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NoCo Loco!
NoCo = North County. My old stomping grounds are not as bad as people make it out to…
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Goat Meat....The New Pork!
This list is for all those lovers of goat meat! Check out these St. Louis…
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My Meh list
Here's where I've been and never want to go again because they made me sad.
Tam Tam African Restaurant
Category: Restaurants African African [Edit]
35 Florissant Oaks Shopping CtrFlorissant, MO 63031
(314) 921-3805
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Tam Tam African Restaurant
11 reviews in English
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Review from Mark P.
St. Louis is limited on African restaurants of which most are Ethiopian. Tam Tam is one of the few that serves a delicious sample of East and West African food. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy; it's a simple place located in a strip mall and the service can be somewhat slow, but it's well worth the wait. For me, it adds to the authenticity of the place and reminds me of a typical restaurant in Africa.
On my most recent visit, I was pleasantly surprised to be served a complementary basket of fried chapati strips with an African style salsa. Chapati is basically similar to a flower tortilla. It's actually Indian in origin, but made its way to East Africa with the Indian people who have influenced the cuisine over the years. I have fond memories of waking up to the smell of fresh chapati being grilled on the streets of Kampala Uganda. Tam Tam's deep fried version is very tasty and served with a bowl of salsa like sauce which included onions, tomatoes, green peppers and mild spices. The sauce is excellent and perfect with the warm chapati chips.
I've tried three main courses here and all have been very good. My favorite would probably be the nyama choma goat meat. Nyama choma is grilled seasoned meat (like BBQ grill) and very common in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Tam Tam's goat meat might just be the best I've ever eaten, and I've eaten a lot of nyama choma over the years. If you want to try goat meat, keep in mind that it tends to be very chewy filled with fat and bones. You often get little bone chips mixed in, so be careful and also don't be disappointed when you're not served a nice big fillet of meat. I was amazed by the tenderness of this juicy and well seasoned meat. For $12.99 you also get a side of fries, plantains or couscous. I chose the plantains which were the sweet ripe version cooked perfectly.
A majority of the main dishes on the menu are West African dishes which in general tent to be more spicy (heat-wise) than East African food, however from what I've tried nothing was overly spicy-hot here at Tam Tam. The Poisson A La Braisse or grilled tilapia fish comes whole and smothered in a chopped onion salsa type sauce ($11.99). The Yassa Guinaar for $8.50 is chicken marinated in garlic, mustard and lemon which is cooked in an onion sauce. For the true West African experience, you might want to try the fufu. This dough like starch doesn't have much taste, but is good for dishes with a lot of sauce.
The service has always been friendly, but not overly aggressive. On my most recent visit, the waiter was from Kenya so I was happy to hear about the newere East African dishes that had been added to the menu. I only wish this place was closer to downtown, then I'd be a regular. I'm giving this place 5 stars for tasty goat meat and an authentic taste of Africa right here in St. Louis -
Review from Amrita R.
11/1/2011
I came here because I had a friend visiting who had spent 2 years living in Sudan working on the elections, and she wanted me to try some of the food she had been eating over there.
She was so excited when we came here on our 40 minute drive... alas, it wasn't what we expected...
For starters, most of the menu wasn't available. Maybe we came at a wrong time (Friday for lunch) but it was getting frustrating. Everything my friend was excited about showing us was gone. Eventually it became easier to ask what WAS available.
We ordered goat and lamb dishes, along with ginger juice since the ginger/hibiscus option was gone. The ginger juice packs a punch, it was delicious but with a spicy kick at the end.
Halfway through our wait time, the waitress came by and said that in African, goat and lamb are the same thing so they're going to give us "lamb" but it's actually goat.... This is like saying, beef and pork in American are the same thing. Sigh.
Anyway, we got a bunch of goat meat, which was very dry and tasteless. The flavor rubbed on it seemed tasty but it wasn't marinated long enough so it kind of just fell off. I've never been a fan of couscous and the order we got didn't help things. My friend who loves couscous was very disappointed. I stuck to eating the slices of tomato around the plate's edge with small pieces of meat. The goat also had more bone than meat on it.
