A prominent Webster Groves storefront will soon see new life, thanks to one of St. Louis’ most exciting emerging brands.
DD Mau, the fast-casual Vietnamese eatery founded in 2018, has taken over the former Weber’s Front Row space in the Old Orchard business district. Owner Julie Truong anticipates the new restaurant will open sometime late this year or early next year.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
For Truong and her husband, Andrew Shih (who owns Poke Doke), the chance to own their own building—especially in such a prominent location—is a dream come true.
“It’s every restaurateur’s dream to have their own building and have something to call their own,” says Truong. “We got so lucky with this building because no building goes for sale in Webster or Kirkwood these days, especially with 23 of its own parking spaces and in Old Orchard. We’re very thankful everything happened at the right time.”
The new building means that the current Webster Groves location of DD Mau, which opened in 2021, will close for the move; the Maryland Heights location will remain business. Truong plans to keep the current Old Webster spot open right up until the Old Orchard location is ready to go. While her husband is bullish about things getting done by year’s end, Truong thinks it could take a little longer because of the extent of the renovations, which include putting DD Mau’s breezy, whimsical stamp on the space, with the help of design firm TAO + LEE Associates, as well as sectioning off the building to create a separate event space.
“Andrew really wants to bring back Asian wedding-style banquets,” says Truong. “His great uncle was the founder of Mandarin House, which was legendary for its banquets, so he wants to pay homage to that. He’s excited for that and to be cooking with his dad for them.”
As for the restaurant side of the space, Truong says to expect the same dishes that guests have come to know and love over the past six years, with some additions and specials.
“It’s still going to be DD Mau but with just a little more expanded menu, because we will finally have the space to do it,” says Truong. “I haven’t added any new items or really done that many specials because we have been running out of space for the team to prep them.”
The Backstory
Truong opened the original DD Mau location in Maryland Heights in 2018, after returning to St. Louis from Chicago, where she worked in the fashion industry. The daughter of a restaurant family, Truong grew up in the business and swore that she would never work in the industry herself. She could never shake the passion for food and hospitality that were instilled in her during her upbringing, however, and would often find herself daydreaming about her dream restaurant while working her day job. Eventually, she realized that she had the power to make that dream a reality and took a leap, hoping to create a vibrant brand that puts a modern spin on the traditional Vietnamese cuisine that she grew up eating. That she’s able to further expand upon that, in such a wonderful new spot, is further proof that she made the right move.
“This is the vision of what I wanted DD Mau to be when I first opened, and now it’s coming to fruition,” says Truong. “We’re so excited for this journey.”
