ARCADIA, CA – Dumplings are having a moment.

And nowhere is that moment more memorable, more decadent, than at the new Shawmut-built Din Tai Fung prototype restaurant at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia, CA—home to the restaurant’s more-legendary-by-the-minute soup dumplings.

Shawmut, in partnership with Innovation and Design in Architecture, fully renovated the 9,400 square-foot space—requiring extensive front-of-house and back-of-house work. The layout includes a main dining room, private dining rooms, and a feature bar—all delineated by intricately carved wooden dividers. The combination of sleek gray tile flooring and dark-wood-encased cushioned booths provides a comfortable, yet upscale setting for guests.

The restaurant occupies a prime corner location and was built while the mall remained fully operational. A major challenge for Shawmut was completing the under slab work over an existing retail space. The team coordinated with surrounding tenants adjacent to and below the space to ensure minimal disruption to their clients.

Open for a little more than three months, Din Tai Fung is making sure that dumplings aren’t just a flavor of the month—they’re quickly becoming a mainstay for discerning diners.