I do actually love goat and I've had it many other ways, but I prefer lamb and was so looking forward to it. Ah well.
I would love to come back and try the lamb since reviews on here are fairly good, but it's not worth the drive for something that may or may not be there...Listed in: My Meh list
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Review from Allan C.
Saint Louis, MO
9/3/2011
The food is delicious but it just takes waaaaaay too long to get any food here. Consider calling in your order. Otherwise you might be looking at a 1.5 hour lunch. Seriously.
The chicken curry with that chewy steamed globular ugali is something that's both unique and extremely satisfying.
I"m also a big fan of the lamb.
Unfortunately, the sheer amount of time is just that big of a turnoff... I'll be back eventually.... eventually.... -
Review from Stephanie S.
Maplewood, MO
I never really go out to North County that much anymore. I grew up there, but now I live alllll the way out in Shrewsbury, so driving to NoCo just isn't worth it in most cases.
However, I do work in North County, so when I was let out of work a half-day early (yay summer hours!), I knew I had to hit up Tam Tam African Restaurant.
It's in an unsuspecting little strip mall, right next to a Karate studio. Haha!
I walked in and was immediately greeted by one of the friendliest restaurant owners I've met in quite some time! The place was pretty empty, so I was able to sit wherever I wanted. I chose a nice little booth in the corner, by the window.
The decor leaves a lot to be desired, but that's okay. It's sort of a dive, and I'm fine with that!
West African tortilla chips and salsa were brought out. OH. MY. GOD. This was GOOOOOOD. They gave me a huge basket of chips, and I ate every single one. Oink! The salsa was spicy, a little sweet, and very refreshing.
I ordered ginger juice, which was a little intense (I wasn't expecting such a strong ginger flavor!) but refreshing as well.
For my appetizer I ordered fried plantain. Now THIS is how it's done, folks! My college roommate was from Nigeria, and her family made the BEST fried plantains. Every restaurant I've been to in STL that's tried to imitate it has failed miserably. Except for Tam Tam! Theirs were authentic as all get out! MMM. I would have loved a sweet dipping sauce (maybe some honey?) to go with my plantains, but now I'm just being picky.
Finally...the main course! I thought I'd try the Goat Steak, which came with my choice of fries or vegetable couscous. I went with the couscous, which was delish!
Now the goat? Well...this was my first time trying goat, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This was seasoned very well, but it was way too fatty for my tastes.
The service was amazing. My server was so sweet, and told me a little bit about her home country (Libya, I think?) as well as the restaurant itself.
I will definitely come back. I'll skip the goat next time, though.Listed in: NoCo Loco!, I love a good ego-booster!
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Review from Michele B.
Florissant, MO
5/19/2010
The food is phenomenal, as is the service. Don't expect a lot from the decor though. The cassava is interesting, too.
Closed on Mondays. -
Review from Stewart P.
Ballwin, MO
6/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Someone I know loves this place but it wasn't there for me. While I there I had the lamb chop on rice, was just okay, some baba gananoush (first time and very good), homemade pita chips and salsa (excellent) and some ginger tea (didn't like it but that doesn't mean it wasn't good). Definitely a whole in the wall type place, which I normally like but not sure I woudl go back unless with someone who really likes it.
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Review from Andrew K.
St Peters, MO
I went and checked out Tam Tam African Restaurant today with one of my coworkers for lunch. We got in there at 1115 am for lunch. Honestly I just wanted to try it out because I LOVE trying different ethnic cuisine and seeing anything that comes from a different culture. Heck I tried raw horse Sashimi on a recent business trip to Japan.
Tam Tam wasn't busy at all, we were the only two customers in the restaurant. It took about 10 minutes for the waiter/cook to come greet us as he was back in the back and appeared to be working alone.
