Jewish cuisine is on the list of the oldest. It so happened historically that this people scattered around the world and for several millennia adopted the traditions and culinary customs of other cuisines.
Features of Jewish cuisine
The main distinguishing feature - during cooking and eating dishes to follow all the laws of kashrut. The holy book of the Jewish people of Torah contains a set of rules that determine a special attitude to food. Food is not only a satisfaction of a natural need, but also a spiritual principle that helps a person to be elevated.
According to the laws of kashrut, food is divided into kosher and not kosher. The first consists of three categories:
- Dairy
- Neutral
- Meat dishes.
The first and third categories should be prepared in a separate bowl and in no case should be used at the same time. In Jewish cuisine, there is no place for pork, meat of carnivorous animals, birds, hare and fish without scales.
The list of allowed foods includes vegetable and dairy foods. The most used vegetables are carrots, beets, onions, cabbage, radish and potatoes.
Popular Jewish Restaurants in Moscow: List and Addresses
Despite many prohibitions and restrictions, chefs have learned to cook traditional dishes so that you lick your fingers. As mentioned earlier, the kitchen prohibits the use of the back of cloven-hoofed mascara, there are marine animals without scales, and mixing dairy products with meat. But from the rest of the ingredients hearty, delicious dishes are prepared, and each institution has the right to bear the title "The Best Restaurant of Jewish Cuisine".
Moscow has at least 6 popular places where residents of the capital and guests from different countries, including Israel, spend their leisure time with pleasure:
- "Cafe XXI". The facility is located on Bolshaya Kamenshchiki Street, house 21/8 (metro station: "Markistskaya", "Proletarskaya" and "Taganskaya"). The cozy room has 50 seats, and besides the Jewish one, you can taste Italian and home-made cuisine here.
- Grammys. The restaurant is located at st. Kievskaya metro station, on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, 2/1, building 6. The average bill per person varies from 2,000 to 3,000 rubles. In addition to Jewish dishes, you can enjoy masterpieces of author's cuisine here.
- "Odessa Mama". According to one of the restaurant critics, an institution located on Chistye Prudy (Krivokolenny lane, building 10, building 5) surrounds you with a pleasant atmosphere from the first minutes. Despite the name, there is no enumeration of marine subjects. Everything is neat and cosmopolitan.
- Dizengoff99 - a democratic institution with Israeli cuisine, reminiscent of a standard diner in Tel Aviv. Address: metro Taganskaya, 1st Goncharny lane 4, building 2.
- "Izzy Grill". In addition to Jewish, you can try dishes of Chinese and European cuisines. The restaurant is located on the street. Leo Tolstoy house 16.
- Mitzva. At the metro station "Sportivnaya", on the Usachevsky market, there is an institution, better known as "Humusiya". In simple terms, here you can try hummus, babaganush in pita and drink them with homemade lemonade or hot punch.
The best restaurant of Jewish cuisine (Moscow), according to residents and guests of the capital
Compared to others, the “Place” can be safely called the religious anthem “Ancient recipes of traditional Jewish cuisine.” The pride of the restaurant is the Ashkenazi menu, where they offer to try the delicate and mouth-melting forshmak, served with ruddy pancakes for 600 rubles, roast brisket and white meat from beef for 1400 rubles, gefillet fish for 650 rubles.
The food of the restaurant chef Nikolai Gritskov since the opening of the restaurant has never been criticized. Judging by the reviews of visitors, the fiery-sharp matbuha and babaganusha with tkhin performed by him are especially popular.
Another advantage: the best Jewish restaurant (Moscow) opened in the right place for the entire diaspora - a step from the synagogue located on Bolshaya Bronnaya. Often at one of the tables you can meet the chief rabbi of Russia - Berl Lazar. Therefore, there can be no doubt about food kosher.
The rational decision will be to order “Jerusalem Dinner” for 690 rubles, which includes humming smelling seasoning of zira, fresh pita, falafel and boiled egg.
Odessa cuisine is when it’s delicious
Unfortunately, in Moscow there is no Roksolanovsky potato, Danube herring and even a view of the sea. But often there is domestic aggression, noisy streets, dank weather conditions and continuous nerves. And the only metropolitan antidepressant are considered friendly gatherings. Odessa-Mama is a source of positive and good mood.
The guests of the establishment forget about diets, calorie counting, culinary breakthroughs and bad news of the exchange. The atmosphere here is sincere and simple, just like my mother’s, only in a southern hospitable way.
