Din Tai Fung frenzy hits Scottsdale: How to score a table
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Getting your hands on these dumplings takes strategy, or patience. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The biggest flex in Phoenix these days? Scoring a table at Arizona's first Din Tai Fung, which officially opened at Scottsdale Fashion Square last week.
The big picture: The extremely popular dumpling and noodle house has foodies, social media influencers, teenagers and Asian immigrants clamoring for a chance to try its world-renowned xiao long bao — delicious (and Instagram-worthy) soup dumplings.
The intrigue: Dedicated diners are staying up until midnight to snag newly released reservations, lining up at Fashion Square before opening and even trying to scalp reservations.
State of play: We've been checking the restaurant's booking page intermittently since the April 20 grand opening and have only seen a slot available once. And by the time we clicked to book it, it was gone.
- Last Thursday, the waitlist estimate was 225 minutes at 2pm.
Pro tips: We mined Reddit for the best hacks to get into Din Tai Fung.
Refresh at 11:59pm: New reservations go live at midnight, so try refreshing right before then.
- Yes, but: A couple hundred of your closest friends might have the same idea. Many people reported failure with this method because of high demand. And don't refresh too many times or you might get flagged as a bot.
⌚ Join the waitlist at 11am: You can join the list before you arrive to the restaurant, and you'll get an estimated wait time (which is usually shortest right at opening) so you know when to jump in the car.
💳 AMEX concierge: If you've got an American Express Platinum or Centurion card, one Redditor had luck using the company's concierge service to lock down a table.
✈️ Fly to Vegas: Definitely the most extreme suggestion, but perhaps a faster option than waiting in line here. Las Vegas' Din Tai Fung is at Aria and has reservations aplenty.
The bottom line: The whole menu is available for takeout, and that may be the move until the hype dies down.
What's next: A second Arizona location is planned for Chandler Fashion Center next year. You may want to get in line now.