Has a molten-chocolate Xiao Long Bao been doing the rounds on your social media feeds too? Soft as lava cake, this sweet version of a soup dumpling is one of the most viral food trends in the world right now: imagine a burst of warm chocolate in your mouth paired with a side of sea salt cream. And the credit goes to? The chefs at Din Tai Fung Philippines. Recreated by hundreds of home chefs using Lindor chocolates and rice flour, the folks at DTF have created somewhat of a monster with these chocolate xiao long baos, because no one can seem to have enough of these.
In 2025, Instagram saw the infamous ‘Are you DTF?’ trend, which turned this restaurant into an acronym every actively online individual was well-versed with. Be it these dumplings, their test-paper-like menu, or Hunger Games equivalent competition for a reservation, Din Tai Fung is having a moment in pop culture history and here’s everything you need to know.
What’s All The Hype About?
The novelty of this Taiwanese restaurant lies foremost in consistency. With a static menu across all their outposts around the world, Din Tai Fung especially specialises in doing it right, no matter when, no matter where. While some of the best branches are in the USA, Singapore, Taiwan, and the UK, it’s rare for this restaurant to get it wrong, which is exactly what people love. Popular dishes, such as their much-sought-after crisp spicy cucumber salad, will almost always taste precisely the same whether you eat it in the home country or continents away from Asia. The chefs are top-notch, crème de la crème of produce and ingredients are sourced, and consistency is considered king in DTF kitchens, no matter where they are.
Another reason for DTF’s large fan base is the depth and experimental approach of its menu. Not only do the folks at this restaurant do what they do with great precision but they also keep experimenting with new techniques, ingredients, and dishes. And the chocolate xiao long baos might just be the best and most delish instance of that.
Another crowd-puller (and retainer) is their service. It moves fast enough to impress the toughest of critics, reviewers, and customers alike, with an almost seamless ordering experience. Another viral social media trend features diners using the infamous exam-paper-like menu as a way to wish people people luck before they take the DTF exam—a sarcastic nod to how seriously they take the process of placing orders.
Given, yes, that the restaurant is over 50 years old, the question persists: why do people suddenly love it THIS much today? In lesser words, it’s all these factors combined. In a time of 100+ “Instagrammable” cafés saturating the market, doing less-than-average food, and trying to do what works instead of finding something new, it’s this novelty that the market craves and yearns for.
While there are far too many restaurants that could serve us decent food, no one could really serve us a Din Tau Fung equivalent. In other words, it’s not that no restaurant can do a crispy cucumber salad but no restaurant can do a crispy cucumber salad quite like Din Tai Fung. Over the many decades, they have carved their niche, perfected it, and stuck to it, which is exactly what is behind their legendary status in 2026.
What To Order On Your First Trip To Din Tai Fung
If you’re lucky enough to be in a country with a great DTF outpost (and even luckier to have scored a spot), here’s a comprehensive list of a few dishes that you must order before leaving.
Foremost are the soup dumplings, more popularly known as the xiao long baos, that come in numerous meat and vegetarian varieties. They’re a unique, 18-pleat soup dumpling, best eaten using both chopsticks and a soup spoon. You best believe no DTF trip is complete without a rightly-lit, delectable Instagram story featuring these. Next, of course, is the crispy cucumber salad: a perfect entrée for all diners, which can be followed up by the garlic strong beans.
Their spicy wontons are also a highlight, along with the dan dan noodles, as well as the many fried rice varieties. On the drinks front, diners often rave about the peach green tea with or without boba as well as the pear and lychee martini. Last but not least, the chocolate lava xiao long baos are a non-negotiable, whether you pick it for your dessert or as a main course.
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