DipDipDip Tatsu-ya: Worth the Hype?

For a while there, DipDipDip Tatsu-ya was all anyone could talk about. I love everything the Tatsu-ya team puts together, so I knew I had to visit. Reservations are a must here (unless you want to visit at 10pm), so I booked them about a month in advance!

This post is NOT sponsored. We felt every penny of this pricey dining experience.

FINALLY, our night arrived. My brother (in town for the holidays) was with us. I definitely focused on the experience and the company I was in instead of taking photos. Something tells me this won’t be my last visit though… More photos to come in the future!

We started with drinks. Brian ordered the Kaizen Whiskey (small batch bourbon, kokuto, bergamot, bitters) and loved it. It was like an Old Fashioned and one of the best he has ever had, he said.

DipDipDip Tatsu-ya is a shabu-shabu restaurant (Japanese hot pot). “Shabu-shabu” comes from the “swish-swish” sound as ingredients are stirred and cooked in a simmering pot. Meats and veggies are cooked in a pot of boiling broth then you “dip dip dip” them into one of several dipping sauces.

The menu at DipDipDip Tatsu-ya can be pretty overwhelming… We went with the Tatsu-ya Omakase (chef’s choice). The “Tatsu-ya” was the midlevel omakase for $65 a person. It comes with a great selection of different meats and things to dip in your hot pot broth. You can also go with the “House” omakase for $45 or the “Baller” omakase for $95. As a first-time visitor, I highly recommend choosing an omakase. It’s a great way to try a large selection of food if you’re unsure of what to order.

After deciding whether to do an omakase or a la carte order, you have to decide what kind of broth you would like. We all went with the tonkotsu broth (50-hour pork bone broth). My brother got it “spicy” with fortified chili oil, coriander, green peppercorns, and black cardamom. He said it added great flavor with just a bit of spice. Personally, I was super happy with just the regular tonkotsu broth. The three dips they provided were all DELICIOUS. Overall, I think my favorite was the citrus ponzu dip, but I was most impressed with the truffle sukiyaki dip (it had a 45-minute egg in it!)

The Tatsu-ya Omakase came with a great mixture of foods. We got several pieces of Texas wagyu, kurobuta pork belly, and chicken meatballs. It was a lot of meat and I was super full afterward! I had to pass a few pieces off to Brian and my brother. Of the meats, I think the chicken meatballs were my favorite, with the Texas wagyu a close second.

The Tatsu-ya Omakase also came with one “Pot Pocket” (kind of like a big ravioli) with raclette (cheese) and mushroom. There were two “sui gyoza” (dumplings) as well – one with blue crab and lemon butter and one with shrimp and spicy cheddar grits. The crab and lemon butter one was my favorite.

Finally, the highlight of the Tatsu-ya Omakase is the “gyu maki.” It’s a rolled-up piece of Niman Ranch beef stuffed with foi gras and braised daikon (radish). Definitely, a delicacy we enjoyed.

While you eat, a cart comes around offering various items to supplement your meal. We didn’t select anything this time around (our Omakase gave us PLENTY) but it would be fun to try next time.

The service at DipDipDip is pretty incredible. Everyone is highly trained and highly knowledgeable. It’s almost… robotic? I don’t want that to sound negative at all. It’s just, everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to do and say at every moment. It’s amazing. Our server was super patient with us – the DipDipDip menu has lots of Japanese words on it and we asked a ton of questions about what everything was. He also gave us advice for the best way to eat everything. Pro tip: set and eat your cooked meats on top of the rice (instead of the little plate they give you)! That way the juices flavor the rice as they drip.

At the end of your meal, you get a small bowl of noodles. You can ladle your broth into the noodle bowl and enjoy! I was already so full at this point, I could hardly enjoy them… mental note for next time: save room for the noodles! They also brought us a complimentary small grapefruit granita for dessert.

Final thoughts: I’m fully on the DipDipDip Tatsu-ya hype train. It’s definitely a special occasion kind of place (for me, at least) our bill for three people with two drinks (tip and tax included) was about $270, or $90 a person. However, we all left feeling like it was totally worth it. The experience, the food, the drinks – it was all top-notch.

Next time, I think I’ll try and order a la carte. I want to leave room for more rice and noodles. I think I’ll order the chicken meatballs, Texas Wagyu, and a couple blue crab and lemon butter sui gyoza. I might also go for something off the cart, just for fun.