Everything is pleasant in the restaurant: from the menu to the view from the window. Despite the connection with Odessa, here you will not find a surplus of marine subjects, the interior of the communal apartment is missing. True, there is some cosmopolitanism of the port city, but it looks very neat. No sofas with a hookah and hanging linen under the ceiling. And the menu is such that it seems that there simply cannot be another.
A bread set costs about 100 rubles and is considered a separate dish. The most unusual performance of Gefile Fish can be found only in Odessa-Mom. Why be smart when you can serve 3 meatballs with glued fish skin with horseradish and mustard sauce.
According to guest reviews, this is the best restaurant of Jewish cuisine (Moscow), where all troubles are forgotten under the onslaught of delicious forcemeat, and tsunamis of adversity dissolve in green cabbage soup with calf ribs. Ducane dishes? Molecular cuisine? Forget about it and enjoy potatoes with cracklings and mackerel with onions.
Where is kosher?
In the very center of the capital, on Bolshaya Bronnaya, on the fifth floor of the synagogue, there is another cozy establishment - the kosher restaurant Jerusalem.
Much attention is paid to security, so before entering every guest is obliged to hand over things for scanning and go through the frame of the metal detector. Nearby is a stand for those who want to equip themselves with various Jewish things.
After you go through all the security procedures, you will be greeted by a friendly hostess, to the question of which: "Do you want to have dinner with us" - I want to answer the Odessa style: "Yes, yes!" If weather conditions permit, be sure to book a table on the summer terrace. Now you will find out why.
The tables have 4 formats: for 2, 3, 4 and 6 people. Everything has been created here for convenience: wicker chairs, upholstered chairs, a small fountain, and a glass dome above your head. The roof offers a view of the terrace, decorated with palm trees in pots. All this resembles sunny Israel.
Near the tables are flower pots with beautiful, but artificial flowers. As soon as the guest feels a slight chill, he will immediately be offered a blanket.
Restaurant "Jerusalem" on Bronnaya has its own audience. Mostly the institution is visited by intelligent people. Therefore, the outfit should choose the appropriate one.
In addition to Jewish menus, you can also find Japanese dishes. But the focus is on a large selection of kosher food and desserts. Visitors are advised to try pomegranate wine, red tea with mint and hibiscus in Jerusalem, soup with lentils.
Jewish taste of the capital
The updated kosher restaurant "Rimon" is located on the second floor of the Choral Synagogue. On the menu, in addition to the Jewish one, dishes of Russian and European cuisines prepared according to an old recipe are presented.
Everything here is conducive to comfort: from delicious food to friendly staff. The restaurant also hosts theme nights, Israeli chef master classes and children's parties.
From 12:00 to 18:00 Rimon offers to purchase business lunches at a special price. And during the week you can get a 20% discount on Shabbat meals.
Funny prices and an open attitude
Restaurant "Izya-grill" - another kosher institution in the capital, located near the metro station "Novoslobodskaya". The first part of the name comes from the English word easy - "easy." And this is actually so - the interior is designer, with brick walls, with a fully open kitchen, a short menu, a simple but high-tech kitchen and low prices.
Izya Grill positions itself as a street food restaurant. The fairly compact menu mainly includes Asian hits: noodles, soups, shawarma, as well as dishes on a wok and grill.
Judging by the reviews of visitors, despite the delicious dishes, the service in the institution is "lame." Therefore, if the level of service is important to you, then you have to look for another restaurant.
Where to cook the best hummus
Remember the movie "Don't mess with Zohan", where the main character brushed his teeth and saved people from fire using hummus? The Hummus is not famous for such feats, but it prepares the title dish according to a proven old Jerusalem recipe, which uses lemon with a good balance of acid, buttery pine nuts, and at the end of the dish there is a bitterness of tkhina.
Do not skimp on a serving of falafel: in addition to fiery chickpea and hummus, homemade pickles, amba sauce and chili pepper are added to the pita. For convenience, the cake is packed in a paper pocket. For all the pleasure you will have to pay only 280 rubles, but in return you will get a hearty lunch, after which you hardly want to have dinner.
To continue your meal at The Hummus restaurant, you can order the Jerusalem mixture: fried chicken with onions, spices and mushrooms, served on a thin tortilla.
Summarizing
Which Jewish restaurant in Moscow is the best is up to you. But now you know where in the capital you can find hummus with the most silky texture, true falafel, gefilte-fish, and where - fire shakshuka.