Mắm (restaurant)
| Mắm | |
|---|---|
The restaurant's exterior in 2024 | |
Interactive map of Mắm | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | May 2022[1] |
| Food type | Vietnamese |
| Location | 70 Forsyth Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, 10002, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°43′01″N 73°59′36″W / 40.717056°N 73.993275°W |
Mắm is a Vietnamese restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City specializing in food from Central Vietnam. Starting as a pop-up, the restaurant opened a brick and mortar shop in 2022. The restaurant is named after Mắm nêm or fermented shrimp paste sauce and their signature dish is Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm; a melange of food to be dipped in said sauce including house made tofu, pork belly, and sticky rice sausage.[2][1][3] The restaurant was listed as 20th on the New York Times list of best restaurants in 2024 going up 6 places from 2023[4]
History
Through the 2010s, chef Jerald Head became obsessed with Vietnamese food and went on a three-month trip to Vietnam in 2016. There, right by his hostel, he met his wife, Nhung Dao, with whom he later co-founded Mắm.[5] They married in 2018.[6]
Mắm first opened for six weeks in 2020, after which it went on a hiatus for over a year while Dao had a baby. It then reopened in 2022 with a frequently changing menu.[7] In December 2023, it established a permanent brick-and-mortar location, with an expansion, on Forysth Street in the Bowery neighborhood.[8]
In November 2025, Mắm had a one-night pop-up at Cork in collaboration with the Tiger Palm Club.[9]
Critical reception
Pete Wells of The New York Times gave Mắm two out of four stars, and it was labeled as a Critic's Pick.[7] It was ranked twentieth in the Times' best restaurants in New York City in 2024.[10] Time Out called it "Perfect for adventurous foodies who want a taste of authentic Vietnam in a fun setting" and crowned it the best pho in New York City.[11][12] Vietnam News gave it three out of five stars, stating that "isn’t street food, and it isn’t cheap, but it’s the closest I’ve come to tasting home in New York City" and lauded its authenticity.[13] The Infatuation gave it 9.4 out of 10, recommending the nấm cuốn and gỏi ngheu, among some other dishes.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b Orlow, Emma (December 11, 2023). "One of the Year's Top Pop-Ups Goes Permanent". Eater NY. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Wells, Pete (April 18, 2023). "Restaurant Review: Mam Serves the Most Exciting Vietnamese Food in New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Mắm NYC Review - Chinatown - New York". The Infatuation. July 11, 2022. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Wells, Pete (April 1, 2024). "The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City in 2024". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Nga, Kiều (June 1, 2025). "Bún Đậu, Plastic Stools And Love: Mắm, A New York Love Letter to Vietnam". Vietcetera. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Sen, Mayukh (May 9, 2024). "How Mắm, Once a Humble Pop-Up, Is Shifting Perceptions of Vietnamese Food in New York". Resy | Right This Way. Archived from the original on November 7, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Wells, Pete (April 18, 2023). "Restaurant Review: Mam Serves the Most Exciting Vietnamese Food in New York". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Orlow, Emma (December 11, 2023). "One of the Year's Top Pop-Ups Goes Permanent". Eater NY. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "New York Times 'Top 100' Restaurant Mắm Comes to Cork for One Night Only". TheTaste.ie. October 29, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Wells, Pete (April 1, 2024). "The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City in 2024". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Pham, Hannah (March 21, 2025). "Mắm". Time Out.
- ^ Weaver, Shaye (April 4, 2025). "This phở restaurant was just named the best in New York City". Time Out New York. Archived from the original on October 4, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Home away from home at Mắm NYC". vietnamnews.vn. September 14, 2025. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Get up close and personal with incredible Vietnamese food at Mắm - Review - New York". The Infatuation. July 11, 2022. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2025.