Tamm Mexican Food

“Chihuahua comes to Kelowna”

Anyone who has traveled south of the border to explore the land of sunshine and chilis will feel a strong sense of familiarity with the sights and smells that greet them at Tamm.

From the colourful interior to the back patio area playing mariachi music, Tamm has created a modernized restaurant while still retaining the look and feel of an authentic Mexican restaurant.

The building that houses Tamm on Highway 97 has undergone several transformations over the last 15 years, from a tourism centre to a diner to a Chinese food buffet. Hopefully, this latest iteration will stay for a long time as the well-done renovation has yielded a bright and welcoming modern yet still homey restaurant.

It’s a family affair at Tamm with the Tarin parents and their adult children all working either in the kitchen or as front of house staff. The family had previously owned a restaurant by the same name in their hometown of Chihuahua and their food reflects the flavours found in this part of northern Mexico.

Thankfully, most menu items at Tamm are gluten-free as corn is the primary ingredient of the tortillas and tacos. We ordered the tacos as an appetizer, my hubby had the enchiladas and I had the burrito (a flour tortilla). The flavours were lovely and delicate. Being fans of all things spicy, we asked for their boldest house-made hot sauce and were delighted to receive the satisfying taste-bud punch we wanted.

Mexican food aficionados will appreciate authenticity here as they will find significantly less cheese and sour cream than the TexMex food most Mexican restaurants offer. “The recipes used here are like the recipes the Tarin family grew up with,” explains Carlos, one of the hosts who took a minute to speak with us, “You won’t find rice fillers in the burritos which are mostly meat and beans for example.”

While their liquor license was still pending when we visited, they plan to offer mojitos, margaritas and cervezas along with the ubiquitous colourful sodas that are so plentiful in Mexico. Carlos was a bar tender in Leon and is looking forward to creating his own signature cocktails to offer once the bar is open.

The restaurant is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9am – 10pm and those who cook will be delighted to discover the small market of Mexican spices and comfort foods available for purchase.

Parking is a bit of an issue as there are some confusing “bus only” signs in the parking lot adjacent to the restaurant and we suspect our server was still in training as we had a longer-than-normal wait to order but the flavours are worthy of regular visits to this new local gem.