The wait here can be quite long so be sure to make a reservation or arrive right when they open. All of the dishes are light, heavenly, and not loaded with grease. Din Tai Fung has a selection of killer soups and noodle dishes to accompany their dim sum. The dumplings are loaded with fillings you can’t find elsewhere such as steamed cod and kimchi or kurobota pork. Their signature dish, the truffle and Kurobuta pork xiao long bao, are handcrafted to perfection. The Santa Clara location, one of the first in the U.S., opened to immediate crowds in 2016. Yang and his wife decided to sell xiao long bao for fun at their shop, and they became so wildly popular that they halted cooking oil sales and now have internationally loved xiao long bao. Bing-Yi Yang, and it started as a shop that sold cooking oil. Din Tai Fung was founded in Taiwan in 1958 by Mr. Named by the New York Times as one of the top ten gourmet destinations in the world, everything at Din Tai Fung is just a little bit better than the competition. In no particular order, here are Hoodline's 15 best.ĭin Tai Fung Best Dim Sum Restaurant in Santa Clara There is no shortage of dim sum restaurants in the South Bay. And perhaps the most important of all dim sum rules: don’t forget the xiao long bao. Always pour the tea of someone you are dining with before your own and leave the lid of your teapot askew if you need a refill. It makes sense that dim sum translates literally to, “touch the heart.” Sometimes busy and loud, sometimes adventurous and wild, eating dim sum is usually an experience that's both a little theatrical, and a lot delicious.ĭim sum can be intimidating for first-timers, so here are some rules for newbies: If dining in, try your best to sit near the kitchen - it may create a louder dining atmosphere, but you will get the first pick of all the dim sum as it comes out of there on carts and whether you are dining in or taking it to-go, don’t forget about the tea! It is supposed to aid in digestion and whether you are a tea fan or not, tea and dim sum go hand in hand.

A meal that can only be shared, dim sum comes family-style with an assortment of dumplings, bao, rice rolls, and other handcrafted treats. Eating dim sum might just be one of life’s great pleasures.

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