Din Tai Fung at Aria - Las Vegas
I’ve been to Din Tai Fung a couple times years ago at the South Coast Plaza location. Since my last visit, the waits are now very outrageous and reservations are not usually available unless months in advance. When we saw that there was a Din Tai Fung at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, we wanted to see if we could get a table. Since we had nothing else to do and could entertain ourselves in the casino, we decided to try.
It ended up being under an hour wait, and so we just occupied ourselves with some slot machines while we waited. I liked getting to see the dumplings being made while we waited to be seated, and then once seated I loved the openess and airy feeling of the restaurant. We marked what we wanted on the ordering sheet which included:
Strawberry Mango Smoothie + Macadamia Mai Tai (Light Rum, Dark Rum, Macadamia Orgeat,Fresh Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, Mint)
Cucumber Salad: Crisp Persian cucumbers combined with cuts of mild fresno chili peppers and sliced, fresh garlic—all tossed together with drizzles of sesame oil and our signature Din Tai Fung chili oil.
Jidori Chicken Fried Rice: Tender Jidori chicken, delicately-scrambled egg, freshly-chopped green onion, premium sushi-grade Nishiki rice—plus a touch of salt and seasoning—are tossed together over high heat, enhancing the light flavors and carefully-selected textures.
Noodles with Sesame Sauce: House-made thin egg noodles coated in a nutty sesame sauce. Topped with our signature chili oil and crushed roasted peanuts. May contain peanuts.
Jidori Chicken Dumplings: Delicately hand-folded dumplings are filled with premium Jidori chicken—often referred to as the Kobe Beef of chicken—and sweet onions.
Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao: Each of the Xiao Long Bao is carefully weighed and folded by hand to achieve our signature Golden Ratio of 18 folds and stuffed with top-quality Kurobuta pork marinated in a blend of carefully-selected seasonings. Paired with the piquant aromas of fresh ginger and green onion, every bite is the perfect bite.
Braised Beef Soup: This traditional Taiwanese beef stew is carefully cooked for hours to bring out its signature mild spice and aromatic flavor. Topped with blanched baby bok choy for a pop of color and crunch. *Try the Braised Beef Noodle Soup for the same delicious soup paired with fresh noodles. Contains beef tendon.
Of course the kurobuta pork xiao long bao (or any xiao long bao / soup dumplings) are a must when at Din Tai Fung, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of other Taiwainese dishes as well as a range of beverages like milk teas, boba drinks, smoothies and more. Scott was experiencing some teeth sensitivity problems at the time, but wanted to try the braised beef soup, so he ordered it without the noodles and the beef was so so tender that he practically inhaled it all. We might have over ordered by adding Jidori Chicken Dumplings to our meal, but still delicious nonetheless. I wanted to try the noodles with sesame sauce, which I liked, but it is very nutty tasting and has a creamy texture that can be overpowering, so the cucumber salad that I order helped to be a refresher between bites or when I wanted to have a eat from another dish. We got the fried rice, just so Scott could have a side rice dish, but in the end I can never get enough of the xiao long bao! View the menus here, and book a reservation here if you’ll be visiting!
