Quezon City has grown into the Metro Manila dining hub with food spots lining every corner. The Farmer's Market at Araneta City became home to Wok It Out in 2025. This Taiwanese dim sum restaurant opened its first branch back in July 2020. The brand started in Cainta and spread across Rizal and beyond.

Key highlights:

- Affordable Taiwanese dim sum with xiaolongbao starting around 118 pesos
- Open kitchen concept where diners watch dumpling makers at work
- Multiple branches across Metro Manila and nearby provinces

PROFILE

Wok It Out operates six locations throughout Luzon. The branches include Cainta, Taytay, Antipolo, San Fernando in Pampanga, Dasmariñas in Cavite, and the Farmer's Market branch in Cubao. The restaurant specializes in Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine with a focus on dim sum. They serve everything from classic dumplings to Filipino-Chinese fusion dishes. Most branches open at 11am or 3pm depending on the location. The Farmer's Market branch runs daily from 10am to 9pm. Walk-ins often face long wait times especially during weekends. Some locations extend hours on Fridays through Sundays to handle the crowds.

AMBIENCE

The Farmer's Market branch sits on the ground floor with an open kitchen setup. Large windows let customers watch staff fold dumplings and prepare the soup-filled buns. Two tables are positioned right in front of the kitchen window. These are the best seats if you want to see how the xiaolongbao gets made. The space is pretty small. Reviews mention the restaurant gets crowded fast and tables fill up quickly during peak hours. Some earlier branches had issues with flies according to customer feedback. The newer locations seem to have better ventilation and pest control.

MUST-TRY

The chocolate xiaolongbao is a signature dessert item. Hot chocolate filling oozes out when you bite into the thin dumpling skin. Salted egg prawns get mentioned a lot in reviews. The dish features whole shrimp coated in rich salted egg yolk sauce. The dim sum sampler costs 378 pesos and feeds two to three people. It includes three pieces each of siomai, hakaw,pan fried dumplings, prawn dumplings, xiaolongbao,and chocolate dumplings. Pink xiaolongbao appears on the menu as another specialty item. The wrapper gets its color from natural ingredients.

FOOD

The xiaolongbao arrives with thin sliced ginger and black vinegar for dipping. Staff advise eating it with a spoon to avoid breaking the delicate skin and losing the soup inside. Hakaw has a thin translucent wrapper filled with shrimp pieces. The skin tears easily so you gotta be careful when picking it up. Siomai features ground pork without too many extenders. The meat texture stays consistent throughout each piece. Pan fried pork dumplings taste similar to gyoza with a tender wrapper and crispy bottom. The filling has a decent amount of pork in each dumpling. The prawn dumplings come fried with a crunchy wonton wrapper. You can taste the fresh shrimp even without the sweet chili sauce. Char siew pao and salted egg yolk polo buns round out the dim sum options. The restaurant also serves noodle soups, fried rice, and Chinese entrees like sweet and sour pork. Some menu items run out during busy periods. Three cups chicken and certain dumplings become unavailable later in the day.

SERVICE

Staff members explain which sauces pair with each dumpling type. They bring out soy sauce for siomai, black vinegar for xiaolongbao, sweet chili sauce for fried dumplings, and chili oil for whatever needs spice. The team checks on tables regularly when the restaurant is not packed. Service stays friendly even during rush hours according to multiple reviews. Wait times stretch to 30 minutes or more on weeknights. Weekend waits can take even longer especially during dinner service. The restaurant offers dine-in, takeout,and delivery through Grab. Some branches let customers pre-order items to skip the wait. Staff sometimes forget to include ginger with the xiaolongbao baskets. You should ask for it if they miss bringing it out.

PRICING

Most dim sum items cost between 100 to 150 pesos per order. The chocolate xiaolongbao runs about 118 pesos for several pieces. The dim sum sampler at 378 pesos provides the best value for trying multiple dishes. Individual dumpling orders contain three to six pieces depending on the item. Frozen dim sum products are available for purchase. Six pieces of frozen xiaolongbao cost around 152 pesos to cook at home. People compare Wok It Out to Din Tai Fung but at half the price. The quality is close enough that many customers choose Wok It Out over pricier alternatives. Buffet-style service existed at an older branch location. Customers ordered from the menu and staff brought fresh items instead of a traditional buffet table setup.

SUMMARY

Wok It Out fills the gap for affordable Taiwanese dim sum in Metro Manila. The restaurant delivers solid quality xiaolongbao and dumplings without the premium price tag of international chains. Long wait times show how popular the place has become since opening. The food quality justifies the lines according to regular customers. The open kitchen concept adds entertainment value to the dining experience. Watching dumpling makers work their craft makes the wait more interesting. Branch expansion continues with six locations now operating across Luzon. The restaurant shows no signs of slowing down.

FAQs

Is Wok It Out better than Din Tai Fung?

Wok It Out offers similar quality dim sum at roughly half the price of Din Tai Fung. The xiaolongbao and dumplings taste close enough that many Filipino diners prefer Wok It Out for the value. Din Tai Fung maintains slightly better consistency and presentation but Wok It Out wins on affordability. Both restaurants serve good Taiwanese food so it comes down to budget and availability.

What time should I go to avoid the long lines?

Visit on weekday afternoons right when the restaurant opens to skip the worst crowds. The lines get really long during dinner hours and all day on weekends. Some customers order takeout through Grab instead of dining in to avoid waiting. Calling ahead for reservations is not really an option so showing up early works best. The Farmer's Market branch tends to be busiest since it is in a high-traffic area.

Do they charge for leftover dim sum?

The restaurant charges the original price of items left on your plate as a leftover fee. Staff may waive the fee for cheaper items like siomai but they usually charge for pricier dumplings like hakaw. The policy encourages customers to order only what they can finish. You can ask for takeout containers to bring leftovers home instead of paying the fee. The staff seems flexible about enforcing the rule depending on how busy they are.