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Kevin Tien

@chefkevintien

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#17 North America 50 Best 2025
#24 North America 50 Best 2026
5x JBF Nom
Food & Wine BNC 2018
@moonrabbitdc @eatchaoban
@chefsstoppingaapihate

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New Year’s Eve already—and we just want to say thank you. 🤍

To everyone who dined with us, celebrated milestones, tried something new, or simply kept coming back this year—your support means everything to us. 2025 challenged us, shaped us, and pushed us to grow, and we’re grateful to have shared the journey with this community.

We can’t wait to see what 2026 brings: new ideas, new flavors, and new ways to grow together.

Have fun tonight, stay safe, and we’ll see you in 2026. 🥂 New Year’s Eve already—and we just want to say thank you. 🤍
To everyone who dined with us, celebrated milestones, tried something new, or simply kept coming back this year—your support means everything to us. 2025 challenged us, shaped us, and pushed us to grow, and we’re grateful to have shared the journey with this community.
We can’t wait to see what 2026 brings: new ideas, new flavors, and new ways to grow together.
Have fun tonight, stay safe, and we’ll see you in 2026. 🥂 taken in Moon Rabbit by @chefkevintien

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7 months ago

Can’t believe this happened 3 weeks ago.

From service to the stage — honored and humbled to be named one of the North America’s 50 Best!

This recognition means the world, but it wouldn’t be possible without the insanely talented, hardworking team at Moon Rabbit. It’s a reflection of the dedication, passion, and heart the team pours into every dish, drink, and service. Thank you to everyone who believes in what we do. This moment meant everything. taken in Wynn Las Vegas by @chefkevintien

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9 months ago

This is our Rainbow Trout. The fillet is filled with umami butter, lotus seeds hummus, green chickpea gremolata, kampot black pepper fish sauce caramel, braised lotus root, ramps oil.

We’ll let @chefkevintien tell you about how we make it and the inspo. taken in Moon Rabbit by @chefkevintien

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8 days ago

We’re proud to share that Moon Rabbit has been included in the newest edition of The New York Times’ 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now.

The feature reflects on @chefkevintien’s Vietnamese American roots and Cajun upbringing, while recognizing how Chef Judy Beltrano (@genuinely_me.judy) and Pastry Chef @susanbae help shape Moon Rabbit into a restaurant with remarkable range. The menu is described as playful and creative, but grounded in serious craft, with dishes spanning boudin-stuffed quail, pâté chaud, green curry sponge cake, and unforgettable desserts.

Thank you, @nytimes and Brett Anderson, for this meaningful recognition. We’re deeply grateful to our team for the intention they bring to every plate and every service, and to our guests for continuing to support Moon Rabbit. taken in Moon Rabbit by @chefkevintien

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10 days ago

What happens when a Vietnamese rice plate gets a fried chicken twist?

Meet Chickin Park: crispy fried chicken tossed in a sweet, spicy, and slightly numbing seasoning, served over broken rice with a fried egg, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato.

Comforting, crispy, and packed with spice. Swipe for the crunch. taken in Tysons Galleria by @chefkevintien

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18 days ago

Ōra King Ambassador and James Beard Award-winning chef @ninacompton partnered with chef @chefkevintien (@moonrabbitdc No. 24, North America’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 2026) for a one-off showcase of ‘New Zealand meets New Orleans’.

The canapés were a delicious reflection of the two chefs’ craft and excellence while the cocktails were a creative take on classic Kiwiana flavours - think Pineapple Lumps, kiwifruit, and mānuka honey!

To top it all off, our event welcomed Te Tini A Maui kapa haka group from Vancouver, Canada, who flew in specifically for our event. Their powerful, rhythmic, and soulful haka and waiata performances gave our guests a truly once in a lifetime experience.

A huge thank you to chef Nina, chef Kevin, team @comperelapin, Te Tini A Maui, and all those who attended to make it a truly special event.

And to our fellow premium NZ producers who helped fill our “Kiwi Goody Bags”, a massive thank you for helping add to the memorable event.
@antipodes_water @opitobaysaltco @beenz.honey @naturenates @sobercurious_af @heilalavanilla @rutherfordandmeyer @rutherfordandmeyerusa @jointseafood by @chefkevintien

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a month ago

Thank you, Alice Levitt and @northernvirginiamag, for stopping by Chao Ban and saying hello 👋

Their First Bite review calls Chao Ban a “gustatory upgrade to Tysons Galleria,” highlighting the big portions, playful menu, and cheffed-up Vietnamese American flavors from Alan Vo and @chefkevintien.

