reheatable in case the delivery driver types a NE address instead of NW on the GPS." - aimee rizzo

"Washington is one of only five US states where you’ll find the xiao long bao soup dumpling palace known as Din Tai Fung, which now has several Seattle-area locations including University Village, Southcenter, Pacific Place, and Lincoln Square. This Taiwanese import is a great place to explore a diverse menu of dumpling, noodle, and rice dishes. It’s almost hypnotizing to watch through the window as workers make the chain’s famous soup dumplings, which are as delicate and delicious as everyone says, although the shrimp-and-pork shao mai are arguably even better." - Jay Friedman

"Nothing at Din Tai Fung will ever be as phenomenal as the dry-fried garlic green beans, but their many different types of wontons, potstickers, and xiao long bao come close. Din Tai Fung is a no-brainer if you want to order a big spread for a big group, especially when getting delivery." - aimee rizzo