‘What we needed’: Din Tai Fung soft opens at Downtown Disney District
There is no “Lightning Lane” for the latest attraction at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
On Monday, Din Tai Fung, which requires reservations, opened its doors with a limited menu for soft opening service ahead of offering full service beginning July 1st. In order to get a table at the newest restaurant at the Downtown Disney District, some hopeful diners resorted to persistently refreshing the Taiwanese eatery’s Yelp page.
“Literally, I just kept checking constantly, constantly on the Yelp app and at 10 p.m. last night a reservation showed up for 12:30 today,” Orange County resident Annika Espinoza said on opening day.
Two Din Tai Fung employees dressed in all black, armed with iPads and headsets, stood at the top of the steps leading to the 7,500-square-foot restaurant’s double doors, checking in guests.
“Opening our first standalone location in Downtown Disney District is an exciting chapter for us,” said Aaron Yang, vice president of Din Tai Fung USA. “We are immensely honored and excited to bring Asian-focused dining to the Downtown Disney District.”
Best known for xiao long bao, or steamed soup “dumplings,” Din Tai Fung’s Hong Kong location has been awarded a Michelin Star five times.
The Anaheim location sits at the west end of the district, just beyond the new mid-century modern entrance to Downtown Disney. Designed by the Rockwell Group, the restaurant incorporates a traditional Chinese pavilion rooftop structure with a modern touch on the exterior. The interior space includes the signature dumpling expo kitchen, giving diners a front-row seat to the dumpling-making process.
“It smells so good,” one guest remarked to his companion as they strolled past Din Tai Fung. “Do you think they still have reservations?”
After seeing a social media post about the soft opening, Los Angeles resident Tetris Kelly hopped on the Yelp app and was able to snag one of the first reservations of the day.
“The food was great, I think the ambiance is beautiful [and] you have a view of the new area,” Kelly said, referring to the lawn space around the new Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage. “I think Disney is adding a lot to this end of Downtown Disney, where people can come eat, drink and have fun without going to the parks.”
When Din Tai Fung opens officially in July, the company plans to release two new, limited collections of brand apparel to celebrate the occasion. DTF Essentials will feature streetwear-inspired unisex apparel embroidered with the original Din Tai Fung storefront in Taiwan, while the Anaheim Collection will focus on the company’s mascot, Bao Bao, on clothing and accessories.
Additionally, Din Tai Fung is donating $50,000 as a sponsor of the July 21 CHOC Walk in the Park, presented by Disneyland Resort and dedicated to raising funds for programs, education and research for Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
The opening of Din Tai Fung follows three recently opened new concepts at Downtown Disney, Paseo, Centrico and Tiendita by Carlos Gaytán, who became the first Mexican-born chef to earn a Michelin star, for his now shuttered Chicago restaurant Mexique. Gaytán also earned a star this year for his contemporary Mexican concept Ha’ in Xcaret, Mexico.
The star power at Downtown Disney is evocative of Walt Disney World, where Victoria & Albert’s, a new American dining establishment at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa earned a Michelin Star this year, the first U.S. theme-park-owned restaurant to do so.
Even more high-caliber dining concepts are planned for Anaheim, like Porto’s Bakery, an expanded two-story Earl of Sandwich, food hall concept Parkside Market and a yet-to-be named steakhouse restaurant and barbecue eatery that will take over the former Tortilla Jo’s space.
The new dining options are a welcome change for diners like Espinoza.
“I really do think the food options at Downtown Disney have been very subpar in regards to food quality and even ambiance and atmosphere, Espinoza said. “I think there has been a lot of missing elements [and] I think Din Tai Fung here is filling in what we needed.”
Yang said Din Tai Fung is glad be part of the changing culinary landscape at Disneyland Resort.
“We’re looking forward to serving guests from around the world as they visit during their theme park adventures, and we hope to invite them along on the Din Tai Fung journey celebrating culinary excellence and authenticity,” he said.
Din Tai Fung, at 1547 S. Disneyland Drive, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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