With the opening of the newest Din Tai Feng in midtown Manhattan last week, it is officially hot dumpling summer in New York City.
Before the Taiwanese chain even opened its doors to customers, the restaurant already had all of its reservations fully booked for the next month. Din Tai Fung’s sole East Coast location is also its largest restaurant in the world. The location seats around 450 people and its chefs are slated to produce over 10,000 dumplings per day.
As a global chain with over 170 restaurants around the world and Michelin acclaim at its Hong Kong location, Din Tai Fung’s instant popularity in New York should not come as a surprise. Yet, their timely grand opening has also been fueled by a soup dumpling craze taking over New York City.
After almost 30 years in Flushing, Queens, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao opened its first Manhattan location in October 2022. Later, the soup dumpling restaurant expanded near New York University to attract the student crowd there.
The restaurant soon captured attention on TikTok and Instagram. Reviews such as “My honest review of Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao” had over 17k views, and a recommendation titled “New Favorite Affordable Restaurant in NYC” had over 30k views. Michael Ma, a spokesperson and partner at Nan Xiang, explained that these popular videos also teach diners in New York how to properly eat their first soup dumpling without literally burning themselves.
Netizens on Xiaohongshu who have already tasted the new Ding Tai Fung during its soft opening this week were quick to post about their experiences, and notably, the bill. 10 soup dumplings cost 18.5 USD, at almost 2 USD per dumpling, while most other items on the menu are also between 10 to 20 USD.
In terms of taste, Xiaohongshu reviews from the soft opening were resoundingly positive. In the comments, however, onlookers are raising more doubts. Many feel put off by the high prices at the fancy new location, skeptical that the dumplings will taste authentic enough for Chinese expats to open their wallets.
Banner image via Eater.
