# Com Tam Near Me: What to Order & Where to Find It > Source: https://foodvietnamese.com/com-tam-near-me/ > Updated: 2026-09-02 Cơm tấm is Saigon’s broken rice plate — rice milled from grains that shattered during processing, served with a grilled pork chop, shredded pork skin (bì), and a steamed egg-and-pork cake (chả trứng), plus pickled vegetables and a fried egg on most orders. If you’re searching “com tam near me,” you’re almost certainly after that trio — sườn, bì, chả — not just plain rice with a side of meat. The tool below searches Google Maps for Vietnamese restaurants near you. ## Quick Facts - **Literal meaning:** “tấm” means broken rice grains, “cơm” means cooked rice - **Origin:** Mekong Delta, born from rice farmers cooking with the broken grains left over from milling whole rice for sale - **The classic trio:** sườn (grilled pork chop), bì (shredded pork skin with toasted rice powder), chả trứng (steamed egg-pork cake) - **Common additions:** fried egg (ốp la), pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, scallion oil, sweet fish sauce - **Cultural note:** the trio is often pointed to as a mix of French (grilled meat), Chinese (steamed egg cake), and Vietnamese (pickles, fish sauce) technique on one plate ## Find Cơm Tấm Near You Enter your city or zip code to see Vietnamese restaurants serving cơm tấm on the map below. [Open full results in Google Maps ↗](#) ## Why It’s Called “Broken” Rice You can hear a good cơm tấm stall before you see the menu — that steady hiss and pop of pork chops going back and forth over charcoal, usually parked right at the sidewalk edge so the smoke does double duty as advertising. The rice itself is the part most visitors overlook entirely: it’s not a stylistic choice, it’s leftover. During milling, some grains shatter — “tấm” — and for generations those broken grains were considered lesser rice, too fragmented to sell at full price. Farmers in the Mekong Delta cooked with it because it was what was left over, and the texture stuck around long after the economics did. It cooks up softer and slightly stickier than whole-grain rice, which turns out to hold sauce and scallion oil better than a firmer grain would. The plate that built around that rice is arguably Vietnam’s most literal fusion dish. The grilled pork chop reflects French technique, the steamed egg-and-pork cake echoes Chinese steaming methods, and the pickled vegetables and fish sauce are unmistakably Vietnamese. Three different culinary traditions, stacked on one plate, and nobody in Saigon thinks twice about it. ## What’s Actually On the Plate A full “đầy đủ” (complete) order typically includes all three of the classic toppings, though plenty of people order just one or two: - **Sườn (grilled pork chop)** — marinated in fish sauce, sugar, and sometimes lemongrass, then charred over an open flame - **Bì (shredded pork skin)** — thin strips of pork skin and lean meat tossed with toasted rice powder for texture - **Chả trứng (steamed egg-pork cake)** — a dense, savory custard-like loaf, sliced and served warm Most plates also come with a fried egg, pickled carrot and daikon, sliced cucumber, a drizzle of scallion oil, and a small bowl of sweetened fish sauce to pour over everything before eating. ## How to Order Without Guessing Menus usually list toppings by name rather than describing them, so knowing the shorthand speeds things up considerably: - **Cơm tấm sườn** — just the pork chop - **Cơm tấm bì** — just the shredded pork skin - **Cơm tấm chả** — just the egg cake - **Cơm tấm sườn bì chả (or “đầy đủ”)** — all three together, the standard full plate - **Ốp la** — add a fried egg on top, almost always available ## Where People Actually Find It Cơm tấm shows up mostly at Vietnamese restaurants and diners rather than as a standalone specialty shop, though it’s common enough that most sizable Vietnamese communities have at least a few reliable options: - **Vietnamese restaurants and diners** — usually listed under rice plates or lunch specials - **Vietnamese sandwich shops with a fuller menu** — some bánh mì counters also run a grill and serve cơm tấm plates - **Food courts inside Asian grocery stores** — worth checking if sit-down restaurants are scarce Diaspora hubs tend to have the deepest selection. Our guides to [Vietnamese food in San Jose](https://foodvietnamese.com/best-vietnamese-food-in-san-jose/), [Orange County](https://foodvietnamese.com/best-vietnamese-food-in-orange-county/), and [San Francisco](https://foodvietnamese.com/best-vietnamese-food-in-san-francisco/) point to specific restaurants that reliably serve a proper sườn bì chả plate. ## What It Costs Pricing tends to land close to a plate lunch or a full-size sandwich combo — it’s a complete meal with meat, rice, and vegetables, priced accordingly. A full sườn bì chả plate with a fried egg usually costs more than ordering just one topping on its own, and no-frills diners typically run cheaper than sit-down restaurants with a larger menu. ## Calories and Nutrition Because cơm tấm is really three different toppings that can be ordered separately or combined, calorie counts shift a lot depending on what’s on the plate. Individually, a chả-topped plate runs around 592 calories, a bì-topped plate around 627, and a sườn-topped plate around 527. Order the full “đầy đủ” combination with all three toppings plus a fried egg, and the total climbs well above any single figure — it’s the heaviest standard order on most Vietnamese menus, closer to a full dinner than a light lunch. ## If You’re Ordering at a Vietnamese-Run Restaurant A short phrase goes a long way at family-run spots: *“Cho tôi một dĩa cơm tấm sườn bì chả, thêm ốp la”* — “One plate of cơm tấm with pork chop, pork skin, and egg cake, plus a fried egg.” Drop “sườn bì chả” and just name whichever topping you actually want if you’d rather keep it simple. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What’s the difference between cơm tấm and regular rice dishes? Mainly the rice itself — cơm tấm uses broken rice grains, which cook up softer and slightly stickier than the whole-grain jasmine rice used in most other Vietnamese rice dishes. The toppings (grilled pork, pork skin, egg cake) are also specific to this dish rather than interchangeable with a generic rice plate. ### Is cơm tấm gluten-free? The rice itself is naturally gluten-free. The toppings vary by kitchen — marinades and sauces sometimes include soy sauce — so it’s worth confirming directly if you need to be strict about it. ### What does “sườn bì chả” mean on a menu? It’s the full combination order: sườn (grilled pork chop), bì (shredded pork skin), and chả (steamed egg-pork cake) all on one plate. Ordering just one of the three is common too — the menu name simply reflects which toppings are included. ### How many calories are in a full cơm tấm plate? A single topping typically runs 500 to 630 calories depending on which one. The full “đầy đủ” plate with all three toppings and a fried egg runs noticeably higher than any single figure, since it’s effectively three dishes on one plate. Cơm tấm rarely gets the international recognition phở or bánh mì have, which mostly comes down to it being harder to eat on the go — it’s a sit-down plate, not street food you can walk with. That’s also why it tends to reward finding a real Vietnamese kitchen over a general Asian-fusion spot. Between the map above and knowing what a proper “đầy đủ” plate should include, you’re better equipped to order one than most people searching blind.