In 1993, The New York Times named Din Tai Fung one of the top ten restaurants in the world, turning a local favorite into an international destination. Since then, it’s been wildly popular around the country and globe. Known for their upscale-casual restaurants serving up delicious Chinese food, with a particular emphasis on the Xiao Long Bao (steamed soup dumplings) it’s a global phenom. On 20 April 2026, the Taiwanese chain opened in Scottsdale’s Fashion Square Mall. The Scottsdale store occupies 10,000 square feet, features a dumpling expo viewing kitchen, 340 seats and has a full bar. According to the Phoenix New Times, “as of mid-July, the next available reservations are in mid-September. There’s no doubt, the Taiwan-based company’s dumplings, handmade at each location, are excellent. But for some dumpling cravings, two months is too long to wait.”
Count me among those who wouldn’t wait two months for reservations to any restaurant. I won’t even wait until 2027 when Din Tai Fung launhes a Chandler store. Not when there are several dumpling restaurants throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area renowned for not only their dumplings, but for excellent Chinese food. Among them is the Kofu Dumpling House in the heart of Mesa’s Asian District. Tucked in a sprawling but quiet strip mall, Kofu opened its doors on 1 December 2024. Since then, throngs of diners have made it a popular destination for excellent Chinese food.
According to its website, “in Chinese, “Kofu” means “the blessing of good taste.” It is the happiness one feels when a single bite brings comfort, joy, and a sense of home. That idea is at the heart of Kofu Dumpling House.” Comfort, joy and a sense of home. Wow, that sounds like my kind of Chinese restaurant. Kofu has the pedigree to be very successful. Owner-chef Jessica Cai’s path to launching her dumpling restaurant began years ago with the emigration of her family from Dongbei in the Northease region of China to Tucson. Her mother opened China Pasta House there, serving home-cooked dishes, noodles, dumplings and cold appetizers – some recipes unavailable in many American-Chinese eateries throughout Arizona. Jessica is proud to offer a taste of her roots and her family’s culinary traditions, all presented with a handcrafted touch. Everything from dumplings to bao and noodles are handmade.
Kofu Dumpling House is the type of restaurant my friend Bill Resnik would enjoy. Like me, his tastes gravitate toward “extremely authentic.” My Kim’s tstes not so much. Like many Americans, she’s content enough with the sweet and sour mediocrity of Panda Express. If the words to “The New Colossus” poem which grace the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal were written for my love and Bill’s love of Chinese food, the poem would read something like: “Give me your bold, your tripe, your offal, your tendon stewed in spice.” Forgive me, Emma Lazarus. Visiting a Chinese restaurant as authentic as Kofu is always a balancing act to keep my Kim happy. She doesn’t even like to look at some of the foods I want to order, much less try them herself.
Kofu’s website invites diners to “Experience the heart of China in every bite.” There are three sweet and sour dishes on the menu. Much as Bill and I don’t like anything sweet and sour, we won’t dispute its authenticity. Sweet and sour dishes were invented in China, but have been modified using such local pantry staples as ketchup and canned pineapple juice to fit Western preferences. The menu includes chef’s specials – pork, beef and chicken; chef’s specials – seafood; chef’s specials – vegetables; pan-fried items such as potstickers and smoked pork pancakes; handmade steamed buns; handmade dumplings; pot dishes and handmade noodles. Even better than perusing the menu is watching a large flatscreen television displaying menu items in all their glory.
In a previous post years ago, I shared Wikipedia’s “list of dumplings” which surprised some of you that by definition, empanadas and ravioli are both a type of dumpling. So are gnocchi, pierogi and Pop-tarts. Even Danny DeVito and Barack Obama somehow made Wikipedia’s list, but Hot Pockets didn’t. Two questions are obvious: (1) Who the heck curates this list? (2) Did Michelle Obama’s best-selling tome “Becoming” explain if and why she would call her husband “dumpling?” There is, however, no question that bun are a type of dumpling. Kofu’s chicken and mushroom steamed buns are outstanding! At six to an order, they’re large enough to serve as an entree. Kofu’s steamed buns are a combination of a light, pillowy, slightly sweet bread and a flavorful, savory filling. The outer dough is soft and airy, while the inside delivers rich, juicy, umami flavors from meats chicken and mushroom mixed with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. A soy-based sauce for dipping provides a savory, salty finish.
To further illustrate the Mars versus Venus conflict my Kim and I experience when we visit Chinese restaurants, I was very content with the soy based sauce which accompanied our pork and scallion dumplings. My Kim wanted “duck sauce,” a sweet and sour, translucent orange condiment made from fruits like apricots, peaches, or plums combined with sugar, vinegar, and spices. It made my day when our server ferried over a bottle of Buffalo wild wings sweet and sour sauce. Apparently Tofu doesn’t like duck sauce either. At any rate, the pork and scallion dumplings were superb. At twelve to an order, we liked them enough to have shared another order, but entrees awaited.
My Kim is nuts for noodles. She’d just as soon the noodles have no accompaniment or sauce to get in the way. Among her very favorite noodle dish is Saigon City’s luxurious wonton soup. As such, Kofu’s house wonton noodle soup with chicken made sense. In 114-degree weather, it didn’t make much sense to me, but it was quite delicious. Besides, drinking hot soup in hot weather can actually help cool you down…unless there’s humidity and Phoenix is in the midst of monsoon season. Still, the dumplings were outstanding and the chicken quite good. The noodles were slurpalicious and the broth was excellent.
When in the throes of a cold, particularly a summer cold, I crave the most piquant foods available. My favorite food for battling a nasty cold is the Horseman Haven’s fiery chile. Being nearly 500 miles away made getting the Horseman’s chile impossible, but Kofu offered something nearly as piquant. That something is the mapo tofu, a Chinese comfort food from the Sichuan province made with soft tofu, minced meat, and a fiery, numbing sauce. Its signature flavors come from fermented broad bean paste and tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns. Made well, mapo tofu provides a high level of mala, meaning numbing and spicy, coming from the Chinese words má (numbing) and là (spicy). This was the very best mapo tofu I’ve ever had. Ordering it made our server very happy. She confessed it was her favorite dish on the menu. It’s my favorite, too.
I may never make reservations to dine at Din Tai Fung, but it’s rewarding to know I can walk into Kofu Dumpling House and enjoy an outstanding meal that goes far beyond dumplings.
Kofu Dumpling House
1948 West Broadway Road
Mesa, Arizona
(480)-404-7248
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 25 July 2026
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Mapo Tofuu, House Dumpling Noodle Soup, Chicken & Mushroom Steamed Buns, Pork & Scallion Dumplings
REVIEW #1536