Diane Bui, owner of Dao Tien Bistro, has captured the hearts (and stomachs!) of St. Louisans with genuine Vietnamese cuisine for almost a decade. With a customer base composed nearly entirely of regular patrons, she aims to build personal relationships with all her valued guests. She will remember names, birthdays, kids, and will speak like an old friend when not preparing her delectable food.  Naturally, this is not her first time in the restaurant business.

               Her mother, Vu Toan, opened her very own Vietnamese Bistro in Saigon, Vietnam, to support their family. Server turned chef and eventually manager, she had experience in nearly every aspect of the restaurant business by the time she was twenty years old.  After immigrating to the United States in 1992, she spent years cooking and managing a variety of Vietnamese restaurants until finally, in 2011, she made the brave decision to open her own bistro!

               Family had always been a crucial aspect in her life since the restaurant business was always centered around the betterment of her family. She decided on the name Dao Tien to honor herself (Dao) and her first daughter, Amy (Tien) Dinh. Separately, the names function fine, but when put together, they create an entirely new meaning—Heavenly Peach. Since its founding, Dao Tien Vietnamese Bistro has always stuck to its core values in prioritizing consumer experience over profit and providing a healthy environment for people to dine and grow.

               In 2018, Diane seized the opportunity to open another location in Downtown St. Louis. Her main goal is to help spread healthy Vietnamese food while promoting strong, family values. In years past, recent, and to come, these values will not change, and Dao Tien Bistro will strive to provide St. Louis with great Vietnamese cuisine.