Which Din Tai Fung?

[Layne Murphy]

I know we are philistines but we have never been to Din Tai Fung and thought we'd give it a whirl. I can't find anything on this board indicating if one location is preferable to another. Grouchy husband loathes waiting in line so that would be a major consideration.

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Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

[bsquared2]

There is usually a line, but they get people in and out pretty quickly. They usually ask you to place your order even before you sit down.

Personally, I like the new branch 'cause I am a fancy guy. And they have the cleanest restrooms of any Chinese restaurant on the new side.

I know some people like to bag on DTF, but I love XLB and that is my wife's favorite spot. She will always say yes to DTF.

[bulavinaka]

I hate waiting as well - it's not so much the wait but the crowds. My experience has been that if you go early, you will have practically no wait.

[A5 KOBE]

The only trouble I find is the parking. Always a hassle.

[Johnny L]

depends on when you go.

Sunday? Then yes. Best to try street parking on the street one up from Duarte off of Baldwin.

[justinelc]

I usually try to go after 2pm on weekends. Waits have been around 5-10 mins which isn't bad considering lunch and dinner weekend wait times are at least an hour. I've never been there when it first opens though since I am not a morning person :p Parking is horrible during lunch and dinner hours; mid-afternoon parking isn't too bad but you still might have to circle a couple times. Try parking in the Arcadia Market lot off Duarte and walk over.

[terim1]

We went right about opening time (maybe 10:30 am?) and had no wait at all on a Saturday.

[taiwanesesmalleats]

There are two physical restaurants in Arcadia but they're the essentially the same place. The second, newer one is right near the original Arcadia location.

[boogiebaby]

I'm only aware of the Arcadia one... I believe that is the only branch in the US.