Thanks to a wave of viral TikTok and Instagram videos, Manhattan’s appetite for xiao long bao has exploded, prompting both newcomers and established brands to flood the borough with soup dumplings. Taiwanese powerhouse Din Tai Fung will anchor the trend when its 26,400-square-foot Times Square flagship opens later this summer, likely surpassing the chain’s typical 10,000-dumplings-per-day output. Meanwhile, Long Island Dumplings (Midtown), Moon Kee (Upper West Side), and Queens favorite Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao—now with two Manhattan outposts—are already serving thousands of baskets daily and experimenting with creative fillings ranging from vegan truffle to chocolate-mochi. Restaurateurs credit short-form social media for both the spike in demand and a savvier customer base that now arrives knowing exactly how to eat the piping-hot parcels without scalding themselves, turning what was once a niche dim sum item into one of New York’s hottest food obsessions.