All the Comforts of Israel

Every time I return from a trip to Israel, I find myself craving those creature comforts like iced coffee from Aroma, shoko b’sakit (chocolate milk in a bag) made by Yotvata, or the onion rings from Schnitzi at two in the morning after a great night out with friends. I wait impatiently to get back to all the yummy (albeit super unhealthy) restaurants in Israel.

Well, lucky me! New York is becoming Israel Junior! For years we’ve seen aspects of Israeli culture imported into New York and all over America: art, music, fashion, and jewelry. It seems a bit more complicated to import Israeli foods, which we can now find in many grocery stores now.  Now, however, the streets of New York are looking more and more like the streets of Israel, as satellites of some of the classic restaurants of Israel are popping up all over the five boroughs of New York.

Just as a highlight, here are a few Israeli restaurant landmarks you can visit if you are ever in New York:

Burger’s Bar–located in Midwood, Brooklyn and Cedarhurst, Long Island–has all the favorite kosher sandwiches and sauces of the Israeli chain…complete with the grease that makes it all so tasty! (You also get to scream your order over the counter, just like in Israel! Wahoo!)

Schnitzi–also in Midwood–has all of the variations of the kosher fried chicken sandwiches that the downtown Jerusalem location has, and of course, my favorite side dish, the onion rings (and tons of sauce options to dip them in).

Aroma–the Starbucks of Israel, if you will–is on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and in Soho, It has the great salads, bourekas, and sandwiches, but the best part is naturally the iced coffee–a vital indulgence on all of my Israel trips.

Max Brenner–aka Chocolate by the Bald Man–is in Manhattan’s Union Square. A lot of New Yorkers have no idea this place started in Israel, but they, like me, are more than willing to sample all the kosher chocolaty treats.

Yotvata–located in Fresh Meadows, Queens–you may recognize as the rest stop on the way South in Israel, or from its hoppin’ location in Tel Aviv. No, they don’t have shoko b’sakit (chocolate milk in a bag), but they will pour the rich, dairy, goodness into a glass for you. (They also have all sorts of good kosher pastas, salads, etc.)

El Gaucho–in Kensington, Brooklyn–offers the Argentinean food of the downtown Jerusalem location. A kosher carnivore’s dream.

So even when you get back from Israel, if you make your way to New York, you can still get some of those basic comforts for your taste buds.