Diane's Place named Restaurant of Year

Food & Wine named Diane’s Place its 2025 Restaurant of the Year, according to a KSTP segment published May 19, 2026, giving the northeast Minneapolis restaurant another burst of national attention. KSTP said chef and owner Diane Moua, a six-time James Beard nominee, blends Hmong traditions with a pastry-chef background across the restaurant’s brunch and dinner menus. The station also said Moua used the appearance to discuss an “exciting expansion,” though the segment excerpt did not detail timing or location. The recognition follows a year in which Diane’s Place has been repeatedly cited in local and national coverage tied to Minnesota dining. ### How did the award surface now if it is for 2025? KSTP reported on May 19, 2026 that Food & Wine had named Diane’s Place the 2025 Restaurant of the Year. A separate KSTP news story published on Sept. 3, 2025 also said Food & Wine had chosen Diane’s Place for that honor, indicating the award itself dates to 2025 while the latest segment revisited it as Moua returned to local television. The Sept. 3, 2025 KSTP report described Diane’s Place as a northeast Minneapolis restaurant “just east of the Mississippi River” at Marshall Street Northeast and 14th Avenue. That report said the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with pastries and cocktails among the offerings. ### Who is Diane Moua in the Minneapolis restaurant scene? (kstp.com) KSTP identified Diane Moua as the executive chef and owner of Diane’s Place and described her in the May 19 segment as a six-time James Beard nominee. Earlier KSTP coverage from April 2025 called her a six-time James Beard semifinalist, and a February 2026 KSTP report said she was again a James Beard semifinalist after falling short as a finalist the previous year. (kstp.com) KSTP’s 2025 James Beard semifinalist roundup listed Moua among Minnesota contenders for Best Chef: Midwest. Another KSTP story on the 2025 finalists said the winners of the 2025 James Beard Awards were scheduled to be announced in Chicago on June 16, 2025. ### What kind of food does Diane’s Place serve? (kstp.com) KSTP said Moua combines Hmong traditions with her pastry-chef training, a mix the station highlighted again in its May 19 segment. The restaurant’s local television appearances have consistently emphasized both savory dishes and baked goods, including brunch items, dinner offerings and pastries. (kstp.com) The Sept. 3, 2025 KSTP report described Diane’s Place as a Hmong American restaurant. That same report said the restaurant opened in April 2024, placing the Food & Wine recognition within roughly a year and a half of its debut. ### What do we know about the expansion plans? KSTP said on May 19 that Moua was on air to discuss an “exciting expansion” and to share pastries. (kstp.com) The published segment text did not include further specifics about a second location, construction timeline, financing or opening date. KSTP’s archive page shows the segment ran as part of “Today on Twin Cities Live” on May 19. (kstp.com) As of the available published text, the clearest public facts are the Food & Wine recognition, Moua’s James Beard track record and her statement that expansion is part of the restaurant’s next phase. ### Where does this leave the restaurant now? Diane’s Place has been open since April 2024 and has drawn both local and national recognition in the period since, according to KSTP’s reports. (kstp.com) The restaurant’s location in northeast Minneapolis and Moua’s repeated James Beard mentions have made it a regular subject of local food coverage. (kstp.com) Food & Wine’s 2025 designation is already on the record, and KSTP’s May 19, 2026 segment indicates Moua’s next public step is expansion. The next concrete update is likely to come from Diane’s Place or KSTP when Moua provides details on where the expansion will be and when it will open. (kstp.com 1) (kstp.com 2)