Studio X created a new concept for Din Tai Fung, setting a benchmark for future locations.
A 5,600 sqft restaurant at Studio City, Macau - the first Din Tai Fung created entirely from the ground up, with equal focus on guest experience, operational flow, and brand evolution.
Process
Pre-Concept
Concept Design
Schematic Design
Detail Design
Tender Documentation
Tender Management
Construction Support
Guideline Package
Post-Completion Review
Studio X was appointed to create a new restaurant concept for Din Tai Fung - the world's most decorated Asian restaurant brand and the first Taiwanese restaurant to receive a Michelin star. The brief was not simply to decorate a room, but to take a completely fresh look at how the restaurant works: from the moment a guest arrives to the moment they leave, and every operational beat in between.
The interior design covers the full dining environment - entrance, main dining room, private booth, and kitchen-facing zones.
The design honours Din Tai Fung's culinary heritage while elevating its physical presence - creating a dining environment that is both familiar to loyal guests and genuinely contemporary in its execution. At 5,600 sqft in Studio City, Macau, this is one of the brand's largest and most considered locations, and one of the most operationally demanding: a high-intensity, rapid-fire food service that requires every element of the plan to be precisely positioned in order to function at pace.
A view from the main arcade towards the entrance.
Metal mesh ceiling features, designed to evoke the casings that the chefs stretch and throw to create Din Tai Fung's iconic dumplings.
A view across the dining area with the private dining booth to the left.
One of the intimate seating bays, designed to provide a partially private setting for those that prefer it.
A view towards the glass private dining booth, encircled by banquette seating on the outside.
The restaurant was carefully planned to elevate the dining experience, structuring the space to support efficient service while creating a warm and memorable environment for guests.
(Approach)The design establishes a new concept benchmark while carefully building on the brand’s heritage, ensuring the familiar character and warmth of Din Tai Fung remain immediately recognisable to future guests.
Progress
A record of the project as it developed on site, capturing key construction milestones from first fix through to completion.
A view of the shopfront during construction.
The shopfront signage fabricated in real neon, manufactured by hand by skilled craftsmen using traditional methods.
One of the key dining room environments mid-construction.
Rachele Nardone Marin
Design Director
Melco Resorts & Entertainment
Studio X are detail-oriented designers who can navigate a project from master planning through to operational and merchandise planning.
They understand the importance of maximising business needs whilst complementing their design agenda with innovative and functional solutions.
A rendered birdseye view showing the general arrangement and layout logic.
A general arrangement plan of the dining area.
Detail elevation of the private dining pod with banquette seating around the perimeter.
The brief required a complete rethink of how a Din Tai Fung restaurant is experienced - not just what it looks like, but how it functions.
We worked simultaneously on layout logic, service flow, material quality, and guest-facing design, treating operational and experiential considerations as equally important rather than in sequence.
One of the central challenges was establishing the optimal layout for a high-intensity service model within a space that also needed to feel relaxed and welcoming to guests. Studio X carried out detailed operational studies alongside the design development, mapping service routes, kitchen adjacencies, and table configurations before a finish or material was specified.
The completed restaurant opened at Studio City, Macau in 2022, Studio X's second project for Melco Resorts & Entertainment at the same venue, following Mian Cart Noodle Bar. The design has since operated as a reference point for how Din Tai Fung's dining experience can be elevated without compromising the efficiency and precision that defines the brand.
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