What to Order at Mắm

Mắm is a small Lower East Side restaurant serving bold, hard-to-find regional Vietnamese cooking, run by chef Jerald Head and co-founder Nhung Dao. It started as a pop-up and grew into one of the city's toughest tables, so the menu rewards ordering the dishes it is known for rather than the familiar ones. This guide covers what to order, what to know about the room, and how to actually get in. DinnerElite tracks Mắm and emails you the moment a table opens.

What should you order at Mắm?

The signature order is bún đậu mắm tôm, a spread of rice vermicelli, housemade tofu, pork belly, and sticky rice sausage that you dip into a pungent fermented shrimp paste sauce, and it is the dish that defines the kitchen. From there, the stuffed snails with lemongrass and pork and the garlic fried chicken cartilage are the two adventurous plates regulars steer newcomers toward. The Infatuation, which scored Mắm 9.4 out of 10, points to the nấm cuốn mushroom lettuce wraps and the gỏi ngheu clam salad, both good ways to balance the richer dishes. If you want a bowl, Time Out crowned Mắm's pho the best in the city, and the vegetarian tomato noodle soup, bún riêu chay, is the standout meat-free option. Order across a few of these to share rather than one dish each, since the menu is built for the table.

What should you know about the room at Mắm?

Mắm recreates a Vietnamese street-food setting, so set expectations before you go. Diners perch on low plastic stools on the Forsyth Street sidewalk or squeeze onto benches inside one of two narrow rooms, with metal tables and nostalgic decor. It is casual, loud, and fun rather than a polished dining room, which is part of the appeal. The room is small with fewer seatings than most restaurants, which is exactly why tables are hard to come by. The cooking leans bold and fermented, so it rewards an adventurous table, and it earned a spot at number 20 on The New York Times list of the city's best restaurants in 2024. Come ready to share and to try things you cannot easily find elsewhere.

How do you actually get a table at Mắm?

Mắm books on Resy, and because the room is small with fewer seatings than most, prime times fill quickly and the notify list is the realistic move when the calendar looks full. The kitchen also holds a limited run of first-come outdoor seats for walk-ins, but they go fast, so treat an early arrival as a backup rather than a guarantee. Cancellations are where most people get in, which is where an alert helps. DinnerElite watches Mắm around the clock and emails you the moment a seat opens, whether from a fresh release or someone else's change of plans. We send alerts and never book automatically. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human on our team books hard tables on your behalf. If you are chasing other hard tables, our roundup of the hardest restaurant reservations in NYC is a good place to start, and what to order at Semma covers another bold, hard-to-book room.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mắm known for?

Bold, hard-to-find regional Vietnamese cooking on the Lower East Side, especially its signature bún đậu mắm tôm. It landed at number 20 on The New York Times list of New York's best restaurants in 2024 and is known for a lively Vietnamese street-food setting.

What should you order at Mắm for the first time?

Start with the bún đậu mắm tôm, the signature spread you dip in fermented shrimp paste, then add the stuffed snails and a lighter dish like the nấm cuốn mushroom lettuce wraps. Time Out named the pho the best in the city, so add a bowl to share.

Is Mắm good for vegetarians?

There are meat-free options, most notably the bún riêu chay, a vegetarian tomato noodle soup that reviewers single out. The kitchen leans heavily on fermented and seafood-based flavors, though, so vegetarians should ask about specific dishes.

Is Mắm hard to get into?

Yes. It is a small room with fewer seatings than most and a spot on the city's toughest-reservations lists. It books on Resy, holds a few first-come walk-in seats outside, and most people get in through a cancellation, so a booking alert helps.

Does DinnerElite book the table for me?

No. We send alerts and you book the table yourself. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human concierge books on your behalf.