Restaurant Review: Taïm

A mural inside the entrance greets visitors. Photos by Ann Carper.

By Corinna Metcalf

The name is Taïm, and the game is falafel. There’s a new falafel restaurant in Georgetown, proudly calling itself “a vegetarian Mecca. A vegan temple.” But don’t be put off by this grandiose language; what you get is simple and good.

the restaurant is on the east side of Wisconsin, below M.

Taïm means tasty in Hebrew. The restaurant began in 2005 as a tiny storefront in New York’s the West Village, the creation of Israel-born Chef Einat Admony, who was born and raised in Tel Aviv, cooked by her mother’s side, served in the Israeli army as a driver and ad hoc cook, went to culinary school in Israel, and worked in many New York and Tel Aviv restaurants. Together with her husband and business partner, Stefan Nafziger, she has opened several other Taïm locations in Manhattan and has now come to Washington.

Falafel are fried balls of chickpeas, onions, garlic and spices. At Taïm, they can be ordered either “green,” which means including cilantro, parsley and mint, or “harissa,” a slightly spicy sauce. They are served either in a thick pita, covered with chopped vegetable salad, pickles, tahini sauce, and a smidgen of hummus, or as part of a platter which includes marinated beets and Moroccan carrots.

The falafel are superb—beautifully crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. They are fresh and fried to order. The pita version is delicious but hard to eat as the combination creates a giant mouthful, and the pita (not absolutely fresh) can get soggy. The Israeli salad on my pita lacked tomatoes. On the platter, the beets are excellent with just a suggestion of marinade. The carrots are a disappointment, insufficiently cooked and the large slices are tough. Despite the spices, the carrots are surprisingly bland.

Although the falafel are the prime attraction, and can be ordered as a side, Taïm also serves a cauliflower shawarma, which combines the ingredients of the falafel pita (without the falafel) with cauliflower, which is coated with rice flour and fried. Also on the menu is sabich consisting of fried eggplant, hard boiled egg, hummus, cabbage, Israeli salad, and pickled mango. French fries come with an aioli sauce or with harissa ketchup.

Taïm does not serve alcohol. Beverages include lemonade and a variety of smoothies.

Taïm helpfully provides a glossary of menu items and ingredients, from aïoli to za’atar, on the back of the menu (detail).

a server packing a to-go order reveals the pronunciation and definition of Taïm.

The restaurant lacks charm; it is not a place for lingering. Located in a narrow space below M Street on Wisconsin Avenue, it is self service with a few tables and two “bars” with stools for eating in. The staff is not particularly pleasant, and Chef Einat seems to have little to do with her Georgetown Taïm. But the falafel lives up to the restaurant’s name and redeems many a fault.

Taïm: 1065 Wisconsin Avenue NW, (202) 560-5419.

Hours: Open daily from 11 am–10 pm.

Prices: Main dishes $9 to $13; side dishes $4 to $6.50; side order of falafel $5.