Din Tai Fung Opens Its Downtown Portland Restaurant This Week

Target may be pulling out of downtown Portland, but a different big brand name (in the restaurant industry) is putting down stakes five blocks away.

Din Tai Fung, the Taiwan-based global chain with 170 locations in 13 countries, will open its newest restaurant on the basement level of Pioneer Place at 700 SW 5th Ave. today.

The culinary behemoth that introduced most American palates to xiao long bao soup dumplings opened its first Oregon location in Tigard’s Washington Square in late 2018. For the first few months, it was nearly impossible to snag a reservation—similar to what frustrated foodies might currently experience at Kann.

We’ll soon see whether dumpling fever is still as hot as ever at the downtown spot. The addition to the area should be welcomed by most since the surrounding blocks are desperately in need of more dining options (not of the food court variety) for anyone from the high-rise office worker who’s returned to their desk at least part of the week to concert- and theatergoers looking for a pre-show meal.

Despite its global footprint, Din Tai Fung is still family run. The brand was founded in 1958 by Bing-Yi Yang and his wife, Pen-Mei Lai, as a cooking oil business. They eventually began making xiao long bao on the premises and selling them on the side. The food grew so much in popularity that the whole operation was converted into a dumpling and noodle shop in 1972. Din Tai Fung made its foray into the U.S. market in 2000 with the opening of a shop in Arcadia, Calif.

The company is best known for its xiao long bao: pingpong ball-sized orbs of supple dough surrounding traditional kurobuta pork, kurobuta pork with crab, or chicken. After biting into one, a warm soup gushes across your palate, making it a pleasingly packaged bite of broth, meat and casing.

Din Tai Fung may churn out millions of dumplings a day, but each one is painstakingly handcrafted—you can see the chefs at work as soon as you walk into the Pioneer Place restaurant. Behind a wall of windows, each individual clad in a white jacket and black plastic gloves is folding a little package exactly 18 times before it is then weighed to ensure it’s 21 grams—no bigger, no smaller. You can’t help but think of the art of origami as you observe. In fact, Din Tai Fung says it takes chefs several months to learn how to fold the dumplings properly and up to a full year to master it.

In addition to xiao long bao, the menu includes wontons that arrive wading in a dark red pool of spicy sauce (a favorite of ours during an invite-only preview Sept. 26), multiple green vegetables cooked in garlic (the snap of the string beans was satisfying when paired with all of the softer dishes), rice and noodles fried in a wok with various proteins, and a pair of TikTok-famous steamed chocolate buns, which are reminiscent of a lava cake thanks to their gooey centers.

The Portland space is located on the ground floor of the mall—one escalator ride down from street level not far from the food court. It’s part of a series of new Din Tai Fung restaurants whose aesthetic has been updated since the Washington Square location opened, so those familiar with that space will notice some differences.

Upon entry, it does feel a bit like ducking into an upscale eatery inside a Vegas casino because you’re departing one environment defined by fountain art and displays in windows of surrounding stores as different as Tumi and Go! Calendars, Games & Toys to another that’s somewhat dimly lit with warm wooden accents and marble tabletops.

You’re free to experience the whole thing yourself beginning Sept. 28 following an 11:30 am ribbon cutting.