New York’s First Din Tai Fung Is Opening Soon in Midtown

New Yorkers have been waiting patiently for the first location of Din Tai Fung. The wildly popular Taiwanese restaurant chain set off sirens when it announced that it was opening a New York location. The global chain has several outposts in the country, including in California, Oregon, and Washington, but this will be its first in the northeast United States.

The wait is almost over: Din Tai Fung has taken its plywood boards off the windows at 1633 Broadway, between West 50th and 51st streets, revealing the company’s neon logo and wooden front doors. A new sign in the window says the restaurant is “steaming soon.” It will open this spring.

The Midtown restaurant is located below street level in a 26,400-square-foot space designed by David Rockwell, the architecture firm behind Coqodaq and Daily Provisions, among others. The entrance is across from the 50th Street subway station, down a set of stairs from street level. It appears to share a wall with an Equinox gym.

According to its website, Din Tai Fung was started as a cooking oil shop in Taipei in 1958 by the late Yang Bing-Yi and his wife, Lai Pen-Mei. The restaurant’s signature soup dumplings, known for having what they call the “golden ratio” of 18 folds, were introduced in 1972 when the business became a full-service restaurant.

The company’s cult following and long lines have turned Din Tai Fung into a global chain with more than 170 locations. The branch in Hong Kong was the first to receive a Michelin star; it was awarded that status in 2010 and held it for several years.