Downtown Miami Staple Named One of the Best New Restaurants of 2024

A funky downtown Miami spot for delicious Vietnamese food has just been named one of the best new restaurants of 2024. Tâm Tâm photo

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A funky downtown Miami spot for delicious Vietnamese food has just been named one of the best new restaurants in the U.S.

According to Bon Appétit, the popular Vietnamese restaurant Tâm Tâm is one of the 20 Best New Restaurants of 2024.

Founded by husband-and-husband team chef Tam Pham and sommelier Harrison Ramhofer, Tâm Tâm has quickly grown from a supper club pop-up for those in the know to a full-service restaurant serving devoted customers for dinner every Tuesday through Saturday.

The restaurant was born from Pham and Ramhofer's disappointment with Miami's Vietnamese options. And while both come from a background in hospitality, Pham — with no formal chef training — makes food that transcends diners to his family's cooking. "I've always enjoyed cooking," Pham told New Times in 2023. "But a lot of it was, and still is, trial and error."

The Bon Appétit recognition is just one of many impressive accolades it has received in the past six months. On April 11, Tâm Tâm was designated a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant. Just a few days later, it added Florida Michelin Guide's "Young Chef Award" to its résumé.

For a chef with no formal chef training, this is an incredible honor.

click to enlarge

Tâm Tâm is all about eating and drinking — and drinking some more.

Tâm Tâm photo

Bon Appétit's Kate Kassin added the restaurant to the list due to its enjoyable experience all around — from the "funky diner vibe" and its popular bathroom that doubles as a karaoke room to its "colorful plastic stools" and a menu that's "Vietnamese with a hint of Miami flair," she found her experience completely pleasant.

She especially enjoyed the goat curry "bathed in chili oil and served with Chinese egg noodles and a flurry of herbs — a fiery nod to Miami's Caribbean community," as well as the Key West pink shrimp crudo with lemongrass, fresh ginger, and shrimp oil. She also liked the natural wines on the menu.

Since opening in June 2023, the restaurant has drawn inspiration from the Vietnamese term "quán nhậu," which stands for "drinking places." This means they emphasize drinking and food together, an idea they have coined "drinking food."

"It's ambiguous. It gives me a lot of creative flexibility," Ramhofer told New Times in 2023. "I can just come up with something, and as long as it's delicious, pairs well with wine, and is fun to eat — that's drinking food."

It sounds like Pham and Ramhofer's plan to make sure each diner has a great time is working.

Tâm Tâm. 99 NW First Ct., Miami; 786-359-4647; tam-tam-mia.com. Tuesday through Saturday 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.