A new Vietnamese cafe and restaurant called Annam Tan is set to take over 33 E. 33rd St. in NoMad, with an opening planned for early February 2027. The concept comes from a team already known for Thai food in the neighborhood, and it marks their first step into Vietnamese cuisine, pairing banh mi and Vietnamese coffee with classic dishes carrying Indochine influences.
Annam Tan is owned by Chef Chidensee “Joel” Watthanawongwat, Kittiya Mokkarat and Supatta Banklouy of Sawasdee Hospitality, according to WhatNow. The hospitality group currently operates the acclaimed Thai restaurants Soothr and Sappeisan, giving Annam Tan a built-in pedigree even as it branches into new culinary territory. On Instagram, the company's account, @sawasdee_shm, describes itself as embodying “the essence of Thai welcoming hospitality,” a tagline that will now extend to a Vietnamese concept for the first time.
The idea for Annam Tan is personal for Chef Joel, who has Vietnamese family roots and grew up immersed in Vietnamese food, language and culture, per the same report. Partner Ratthee Rueangpisansin said Annam Tan is inspired by the chef and his Vietnamese family background, and that the team is excited to offer a new perspective to diners. The restaurant will blend traditional Vietnamese flavors with modern techniques, with Rueangpisansin noting that the team plans to “give it some twists with a modern technique” to elevate familiar dishes.
What's on the Menu, and What's Still a Mystery
Annam Tan's menu remains in development, but the broad strokes are set. The cafe will serve classic Vietnamese dishes with Indochine influences from Laos and Thailand, alongside banh mi built on a crusty baguette with savory meats, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs. Vietnamese coffee sourced directly from Vietnam will anchor the cafe side of the operation, and ingredients will otherwise be sourced locally in New York for freshness, with select products brought in from Vietnam to round out the menu.
To shape both the food and the space, the Annam Tan team recently traveled to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for inspiration, drawing on those cities for the restaurant's interior design as well as its culinary direction. Rueangpisansin has framed the project as a natural evolution for a company that has spent seven years building a name in Thai food and is now ready to tell a different story on the same stretch of Manhattan.
Joining a Growing Vietnamese Coffee Scene
Annam Tan arrives as dedicated Vietnamese coffee cafes have become increasingly prominent across the city, according to Of All Places NYC. A NoLita cafe that opened in May 2025 sources its beans from Vietnam while roasting them locally, while Lê Phin has served coffee brewed using the traditional phin method in the East Village since 2022. Kinhfolk's Williamsburg storefront finally opened in late 2025 after years running as a mobile coffee cart, and spots like Kawaii Cafe on Christopher Street, which imports beans and condensed milk from Vietnam, and Hien on Mott Street, which focuses on strong, slow-filtered Vietnamese coffee and teas, have further cemented the category's foothold in New York.
No pricing, hours or reservation details have been released for Annam Tan, and the menu itself is still being finalized. For now, NoMad diners have a early-2027 target date and a team with a track record in nearby Thai dining to watch as the Vietnamese cafe concept takes shape at 33 E. 33rd St.
