I’m not sure anyone in the food industry in Minnesota has done the work in the way Diane Moua has. From her first Minnesota job at La Belle Vie with Tim McKee to Spoon and Stable with Gavin Kaysen, she has challenged herself to be the best by surrounding herself with the best.
But work ethic and a restaurant I named Minnesota Monthly‘s Best New Restaurant of 2024 isn’t enough to get national attention from Food & Wine. Diane’s Place was named 2025 Restaurant of the Year because of Moua’s heart and soul. She’s getting national love because of who she is, where she’s from, and how she has interpreted her Hmong culture and her upbringing on the family farm in a uniquely modern form.
Photo by Gemma Weston, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
Food & Wine’s Restaurant Editor Raphael Brion searched the country and wrote the piece honoring Diane’s Place as a trailblazer, writing, “While Diane’s Place has evolved since opening in April 2024, it has always seamlessly blended Moua’s experience as a classically trained pastry chef with her roots in Hmong home cooking.”
“We’re thrilled to honor Diane’s Place as the 2025 Food & Wine Restaurant of the Year, joining past winners Burdell in Oakland, California, and Birdie’s in Austin, Texas,” said Hunter Lewis, editor in chief of Food & Wine, in a statement. “Our restaurant scouts dined in hundreds of restaurants during the past year, and Diane’s Place stood out for its exceptionally high level of service and hospitality, and for the way that Diane Moua and her team share Hmong foodways with their Minneapolis community through the menu and culture of the restaurant.”
Diane’s Place has a world-class brunch with pastries that will blow your mind, a Hmong sausage and hot sauce that is an absolute must, and the best chicken noodle soup I’ve had in my life. It’s a four-star experience—beautiful food with high-touch, wonderful service, whether you sit at a table or at the bar. We’ve had incredible experiences at both. But dinner feels like you’re literally eating at Diane’s place: traditional Hmong cuisine with recipes that have been passed down through through generations of Hmong women.
Photo by Gemma Weston, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
Moua and I talked just last week on my radio show, after she was the subject of a two-star, very positive review in the New York Times.
“I am humbled and honored. This award is a testament to the hard work of my entire team and our mission to share Hmong and Southeast Asian cuisine with everyone. It’s a tribute to the culture, community, and warmth we infuse into every dish,” Moua said in a statement.
2024 brought us at least three new world-class restaurants: Diane’s Place, Vinai, and Bûcheron. Bûcheron won a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, Vinai was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Places in the World, and now Diane’s gets Food & Wine’s Best Restaurant of 2025. Amazing achievements, and an even better opportunity for us to support and visit them all—if we can get in.
