Last month in Glendale, Din Tai Fung relocated from the Americana at Brand to the Galleria, occupying a behemoth 11,443-square-foot space. Since its North American debut in California over two decades ago, the chain of restaurants has been concentrated exclusively on the West Coast. The chain is steadily conquering America, thanks to the efforts of the founding family’s next generation. With 170 locations in over a dozen countries, the Taiwanese chain commands daily long lines, attracting customers mesmerized by the glassed-in kitchen where parcels of dough and meat are meticulously shaped and assembled in real time.
“I started when I was 18 years old,” he says.ĭin Tai Fung has churned out consistently popular batches of soup dumplings for more than 50 years. “But if you try it yourself, you realize how difficult it is.” Kan has been at Din Tai Fung for 21 years.
“When you look outside from the glass, it looks straightforward,” he tells me.
