No.
DTF is serving Taiwanese food.
Thanks for clarifying – that is indeed horrible. I’m pleased to report ours were nothing like that. As I say, however, we may have gotten lucky. Out of curiosity, were they busy when you went?
That’s what I’m hoping too. Were they busy when you were there?
IIRC, I went 1-2 wks after they had just opened, and I went for lunch. Place was comfortably full, but wait time was (edit: I meant “wasn’t”) horrible (maybe 20 mins)? So perhaps not being super busy helped QC?
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I’ve been with family and friends about a dozen times now to the CC location. Every time has been remarkably consistent as is the norm for most DTF locations. To me, the food at this location, the Torrance location, and the original Taipei location all taste pretty much the same. The Taiwan ones may have a bit of an edge since I feel their chicken and pork taste better. I think some people are hung up on the fact that these are Taiwan style XLB (DTF kind of set the standard for this) rather than Shanghai style. My dad is from Shanghai and prefers his XLB with a thicker and chewier skin and oilier filling. I like both.
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Yes both times were for lunch and very busy and packed.
I may get blowback from what I’m about to say, but… Are the XLB from DTF and J&J that different nowadays? I recall that many yrs ago, I thought that they were quite different but that, when I more recently (and even “recently” is still more than 1-2 yrs ago) tried them in relatively close proximity (although not anywhere near “bang-bang” close), I was struck by how they were more similar than I had remembered…
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is the distinction that clear in this case, between Taiwanese and Shanghainese? Obviously the two cuisines are different but DTF’s soup dumplings seem to me like a clear case of overlap; after all, historically a lot of mainland Chinese people left for Taiwan in the early part of the last century with the Kuomintang, no?
I have to say that the ambiance outside the restaurant in Century City isn’t the best with all the construction going on, however the restaurant itself wasn’t so bad IMO ambiance-wise. If you’re at the bar close to the entrance, yeah it probably isn’t great. But most of the restaurant’s main dining area has stunning views of Century City/Santa Monica Blvd from the big windows, and I thought that part of the ambiance at least was lovely.
Also, can’t say I have the most subtle palate for this kind of thing, but I didn’t notice any obvious difference between the XLB at the CC location versus others like Costa Mesa or Glendale, at least. Haven’t been to the Arcadia locations in a while but the CC location was perfect for us when we were in the area and looking for a XLB/DTF fix.
@LAFoodiePanda Thanks for the suggestions on Shanghainese! I’ve been to a number of those (S&W is actually my usual spot) but always good to hear more. I guess I was speaking more to once you leave SGV variety quickly drops. For example, in Costa Mesa/Irvine where I’m at a lot it seems like the newer entrants are Sichuan (Meizhou), Hot Pot (Haidilao), and Dim Sum (the upcoming Tim Ho Wan). Apologies if I’m just showing my ignorance but wish the variety went a little deeper given the concentration of Chinese in that area.
@J_L Wow great knowledge and thanks for sharing! My minds still stewing with the info. Always thought Shanghainese had some sweetness to it so now I’m wondering what dishes I thought were Shanghainese actually aren’t.
@Lakeshow310 @paranoidgarliclover Well one thing that’s apparently counted for some of my Chinese coworkers was the appearance. I think I’ve generally found the presentation of DTF XLB to always be much tidier and cleaner, even if I might prefer XLB from another place. I’m just happy as long as its tasty! 
San Diego branch is now open.
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Ai Weiwei dined here tonight…
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No shit? I was there from about 630-730…probably saw him at some point
I know. I rather enjoyed them.
This conversation aka debate is educational and as usual a little confusing for me (I mean if you guys can’t agree then I’m screwed). It’s also the reason I’m just going to enjoy this type of food journey - eating, liking, disliking - without stressing too much about where, how & from… and hopefully get some knowledge along the way.
Happy Shanghainese XLB by way of Taiwanese (I think) Eating!
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I’ve had XLB in two Seattle places and LOVED them.
Has anybody been recently and have an estimate for table of 6 for a Friday night? I’m thinking of getting there around 6:30 and hoping the wait is no longer than 1 hour. Am I being crazy?
About 1.5 hours.
You are the bearer of bad news but I was being hopeful.
This Din Tai Fung has Yelp Waitlist, so try that maybe?
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Partner and I went in at some random off-peak time (4PM) fairly recently and were told that the wait time for 2 was 45 mins. I would be a bit surprised if you could get a table for 6 in 1.5 hrs on a Friday (when the whole mall becomes an absolutely hell-hole madhouse), unless they prioritize bigger parties.
As Blur mentioned, you can use Yelp waitlist. Yelp bought a startup called Nowait a few years ago and integrated it into the Yelp app. For participating restaurants, you can see the current wait, get in line, and track the number of parties ahead of you and estimated time until your table is ready. I’ve used it multiple times at DTF CC and never had an issue.
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