From our fish sauce caramel wings with crispy garlic, to oversized bánh mì like the Catfished, to Ducking
Around with pho broth, egg noodles, shiitakes, bok choy, and a crispy pho-spiced duck leg—Chao Ban is here to bring something fresh, fun, and full of flavor to @tysonsgalleria.

📸 @butcherphotography taken in Tysons Galleria by @chefkevintien

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a month ago

When @chefkevintien shows up with the french baguette, you know what to order.

Don’t Curry, Be Happy is made with grilled lemongrass chicken, Madras coconut curry, potato, carrot, and crushed peanuts, served with a French baguette on the side for dipping into all that curry.

Prefer rice? You can swap the baguette for it 🍚 taken in Tysons Galleria by @chefkevintien

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2 months ago

We are deeply honored to share that Moon Rabbit has been named one of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2026. Thank you to @theworlds50best for this incredible recognition.

This honor means so much to our team, and we are endlessly grateful to every guest who has dined with us, supported us, and believed in what we do.

To our incredible team: thank you for the care, focus, and heart you bring every single day. Your dedication is what allows us to create thoughtful food, warm hospitality, and meaningful experiences for our guests.

We’re proud to represent Washington, DC alongside so many incredible restaurants on this year’s list. Congratulations to @albiwashdc, @dogondc, @pascual.dc, and every restaurant recognized.

Thank you for being part of Moon Rabbit’s journey. We’re excited for what’s ahead. taken in Moon Rabbit by @chefkevintien

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2 months ago

Moon Rabbit is at North America’s @theworlds50best Restaurants in New Orleans! Tune in tonight, 5/28, at 9pm ET / 8pm CT to watch awards ceremony live! Youtube link in bio! taken in Moon Rabbit by @chefkevintien

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2 months ago

Moon Rabbit × Nisei

An exclusive collaboration led by Chef Kevin Tien, where modern Vietnamese flavors meet refined precision. A one-night tasting menu rooted in heritage, reimagined with contemporary technique, paired with 7 curated beverages.

Book your limited seat in the link in bio at @nisei_sf

@michelinguide @theworlds50best @thebestchefawards @beardfoundation @laliste1000 by @chefkevintien

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2 months ago

📍Washington D.C.

@moonrabbitdc is how I imagine modern Vietnamese cuisine should be. @chefkevintien isn’t just elevating traditional Vietnamese dishes—he’s reimagining them entirely and presenting them in a new form while keeping the soul of the flavors intact. The menu stays rooted in Vietnamese flavor profiles, but each dish feels inventive and original. It’s refined and ambitious without ever losing that sense of familiarity.

Take, for example, his sweet potato & crab dish—it’s Chef Tien’s reimagining of bún riêu cua. You still get those familiar sweet-savory tomato and crab flavors, but the broth is reduced into a rich, buttery sauce. Instead of noodles, he swaps in chewy sweet potato tapioca dumplings that carry all that flavor. It’s instantly recognizable as bún riêu at its core, but presented in a completely different form—a thoughtful reinterpretation that feels playful and inventive without losing the soul of the original dish.

Chef @susanbae “Curry” dessert is so sophisticated and thoughtfully composed—it’s the best dessert I’ve had so far this year. Her play on savory elements and reimagining them into a sweet course is brilliant. You get curry aromatics infused into a sponge cake, richness from the avocado, savory depth from fish caramel, and brightness from soursop and citrus. It’s less about mimicking curry and more about translating its flavor logic—aromatics, heat, fat, acidity—into a dessert format that feels completely unexpected yet cohesive.

The vision at Moon Rabbit has paid off in a big way, earning accolades across the board—not just for Kevin Tien’s cooking, but for the full experience. The restaurant is currently ranked No. 24 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, with both Kevin Tien and pastry chef Susan Bae earning James Beard finalist recognition. The cocktail program, led by @thi.ng26 , (Thi Nguyễn, great name by the way as it’s also exactly my mother’s name), has also won Michelin’s Exceptional Cocktails Award, while Susan Bae was named North America’s Best Pastry Chef 2025 by @theworlds50best . It’s one of those rare restaurants where food, drinks, and desserts are all operating at an award-winning level. taken in Moon Rabbit by @chefkevintien

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2 months ago