I ordered the M13: Goat Steak (Nyama Choma): $12.99
Tender goat meat slowly grilled and spiced the African way, served
with your choice of couscous, fries, or plantain, just because it was something different from the ordinary. I chose couscous for my side.
The reason we weren't thrilled with this new joint is because the wait was pretty long, around 45 minutes today. I probably wouldn't go here again, at least on lunch break at work, just because of this factor alone.
The food was pretty good. I enjoyed my goat steak and my buddy enjoyed his chicken dish as well.
The gentleman who was the waiter/cook was very nice and you could tell he was authentic African with his bad English and super duper dark skin.
To sum it up, if you don't have anywhere to be and you have a bit of time to spend, I would definitely check out this place. If nothing else just to say you tried it! -
Review from Greg P.
Jefferson City, MO
6/4/2010 1 Check-in Here
As I walk in the door the owner greets me and shakes my hand. Nice touch!
To drink I had a water and some refreshing homemade ginger juice. Before ordering this particular juice, be sure you know and really like the taste of ginger... it can surprise you!
The food was very interesting... lots of different flavors going into the dishes. First, the lady serving my table brought out some freshly made chips and what seemed to be a mango salsa. Pretty good stuff.
I ordered the goat steak with couscous, which took a while to get. It took about half an hour before my goat was brought out, and I was the only person in the restaurant (it was early). I had no idea goats had so much bone in them, but the meat had an excellent taste. The couscous came in a huge side bowl, and had some small veggies (peas, carrot, etc.) sprinkled throughout. A small bowl of onion sauce (seemingly made from bits of the onions used to cover the goat steak) was provided to pour on the couscous. The sauce helped the couscous immensely.
The interior seemed clean, with some African art spread throughout.
The overall experience was positive, however the TTF (time til food) was a bit high. Maybe I should have ordered something other than the goat steak for lunch. I certainly didn't mind waiting, however, since it was evident the food was being prepared with care and not simply reheated. -
Review from Stef E.
Brooklyn, NY
8/22/2010 1 photo
This place was absolutely amazing!!! I loved the fufu and ugali, and eating stew with my hands was definitely one of the highlights of the meal! The plantain appetizers were so good and super tender, and the salsa was the icing on the already outstanding cake. I love chips and salsa, but no Mexican restaurant can compare to the zesty tanginess of Tam Tam's salsa!
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Review from Joshua B.
Saint Louis, MO
11/19/2009
I never have tried West African food before. However, Riverfront Times awarded this place the the best West African food in STL. Though I am not sure how much competition this place had, it was superb and deserved its designation.
I went with a group of 8. We tried all sort of different things, and everyone was happy. One of my friends had spent time in West Africa and felt that this was pretty authentic (I definitely would not be a good judge). The meal started out with these fried bread chips and salsa (which i think had mango). They were fantastic and gone in minutes. Appetizers were good. The sweet fried plantains are great. The fish samossa are okay (taste like tuna casserole). The main meals are large and savory. I had the talapia, which was huge and succulent. As a heads up, you have to debone it; but I found the challenge made it more enjoyable. My friends loved the goat, and those who only got to taste it (very few would part with more than a morsel) regretted not ordering it. I also tried the ginger drink which was unique (not something I would drink all the time, but still quite refreshing and worth a try).
Service is great. The owner is a nice gentleman from Senegal. He answered all our questions and was helpful in splitting the bill. You can ask him about off-the-menu options. A couple friends tried one and were impressed.
It is kind of a drive, but I think it is worth it. It is a real gem: good food at a good price. Everyone agreed that this place is worth going to again. -
Review from Michelle K.
Washington, MO
10/14/2008
Amazing flavors and textures! I highly recommend the fish, large crispy and topped with delicious kind of african salsa? The Chicken kebob, the Lamb curry, all fantastic and high quality. Eat with your hands! It's African! Also, the "chips and salsa" (african style) are so amazing you'll fill up before you get your food. (which always takes a bit longer than your usual restaurant.)
