Ask a random group of foodies to name their favorite burger or pizza, and each will likely offer a different answer. Ask about their favorite soup dumpling, and you’ll likely get one: the xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung.

Now you can enjoy the iconic dish, and the rest of the Taiwan-based restaurant’s celebrated menu, in an expansive new space at Irvine Spectrum Center.

An army of chefs crafts the intricate dumplings in a showcase kitchen visible to shoppers passing by. Just inside the entry is the golden dumpling mascot, Bao Bao. Beyond are elegant dining areas, dumpling-inspired, “pleated” ceilings and a spectacular pine tree centerpiece.

Still family-owned, Din Tai Fung’s astonishing trajectory takes it from cooking-oil retailer in 1958 to dumpling and noodle shop in 1972 to its first U.S. location – in 2000 in Southern California – to 165 locations worldwide today.

International acclaim

The New York Times once named Din Tai Fung’s Taipei location among the world’s top 10 restaurants. Its Hong Kong branches each earned a Michelin star. Forbes magazine, and everybody else, deemed its xiao long bao, aka XLB, “the world’s greatest dumplings.”

When each dumpling “bursts into a flood of fragrant broth,” legendary L.A. Times food critic Jonathan Gold once wrote, “the moment is as exquisite as you’d dreamed it might be.”

Today’s elevated Kurobuta pork makes that moment even more exquisite – and the crab and pork and specialty truffle versions more exquisite still.

Other menu favorites include the open-topped, flower-shaped dumplings known as shao mai and the pan-fried, crispy-bottomed pot stickers, both with shrimp and pork. A dozen styles of spicy wontons include an especially elaborate and green‑hued vegan version.

The cucumber salad is presented as a pyramid topped with slices of Fresno chile peppers and garlic. Noodles with diced Angus beef and Szechuan peppers are finished with bean curd and edamame. String beans with garlic are the most popular greens.

Start with the refined pear lychee martini; chocolate and mochi XLB are the don’t-miss desserts.

A tale of the folds

What makes Din Tai Fung’s dumplings the world’s best? Pork bones are simmered for eight hours with subtle spices and fresh aromatics. The broth cools into a gel then melts when steamed. Each dumpling is made fresh, with dough that has a thick center to support broth and thinner edges for a delicate texture. All dumplings are weighed and inspected for consistency.