Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung
Xiaolongbao made to order at the restaurant behind glass pane
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	鼎泰豐
Simplified Chinese	鼎泰丰
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dǐng Tài Fēng Wu Romanization Din平 tah去 fun平 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Ding2 taai3 fung1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tiáⁿ-thài-hong
Japanese name
Kanji	鼎泰豊
Kana	ディンタイフォン
Transcriptions Romanization Din Tai Fōn

Din Tai Fung is a restaurant originating in Taiwan, specialising in xiaolongbao (steamed dumplings). Outside its native Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has branches in Albania, Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, Thailand and Dubai.

Founder Yang Bingyi was born in Shanxi, Mainland China, but moved to Taiwan in 1948 as a result of the Chinese Civil War. After working 10 years at Heng Tai Fung (恆泰豐), a cooking oil retailer, he found himself unemployed when the store closed. Together with his Hakka wife, Lai Penmei, then founded Din Tai Fung (also a cooking oil retailer) in 1958. The name was a combination of his previous employer's company name "Heng Tai Fung" and his new supplier's company name "DinMei Oils".

Around 1980, tinned cooking oil became prevalent, and business diminished drastically. In order to survive, Yang and his wife turned over half the shop to making and selling steamed buns (Xiaolongbao) by hiring chefs from Shanghai where the Xiaolongbao is originally from. The buns were so popular that the store stopped selling oil altogether and became a full-fledged restaurant in the 1980s. The original restaurant is located on Xinyi Road in Taipei.

Din Tai Fung is known internationally for its xiaolongbao. It was named one of the top ten restaurants in the world by The New York Times on January 17, 1993. In November 2009, the restaurant's first Hong Kong branch at Tsim Sha Tsui, Silvercord Branch (新港店), was awarded one Michelin star by the Hong Kong and Macau 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide. In December 2010, the restaurant's second branch in Hong Kong at Causeway Bay, Yee Wo Branch (怡和店), was also recommended by Michelin guide.