For the first time in New York City, Din Tai Fung welcomed customers to the Taiwan-based chain on July 11. The well-known restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star five times at its location in Hong Kong and has now opened a location in Times Square between W 50th and 51st streets — at 1633 Broadway. The official grand opening is set to take place on July 18.
Several distinguishing factors make the New York restaurant an unprecedented endeavor. Although Din Tai Fung has 15 locations across the United States, including one in Disney and another on the Las Vegas Strip, this will be the first location to open its doors on the East Coast. Two years ago, when the company initially announced plans to expand into New York City, fans of the restaurant were barely able to contain their anticipation.
Throughout all 171 of its locations, Din Tai Fung is perhaps most noted for its consistency. Standardization has been perfected at the chain, which applies fast food principles to handmade delectables. No matter if you are in Shibuya or Seattle, the restaurant’s soup dumplings are always folded between 18 and 20 times, which is considered the “golden ratio” to ensure a thin and aesthetic wrapper, according to one chef at Din Tai Fung, James fu.
Fu says, “The only difference [from international locations] is where the meat comes from.” Notably, the pork for American restaurants is derived from Iowa farms.
The new location in New York City will be the largest Din Tai Fung to date at a whopping 25,000 square feet. The underground space will feature a full capacity of 450 diners, in addition to 500 staffers who will be spread about its kitchens and dining rooms. Fu currently estimates approximately 3,000 to 5,000 people daily.
To enter the restaurant, customers must pass through a glass cube and head underground using an elevator or a spiral staircase. Here, they are greeted by a bronze sculpture of the smiling dumpling named Bao Bao — the company’s mascot. Wooden screens and panels of tempered glass divide the space, which is one enormous room.
Rockwell Group, the architecture firm behind the space, took an approach to balance the company’s future in America with its roots in Taiwan. At the center of the room is a 16-seat cocktail bar, which accommodates walk-ins. On the opposite side, a team of approximately 30 chefs will be preparing dumplings in a kitchen that is visible through glass walls, which is a signature of Din Tai Fung.
The New York City opening is essentially a new chapter for the international chain as the owners of the American locations, Albert and Aaron Yang, have made multiple changes in recent years.
Now, there are restaurants that accept reservations and new items have been added to the menu such as espresso martinis and chicken xiaolongbao, which appeal to American customers.
Last year, Albert Yang said that the openings have become more calculated as well, noting “The more high profile, the more high-foot traffic locations there are, the more we’re able to share our food and culture.” With the one in New York, there are now 16 locations across the United States.
The original Din Tai Fung was a shop that sold peanut oils for cooking and was opened in Taipei in 1958 by the late Yang Bing-Yi and his wife Lai Pen-mei. Once noodles and steamed soup dumplings were added to the menu in 1972, it became the restaurant we know today.
