Reviews Tam's Place Vietnamese Cuisine

Fans of Tam's Place Vietnamese Cuisine cite the dark green food cart on 29th and Friendly among Eugene’s many culinary marvels. We made our first visit Friday at noon and the unmistakable sweet, sour and umami scents with fish sauce undertones wafted across the parking lot as we approached.

We enjoyed (and recommend) these four dishes:

• Cha Gio — Vietnamese fried egg rolls

• Banh Mi — Vietnamese sandwich

• Canh Ga Chien Nuoc — Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings

• Canh Ga Rang Me — Vietnamese tamarind sauce chicken wings

We saw cha gio pictured on the cart’s side just below the bahn mi. We ordered both.

Crackle-skinned and burnished golden brown, the egg rolls arrived first (and arrived hot) at our picnic table accompanied with nuoc cham — Vietnamese dipping sauce. Tam’s rolls are filled with mushrooms, vegetables and noodle, compactly wrapped with wheat flour paper. The cigar size and tight wrap ensures a greaseless experience, unlike the fried egg rolls found at county fairs, enlarged to burrito-like portions for American customers.

Tam’s cha gio is a delicate dish served with a beguiling combination of crispy and chewy textures. Paired with the dipping sauce, the appetizer demands to be devoured at once and, as it so refreshingly light, will tempt you to place a second order. The only hitch is Tam’s doesn’t serve cha gio with herbs or raw lettuce leaf, which are traditionally used to hold the rolls as they are dipped in the nuoc cham.

Tam had asked us if we wanted the pork banh mi spicy and we happily said yes. The sandwich arrived as we finished the egg rolls.

Stuffed inside a simple, crusty French baguette was the best banh mi sandwich we’ve eaten in Eugene. Check out my pictures to see the quality of the classic fillings — the bright carrot and daikon pickles, the fresh jalapeno and cilantro, and the savory, spicy pork.

Here it should be noted Tam’s commitment to quality ingredients. The pork and chicken are locally sourced from Eugene-based Long’s Meat Market. The tofu is certified organic and made in Eugene by Surata Soyfoods.

Tam Howitt came out of her food truck to check on our progress and offered to prepare us a sample of her two fried chicken wings, the Canh Ga Chien Nuoc (fish sauce wings) and Canh Ga Rang Me (tamarind wings). I posted pictures of both dishes. Tam’s crunchy wings provided a perfect combination of sweet, salty, and umami. We enjoyed alternating bites of the wings doused in tart tamarind sauce and the tangy fish sauce.

A quick map search shows Tam's is the only Vietnamese restaurants in Eugene south of 11th Ave. Her food cart sits in the parking lot of The Healthy Pet, in the southeast corner against Monroe Alley, which is where we first encountered the Red Wagon Creamery food cart (another of Eugene’s culinary marvels) many years ago.

Although the covered outdoor seating is spare, Tam adorns her two picnic tables with bowls of fresh flowers to accompany the napkin holders and bottles of Sriracha hot sauce and hoisin sauce. We enjoyed watching locals come and place and pick up their lunch orders. Without a word spoken, an older man wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat placed a $10 bill on the counter and walked back across the parking lot, disappearing down Friendly Street. He returned to pick up an order of Bun Thit Nuong ($10), a Vermicelli noodle dish served with vegetables and choice of grilled pork, chicken or tofu. He smiled and told us he really looks forward to lunch.

On our next visit we plan to order a bowl of beef Pho ($10) and the Com Tam Ba Ghien ($10) — a broken rice plate loaded with grilled pork chop and pickled vegetables, shrimp, cucumber and Vietnamese meatloaf. And, yes, we’ll spend the extra $1 to top that with a fried egg.

Good mercy. This is what it feels like to strike gold.

YUMMY!. I love this little place; it's getting addicting! Wonderful Banh Mi sandwich- tasty, spicy, crunchy, good! The spring rolls are great, but my absolute favorite appetizer is the Fish- Sauce Wings. They are truly mouth-watering! So good! The noodle dish is one of the best I've had, and can last at least two or more meals for me. I have to remember to ask if there is a special when I go- they have some wonderful sounding ones! They take call in orders, which is nice, as the food is cooked to order and that can save some time. Friendly, helpful people; a great fit for the neighborhood!

Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious!! My biggest complaint is just that it took a long time to get it. It didn't seem like they were slammed with guests, but it still took about 25 minutes to get an order of wings and 3 pho at lunch time. I will definitely factor in more time on my next visit, and there will for sure be another visit because the pho had a great broth and the fish sauce wings are crunchy and addicting!

Tried the tamarind chicken wings, noodle bowl and spring rolls. Ordered a take away and the food was super awesome. The right kind of spicy and good flavour in the pork.

BEST VIETNAMESE FOOD I'VE EVER EATEN, PERIOD ! I would buy a plane ticket from Europe to Eugene just to eat Tam's marvellous dishes again 😱😭🙇🏻‍♀️ I'm mixed so I am always looking for the best, most authentic, affordable, vietnamese owned restaurants. I haven't found any better. All the trendy restaurants chains like Pho in the UK or James Bun in Paris, and even the small familial Vietnamese restaurants that still put a lot of sodium glutamate in their dishes, they absolutely cannot compare with the quality, generosity and kindness that is offered by Tam's Place. This is also the best food truck I've ever eaten at because the food is so yummy, fresh and comforting, and the team is simply adorable ❤ Their Instagram page is also amazing and definitely worth a follow. If I was a billionaire I would hire them to be my own private food truck, ahah !

This is a wonderful Vietnamese eatery. Very authentic, fresh, and delicious. This is some of the best Vietnamese food I’ve had outside of Vietnam. We ordered a bun and pho. For vegetarians out there, the choices may be sparse. The tofu pho I ordered had no choice for a vegetable broth. There’s also covered outdoor seating for current pandemic reality.