Rockwell Group capture the dynamic overtone of New York’s Theatre District in their latest restaurant design project, Din Tai Fung NYC, which, set over 2,323 square metres, is the Taiwanese Michelin-awarded brand’s largest venue to date.
Founded by Bing-Yi Yang, who established Din Tai Fung in 1958 as a cooking oil shop in Taiwan, before transforming the shop into a full-service restaurant specialising in Xiao Long Bao in 1974, the sleek new restaurant seats 450 diners and makes in excess of 10,000 dumplings a day. Designed by Rockwell Group partners David Rockwell and Shawn Sullivan, each section of the space is styled as a stage, combining striking shapes, vibrant colours, and dramatic lighting; the duo playing with scale to highlight theatrical elements and incorporate bold light fixtures, flowing curtains, and oversized artwork. The sensation of “rooms within rooms” is paramount to this rousing restaraunt aesthetic.
Din Tai Fung New York‘s main entrance is a modern glass cube at 51st Street and Broadway. A striking wooden and metal curtain surrounds a winding staircase within this space, and above hangs a two-storey custom-made chandelier. As diners descend the stairs, they are greeted by a curved passageway lined with stone-like tiles leading to the host stand. This entrance builds anticipation and sets the mood for the dining experience. The passageway, adorned with glass tubes, wood, and lanterns, creates the feeling of entering an abstract forest. Behind the host stand is a large Moon Gate artwork, symbolising the cyclical nature of life.
A restaurant rooted in tradition, family, and authenticity, the two dining rooms embody this ethos, with both spaces designed to feel warm and welcoming. Inspired by residential courtyards, the rooms are on either side of the central bar and mirror one another, but are distinguished by their colour palettes, one in green and the other in red jade. The ceiling’s wall covering was chosen to imitate awnings commonly found in outdoor pavilions. Guests eat in dining pods with curved banquettes that line the perimeter of the rooms alongside floor-to-ceiling metal screens and large custom pendants.
With over 170 locations worldwide, Din Tai Fung New York is the chain’s first East Coast restaurant and, in keeping with the brand’s identity, Rockwell Group carefully integrated the core principles of the Din Tai Fung brand to create an innovative and engaging aesthetic befitting of its theatrical location here in Manhattan.
Din Tai Fung New York Photography, Jason Varney.
