Image: Ready for its close-up.
Last Updated: August 2022
Current Status: Dupont location remains open, though the original Georgetown shop closed.
Overview:
D.C. got the first outpost of this NYC-based falafel shop. With its signature crispy, green or red falafel, it won over critics and fans in both cities. The fast-casual spot lets you pick a main ingredient like falafel, cauliflower shawarma, or crispy eggplant. It is served either in a pita, salad or a part of a platter, with add-ons like pickles, sauces, olives or feta. Mezze options include beets, carrots, tabouli, hummus and tzatziki. Taïm’s fries, which should be noted are not really crispy like the falafel, come with either saffron aioli or harissa ketchup (or you can get both for an extra charge). They also offer seasonal salads and an “impossible” kebab.
Drinks are smoothies of some note, in-house made ginger mint lemonade, and soft drinks from Tractor, a organic, non gmo producer. It is counter service with seats inside. Whether you are working from home, returned to the office or just in the Dupont area, it is a bright, satisfying option.
Other Guidance: As noted, it is a casual spot, but at least remember to slip on some flip-flops. The shop is located at street level and on only one floor. Vegetarians, Vegans and GF can do very well here.
Summary:
Cuisine: Sandwiches/Salads
Neighborhood: Dupont
Address: 1514 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036
Website: http://taimfalafel.com/
Reservations: Walk-in
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: Tom steps on Tim’s turf to rave it as falafel nirvana. There is also an old video of owner/chef Einat Admony on the Post’s FB page showing how to make falafel.
Washingtonian: Preview
RickEatsDC: It is his third favorite place for falafel, deducting points for how the sandwich is constructed. He also had service glitches. That said, he found the balls themselves outstanding.
Before Times Review:
First Visit: January 2019
The fast-casual moment continues with the arrival in the District of Taïm. This is the first outpost of the NYC-based mini-chain that focuses on falafel and a few other vegetarian options. It has wedged itself into a narrow storefront in Georgetown next to Filomena. It delivers a ton of flavor in sandwich, salad or platter formats.
The falafel comes in two versions: green or red. The green one is abundant in herb flavoring held in a deep brown, crispy crust. The red one is harissa flavored and favored by Tom Sietsema of the Post. The balls are done fresh each day and are compact with no filler. The za’atar sprinkled pita bread comes frozen from New Jersey and is also baked fresh each day. There are other options for primary ingredients including cauliflower and eggplant. There are also additional toppings (olives, zhug, egg, and pickled items). Tabouli and Israeli salad (cucumber and tomato) come as sides too. Fries are a thin and limp, but the harissa ketchup is pretty good. Drinks are fruit- or tea-based starting with a signature ginger mint lemonade.
One note of caution. Service can be slow coming out of the kitchen and orders can get mixed up. The husband and wife team behind the shops are planning on at least one more D.C. spot (possibly Dupont). They may want to make sure they have quality control in hand before taking on more.
Taïm is a welcome addition. It is a step up from Amsterdam Falafel and worth taking a walk out of the way for.
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: Tom steps on Tim’s turf to rave it as falafel nirvana. There is also an old video of owner/chef Einat Admony on the Post’s FB page showing how to make falafel.
Washingtonian: Preview
DonRockwell.com – not thread yet
RickEatsDC: It is his third favorite place for falafel, deducting points for how the sandwich is constructed. He also had service glitches. That said, he found the balls themselves outstanding.
