Since its first U.S. location opened in Arcadia in 2000, Californians have been obsessed with Taiwan-founded chain Din Tai Fung‘s signature xiao long bao, noodles and pristine cucumber salads. The soup dumpling chain now has 11 Golden State locations, including a Downtown Disney outpost that serves 10,000 dumplings a day, and has a 12th on the way at the Westfield Topanga mall in the suburban LA neighborhood of Woodland Hills. In the past 26 years, it’s also expanded to New York City and Las Vegas, as well as Arizona, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
So what’s next for the international brand, which already boasts more than 165 global locations? Most likely, Texas.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Din Tai Fung has submitted a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for a $1 million renovation of a 16,790-square-foot space at the Houston Galleria, the state’s largest mall. Construction, which would combine six existing spaces into one restaurant, is expected to begin Feb. 1 and end June 15, 2027, although those dates are subject to change.
The space that Din Tai Fung is proposing to take over currently includes a location of Nobu, which, according to the Houston Chronicle, has not announced plans to close.
The move to Texas follows Din Tai Fung’s strategy of opening in highly trafficked malls; Downtown Disney is California’s only standalone location not housed in a shopping center. In most cases, the brand had quickly become an anchor tenant for those malls, like when it opened inside the newly renovated Brea Mall in Orange County earlier this year. SFGATE reached out to Din Tai Fung for further comment on its Texas plans but did not hear back in time for publication.
Yang Ji-Hua, owner of Din Tai Fung, in the kitchen of one of the chain’s flagship restaurants in Taipei, Taiwan. (xPACIFICA/Getty Images)
Retail stores and the ice rink at the Galleria in downtown Houston, May 2023. (Blinks Photography/Getty Images)
It’s not the first time Texans have had their hopes up for an outpost of the popular chain – which, as of 2024, brought in a staggering $27.4 million a year per location, giving it the highest average volume of any chain in the U.S. An April Fools’ post by influencer @thehungrylonghorn went viral earlier this year, prompting many – including artificial intelligence search results – to think that Din Tai Fung was opening in Austin.
Albert Yang, Din Tai Fung’s CEO for North America, was recently named to the Observer’s 2026 Nightlife and Dining Power List. The publication wrote, “Under Albert Yang, Din Tai Fung is opening restaurants in North America faster than it ever has.” Whether that rapid expansion translates to more Lone Star State locations for the chain remains up in the air.
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This article originally published at Calif. dumpling giant Din Tai Fung is plotting a Texas takeover.