Tâm Tâm
Vietnamese restaurant · Downtown
99 NW 1st St, Miami, FL 33128
Highlights
Sticky fish sauce caramel wings, tamarind ribs, karaoke bathroom
Sticky fish sauce caramel wings, tamarind ribs, karaoke bathroom
"You can’t hide from fun at Tam Tam. It finds you in every corner of the colorful Vietnamese restaurant—even in the bathrooms, which are so glorious we want to shut up about them to not spoil the surprise. But you’re not coming here just to drink enough wine to justify three trips to the bathroom. Tam Tam has one of the most exciting menus in Miami, full of creative takes on the kinds of Vietnamese flavors that are tragically rare in this city. Order the sticky fish sauce caramel wings, both because they are our favorite wings in Miami, and because their stickiness will give you another excuse to go to the bathroom. Book at least two weeks out if you’re looking for a reasonable Saturday night table. But if you stink at planning, expect to sit outside. The sidewalk tables are for walk-ins, and you can call (they usually answer) before you head over to see how long the wait is. If you go towards the end of service, you might be able to find a couple of open bar seats." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino
"What Tâm Tâm has done for bathrooms, it can also do with salads. There’s no singing (long story) involved in their lotus root salad, but it does make a lot of noise with all of the snappy lotus roots, pickles, cabbage, and peanuts involved. It’s even a bit interactive, with purple rice crackers for scooping up shrimp, pork belly, and crunchy vegetables all covered in nuoc cham. There are many delicious things that hit the table after this arrives, but this salad refuses to be upstaged by any of them. Book at least two weeks out if you’re looking for a reasonable Saturday night table. But if you stink at planning, expect to sit outside. The sidewalk tables are for walk-ins, and you can call (they usually answer) before you head over to see how long the wait is. If you go towards the end of service, you might be able to find a couple of open bar seats." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer
"There is no restaurant in this city like Tâm Tâm—and not just because Miami lacks the Vietnamese options of many major cities. It just has a very rare combination of exciting food, contagious fun-having, and design details sure to imminently overtake your algorithm. The worn wood paneling left over from the previous occupant makes Tâm Tâm feel lived-in like a favorite pair of jeans, and one bathroom is a disco karaoke hallucination. The overall feeling of Tâm Tâm speaks to this place’s roots as a supper club, when it was just friends getting together for drinks and one-of-a-kind Vietnamese dishes. Book at least two weeks out if you’re looking for a reasonable Saturday night table. But if you stink at planning, expect to sit outside. The sidewalk tables are for walk-ins, and you can call (they usually answer) before you head over to see how long the wait is. If you go towards the end of service, you might be able to find a couple of open bar seats." - ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino, virginia otazo
"If you take someone to Tâm Tâm and their admiration for you doesn't immediately increase by 75%, this is not a person you want in your life. What kind of monster wouldn't be grateful to know about a restaurant that's such a perfect mix of fun and good? The colorful Vietnamese spot serves food you'll be able to bond over in an atmosphere that'll prove you're the opposite of dull. Some dishes—like the ribs and wings—are a bit messy for a first date. But just go wash up in the bathrooms, which are, to say the absolute least, conversation starters. Book at least two weeks out if you’re looking for a reasonable Saturday night table. But if you stink at planning, expect to sit outside. The sidewalk tables are for walk-ins, and you can call (they usually answer) before you head over to see how long the wait is. If you go towards the end of service, you might be able to find a couple of open bar seats." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo
"We’ve screamed the praises of Tâm Tâm’s karaoke bathroom, chicken wings, and declared it the very best restaurant in Miami. We only have ourselves to blame for the fact that finding a four-top on a weekend is difficult. Thankfully, Tâm Tâm is ideal for our most painfully hot months. They’ve got frozen drinks, a new soft serve machine, and (still) the best chicken wings around. Get in now, go often, order those wings, and tip well—maybe the staff will save you a seat at the counter come November. Book at least two weeks out if you’re looking for a reasonable Saturday night table. But if you stink at planning, expect to sit outside. The sidewalk tables are for walk-ins, and you can call (they usually answer) before you head over to see how long the wait is. If you go towards the end of service, you might be able to find a couple of open bar seats." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino
