In the October issue of Food & Wine Magazine, Diane’s Place will take the crown as its 2025 Restaurant of the Year.
The work of James Beard-nominated chef-owner Diane Moua, along with general manager Heather Ann Mady, the restaurant opened in the spring of 2024 and has been drawing local and national acclaim ever since.
The publication praises Diane’s Place for its “exquisite menu featuring comforting breakfast, brunch and dinner dishes, as well as delectable pastries and desserts, where Hmong tradition and culinary artistry seamlessly converge.”
Moua received the news via a phone call and she said she was immediately thrilled and started crying. “I’m so happy and excited,” she told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Food & Wine editor Hunter Lewis said via 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.”
Moua marveled at the string of recent accolades her restaurant has received; just last week Diane’s Place received a two-star review from the New York Times.
“For me, to have these national publications come here ... it’s a neighborhood restaurant! We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I remind my staff, it’s all about the care we give,” Moua said. “I care for my employees. They care for our guests. And we get to be the change we want to see in this industry.”
She also said she’s profoundly grateful for her parents — who appear alongside her in the magazine’s photo spread. They make the weekly 2½-hour drive to Diane’s Place to supply the restaurant with vegetables from their Wisconsin farm. “I try to say I can come down there — it’s so far. But they say, ‘No, no, you’re busy.’”
