Favorite Places: Get Your Nom On At Nami

We are excited to be starting Favorite Places where every week we share a great location from somewhere in Arizona. This week's spot is one of Cailin's favorite dessert spots, and maybe it will become one of your favorites too.

Writing and images from Cailin Koy, blogger at Sassy Dove  and Mommy Dove.

Other than the occasional ASU-adjacent bohemian stint you find in Tempe (inevitably tucked between Buffalo Wild Wings and Native New Yorker), there are few places in the Phoenix metro more hip than those gracing Roosevelt Row. Just north of this urban Mecca near 7th St. and McDowell is nami (lowercase by design), the kid sister of local favorite Green. 

Nami's fare is coffeeshop-chic for the underground set and blends breakfast with dessert; locally roasted coffee, scramble-stuffed burritos, donuts, cupcakes, and decadent ice cream treats make up their daily menu. Did I mention all that stuff is vegan?

That's right. Nami doesn't serve anything that isn't made with 100% vegan ingredients. But don't pass that on to any meat fanatic co-diners, and they just might not notice. Both Green and Nami are designed as vegan-friendly indulgences, meant to give the veggie-devoted a break from kale and avocado frisee and let them chow down on faux Big Macs and sundaes. And it's so good that if no one told you that you were eating breakfast scrambles made from tofu instead of eggs, you would probably never know. 

And that's part of the idea. Nami doesn't make a big deal about the fact that they're vegan, because they want you to know that you can eat animal-free without that being the point of the meal. The ice cream is delicious and the donuts are amazing, no matter what they're made of. 

Another element that makes nami unique is its stylish hipster vibe; art collections from local creatives rotate in and out regularly and the music is a mix of indie favorites (you've probably never heard of them) and classics (the White Album has blared on more than one of my visits, and I'm pretty sure nami liked the Beatles before they were cool). 

What I Would Recommend
You can't leave nami without trying its namesake, the tSoynami. A play on "tsunami", the tSoynami is a mixture of soy ice cream and the diner's choice of ingredients, similar to a Blizzard at Dairy Queen or a McFlurry at McDonald's. (But so much better.) My favorite is the Betterfinger, a mixture of their house-made ice cream, Chic-o-Stix and toffee nut syrup. Absolute heaven.

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Where is it? Nami is located at 2014 N. 7th Street in Phoenix.

Cailin Koy is the blogger at SassyDove.com and MommyDove.com. She has been blogging for seven years and has even written two books on the subject. Cailin spends as much of her free time as possible eating, decorating and mascara shopping.  

Would you like to share one of your favorite places with us? Send us an email: contactus@iheartaz.com