DD Mau opens new Webster Groves location

The new DD Mau Vietnamese Eatery at 8169 Big Bend in Webster Groves

Owner Julie Truong Shih and her husband, Andrew Shih, have transformed the former Weber’s Front Row space in Old Orchard (8169 Big Bend) into a bright, modern Asian eatery. With a larger kitchen than the original location in Maryland Heights (11982 Dorsett) or the previous Webster Groves location (20 Allen), the new location of DD Mau has added items to its menu of healthy, quick Vietnamese dishes. The restaurant opens softly November 20 for lunch and dinner; the grand opening is slated for November 21.

Here’s what to know before you go.

The Menu

All of the classic DD Mau favorites are still available. The banh mi sandwiches on baguettes from La Bonne Bouchée are garnished with mayonnaise, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and jalapeños. There are the bao sliders, fluffy Taiwanese-style buns topped with fresh vegetables and coconut shrimp. The tacos are a fusion dish of naan shells filled with meat or tofu, red cabbage for color and crunch, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and jalapeño. And the fried rice is a riff on the St. Louis-style classic, loaded with cabbage, carrots, broccoli.

Then there are the wings. The crispiness comes from a highly proprietary process that Julie and Andrew won’t disclose. But they will talk in depth about the array of sauces, from the beloved spicy DD to the sweet chili and sweet garlic to the extra-spicy chili oil.

That last sauce is based on a Chinese recipe from Andrew’s father, but the DD Mau team kicked it up a notch, thanks to Julie’s love of heat. The result is a condiment that most customers will use sparingly to enhance the fried rice, pho, and noodle dishes. Julie, who eats Thai chiles raw, prefers an abundant serving, while Andrew sticks with a few drops. (Spicy chili oil will join the line of sauces available in bottles for retail sales starting in December.)

Having a larger kitchen has allowed them to expand their repertoire in both more authentic and more eclectic directions. “We love playing with new menu items,” Andrew says. Among the most anticipated are dumplings, pot stickers, and lo mein. “Everybody loves noodles, and when you say ‘lo mein,’ people light up,” Andrew says. His version is tossed over a flame for just a few seconds, resulting in a dish that’s fresh, rich, and flavorful.

There’s also a combo vermicelli bowl, a street food staple of rice noodles, protein (beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp), and fresh vegetables, topped with an egg roll. Julie describes the dish as “something light that you can eat for lunch and not get sleepy.”

Combo Vermicelli Bowl, with pork, beef, chicken, and shrimp

If an after-lunch nap is your goal, however, consider one of Julie’s favorite dishes, bun bo hue (spicy beef noodle soup). Its high-collagen base is beef bone broth with shallots and lemongrass, poured over thick noodles, pork belly, and beef shank. It also includes a comforting flavor medley of satay sauce, annatto oil, and cilantro. “It’s based on my mom’s recipe, and we take a lot of time making it,” Julie says.

In keeping with Julie’s emphasis on healthy eating, many of the dishes are available in vegan or vegetarian versions, including the desserts. The chocolate cake, for example, is an incredibly moist, dark slice of sweetness.

Another dessert option, tres leches cake, might seem surprising. But Julie, who loves Latin food, explains that Vietnamese cuisine also uses a lot of sweetened condensed milk, and the flavors are very compatible. Likewise, new menu items such as passionfruit mousse and brown butter-matcha cheesecake are designed to highlight the complexities of Vietnamese culinary traditions.

House drinks include fruit-and-matcha lattes, lychee limeade with chia seeds, Thai tea, and Vietnamese coffee. DD Mau also offers boba milk and boba fruit teas in flavors such as banana, brown sugar, honeydew, mango, ube, and strawberry-taro. The restaurant has a beer and wine license, and it will offer a curated selection of those soon.

The Atmosphere

After purchasing the building in 2023, the Shihs spent a year on design work with TAO + LEE Associates and another eight months on construction in the 6,000-square foot space. “I wanted to keep the same feeling with clean lines and a modern take on Asian heritage,” Julie says.

The light green at the core of the brand’s color palette feels inviting but also signifies health, Julie says. It appears as an accent throughout the space, contrasting with neutral wood tones and the brown and gray shades of the polished concrete floor.

Tao + Lee’s Katherine Norton, who worked on the project, reflected that “With the former restaurant feeling dark and confined, our approach was to brighten and open the space. The design used existing elements of the one-story brick structure where possible, while bringing flexibility to the floor plan to meet DD Mau’s every day fast casual restaurant and larger event needs. The previously closed in transom windows were added back in, adding light and reinforcing the restaurants bright and fresh aesthetic. Touches of green, wood, and exposed brick add warmth and contribute to the inviting atmosphere.”

During the demolition work, crews discovered an exposed brick wall that has been uncovered and restored along the east side of the central dining room. On the opposite wall, Julie has included art that speaks to her self-described “quirky and random” personality and her love of puns. In between is an accent wall covered with green-and-black sketches of rice bowls, soup bowls, spring rolls, and sandwiches.

Customers order at a counter toward the back of the restaurant, adjacent to the kitchen. There’s a cooler with bottled and canned beverages (everything from Mexican soda to milk), as well as a tap for sparkling water. Seating for up to 150 people is available at tables of various sizes across the main dining room.

The Team

Andrew and Julie Shih, owners of DD Mau Vietnamese Eatery

Julie and Andrew were both established restaurateurs when they met after Andrew came into DD Mau in Maryland Heights for a bowl of pho. Andrew and his siblings founded PokeDoke in the Central West End, after growing up in the hospitality business through their parents’ Hot Wok Café in Chesterfield and restaurants owned by their aunts and uncles.

Julie’s early memories include stocking the shelves at her parents’ convenience store in Baden. In particular, she remembers always craving the cookies, which led her to the nostalgic idea of selling packages of house-made vegan iced oatmeal cookies next to the registers at DD Mau. Julie also cooked at her family’s restaurant, Vinh Chop Suey, before spending a decade in Los Angeles and Chicago on the sales side of the fashion industry.

“I really enjoyed being with people and building relationships,” she says. Those skills, along with her visionary concept for a fast-casual Asian restaurant, helped establish her as a leader on the local food scene after she returned to St. Louis.

Julie opened the first DD Mau in 2018 and the second in 2021. Her philosophy toward food is deeply influenced by her family. For instance, it’s not unusual for her grandmother to put on a huge pot of banh canh (Vietnamese thick noodle soup with crab in pork broth) for a Sunday meal with 40 relatives. “It really translates to how I want to serve the community,” Julie says.

At the new location, the couple has an opportunity to fulfill their long-held hospitality goals, such as hosting elaborate 12-course Asian wedding banquets where every dish has a meaning. Julie explains that they typically alternate with various hot and cold foods but always end with noodles to ensure that guests go home satisfied and full.

Andrew’s great-uncle owned the legendary Mandarin House on Olive Boulevard, which was renowned for its wedding banquets, and he says they have already heard from customers who are interested in reviving this tradition with DD Mau.

In the coming months, they plan to split their time in Webster Groves to ensure smooth operations while also continuing to work at their original restaurants. “We always like to show our faces there,” Julie says. “The customers are like family. I’ve seen kids grow up and come in to apply for jobs at DD Mau.”