Din Tai Fung to Open Soon, Bring Soup Dumpling Mayhem to Bay Area

Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese restaurant with a cult following, will soon open its doors in San Jose's Westfield Valley Fair mall, possibly as soon as mid-April.

It's been just over a year since Eater SF announced that the international dumpling chain known for its xiao long bao, would open a restaurant in the Bay Area. And, after the restaurant blew past an estimated October opening, dumpling fans have been jonesing for an update. Now Din Tai Fung representatives say the restaurant will open in May following a generator upgrade by the shopping center.

However, when reached by phone, Westfield representatives said that the restaurant has already installed all of its equipment, passed inspections and is currently hiring and training its employees for an estimated opening the second week in April. Either way, dumplings are on the horizon and it's going to cause lines the likes of which Westfield Valley Fair has never seen, despite a generous 8,500 square-foot space with seats for 200.

The chain originated in Taiwan in 1958 as a cooking oil shop, then leapt to greatness when it became a dumpling and noodle house in 1974. Now the there are over 100 locations all over the world, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Japan, Australia and a Michelin-starred location in Hong Kong. It's gained a serious legion of dumpling superfans along the way, the result of having "mastered the formula" of XLB, according to Eater critic Bill Addison. Stay tuned for more updates closer to opening, but in the meantime, here's a little teaser of what's to come:

Our Truffle & Pork XiaoLongBao are made with truffle slices, truffle oil, and truffle salt

A photo posted by Din Tai Fung (@dintaifungusa) on Feb 26, 2015 at 12:22pm PST