Din Tai Fung Covent Garden

A regular sight in Asia, Din Tai Fung’s meticulously crafted dumplings have become a global specialty in and of themselves.

Originally starting out as a side hustle by an oil seller in Taiwan, the culinary offshoot of his business today encompasses more than 150 restaurants, most of them located in Asia. The first Din Tai Fung in the UK settled in Covent Garden, but you’d hardly know it from the plain outsides of the nondescript building it occupies – if it weren’t for the queue outside, that is.

The reason for Din Tai Fung’s continued success lies in their xiaolongbao dumplings. The authentic little pockets of flavour are carefully crafted according to the restaurant’s high standards, exemplified by their claim that the paper-thin wrapping of each dumpling has exactly 18 delicate folds. They’ve been hailed as the best dumplings in the world by many an expert, and the chain’s first Hong Kong branch even received a Michelin star for them. The classic version is packed with pork, but there are other fillings to choose from as well. The dumplings are made fresh and delivered to your table all hot and steamy.

Din Tai Fung doesn’t rely just on its dumpling game, however, offering a variety of Chinese specialties and signature dishes such as pork chop with egg fried rice, noodles, steamed chicken soup and more, as well as interesting cocktails. The same attention to detail paid to their dumplings is evident throughout the interior, with a stylish venue surrounding a central stairwell subtly arranged into different areas that are both intimate and open.