Din Tai Fung opens reservations for third Orange County location
- Share via
Din Tai Fung has started taking reservations for its newest U.S. location at the Irvine Spectrum Center. The Taiwanese brand known for its xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, will soft open in Irvine beginning Feb. 6. from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The following day, Feb. 7, the restaurant will open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for reservations only.
“Din Tai Fung Irvine is our third restaurant in Orange County, where we’ve been able to build a loyal and passionate guest base,” said Albert Yang, chief executive officer of Din Tai Fung North America, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be opening at the Irvine Spectrum Center, a space where community and culture collide.”
Din Tai Fung opened its first U.S. location in Arcadia in 2000 and now has several locations in Southern California, including one at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, which opened in 2014 and continues to draw long lines.
In 2024, Din Tai Fung opened a location at the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, with bao fans scrambling to score a highly coveted reservation on opening day.
The brand also boasts locations in Nevada, Oregon and Washington as well as international locations in Taiwan, China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Its Hong Kong location has the distinction of having been named a one Michelin Star restaurant five times.
Irvine Spectrum Center announced the addition of Din Tai Fung’s third O.C. location late last summer, along with the news of several other exciting new dining destinations coming to the outdoor retail mall.
The 15,000-square-foot Irvine dining space will contain a main dining room centered around an indoor courtyard and sculptural garden and feature Din Tai Fung’s showcase kitchen. Diners can witness chefs assembling the restaurant’s famed “Golden Ratio” xiao long baos that balance the filling-to-wrapper ratio with each soup dumpling weighing a precise 21-grams and sealed using a strict 18-fold technique.
Following the soft-opening period, an official grand opening is planned for March 2, at which time the restaurant will be open for walk-ins and for takeout and delivery.
Yang predicts the Irvine location will be greeted with as much success as Din Tai Fung’s previous Orange County outposts.
“The Irvine community and dining scene offer incredible diversity and are very family-oriented — values we care about deeply at Din Tai Fung as a family business,” said Yang.
Din Tai Fung Irvine Spectrum Center is located at 812 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine. Reservations can be made at dtf.com/en-us/locations/irvine.
