Din Tai Fung

Taipei, Taiwan

With its simple decor, tick-box menu and army of chefs wearing white baseball caps, Din Tai Fung looks – at first glance – like many other fast-food joints in Taipei. However, the original location of this much-loved chain (now with outposts all over the world) opened as a humble cooking-oil shop in 1958. It's still run by Yang Chi-hua, whose father, Yang Bing-yi founded it. In the early 1970s, the business pivoted from oil to xiaolongbao, and a legend was born. The menu has since expanded to include everything from wontons to sticky rice parcels, each dish prepared with meticulous care. The richly flavoured noodle soups have a devoted following, but the true star remains the cloud-like xiaolongbao, its delicate wrapper pleated into 18 perfect folds. Decades later, diners still make the pilgrimage here to see where the dumpling phenomenon began.

Key Information

• Average price per person $20
• Lunch and dinner: Mon – Sun
• 886 2 2321 8928
• Visit Din Tai Fung's Website

Location

No. 194, Section 2, Xinyi Road, Da'an District, Taipei, 106