Many kosher vacationers will be heading down to South Florida over the coming weeks for Yeshiva Week / Winter Break and are seeking some new kosher options in the area. If you haven’t been to the area in nearly 2 years, like me, I’ve compiled a list of some of the new places to investigate and taste.
Here are some kosher restaurants that have opened in the past 12-18 months or so that we are eyeing to try in the coming days (in no particular order).
Click the name of the restaurant for more details including map, hours of operation, and hashgacha:
- Zak the Baker Deli – Wynwood, Miami – we will no doubt be on line to visit the now famous Zak the Baker cafe/bakery, but we are also excited to try the new fleishig restaurant that just opened up this month.
- Ditmas Kitchen & Cocktails – Boca Raton – bringing his hit restaurant from LA, Chef Reznik now has a hip restaurant & bar on both coasts, and if it’s as good as its west coast counterpart, we’re all in for a treat.
- Raw Poke Bar – Ft. Lauderdale – Poke is the next big thing in kosher cuisine, especially for those who love sushi. I love poke (Hawaiian dish of raw fish and typically rice and veggies), and am excited to try this place out.
- MeaToast – North-Beach, Miami Beach – this is a smaller shop with a unique twist: fleishig paninis, which is all the rage in Israel. OK, I’ll bite.
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the Shnitz n’ Fritz food truck Shnitz N’ Fritz – Wynwood, Miami – adding to the now growing kosher scene in Wynwood, this kosher food truck is attempting to bring artisanal schnitzel & fries to the street food scene down south.
- Hummus Factory – Hollywood – The newer of the 2 new hummus joints in Hollywood. It’s hard to turn down hummus.
- Cold Pressed Raw – Downtown Miami – vegan, veggie based raw foods, puddings, toasts, and desserts.
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Acqua Trattoria – Aventura – Already setting itself up as a premier dairy restaurant, we’ve been hearing good things.
- Hummus Asli – Hollywood – Not sure yet how Hummus Asli & Hummus Factory distinguish themselves from another, but I guess there’s only one way to find out. Try ’em both!
- City Juice – Brickell, Miami – healthy restaurant offering cold pressed juices, acai bowls, rice bowls and more near downtown Miami.
- Brickell Kosher Deli – Brickell, Miami – glatt kosher deli served on Zak the Baker sourdough, also offering local delivery downtown.
- Blaze Tex Mex BBQ – North Miami Beach – burger joint offering lots of sandwich customizations, open late.
- Foozo – North Miami Beach – offering beautiful artisanal pizzas, as well as pastas, salads, and more.
- Kosha – Boca Raton – Thai / sushi restaurant in Boca
- Su Thai – Boca Raton – Thai / sushi restaurant in Boca
- Which is better? Kosha or Su Thai? You be the judge.
If you get to try any of these places in the coming weeks, please comment below with your detailed thoughts. Thanks!
It’s possible we may have missed a restaurant or two on this list. It was not intentional.
As a South Floridian, allow me to comment on the 4 restaurants I have experienced:
1. Acqua Trattoria (owned by the same person who owns Fuego, Blaze Tex Mex, and Foozo). It’s a great dairy and fish restaurant. Especially good for fish and desserts.
2. Blaze Tex Mex – the former location of Fuego is the biggest disappointment. It’s a fast food restaurant with minuscule portions. You can “super-size” your orders but you’ll need a micro-scope to see the difference. The food is decent – the value is not.
3. Foozo – the best pizza in South Florida bar none. Handmade with a wood-burning oven. Great sandwiches and humongous salads. If you can think of it, you can have it on your salad. Plus – the pasta portions are generous. And – in a first for South Florida, Foozo is the only restaurant with gluten free pasta as an option. The service is friendly. Don’t even think of leaving without taking some food home. One of the truly under-rated stars of South Florida kosher establishments.
4. Ditmas Boca – Highly touted because of it’s Chef and LA past, smart visitors will dine exclusively on appetizers and skip the main courses (you’ll be sorry.) The menu is filled with jokes and offerings such as whitefish on a bagel (seriously), fried dough (how appetizing), and their signature fries with salsa and mayo. Their beef tacos and lamb sliders got great reviews. If you order a bunch of appetizers, you’ll be happy and full. But if you order a main course, they are over-priced and under valued. I’ll pay $40+ for a steak but please cook it to my specifications. Chef – medium is not raw (or rare).
If you’re in Boca head over to Butcher Block for a great burger or steak. And the new Thai place Kosha is excellent for sushi and Thai food. (It gets crowded).
A word of caution – Mozart did really poorly on their recent health inspection. You might want to head over to Jon’s instead.
Freshbreak is no longer opened but there is a new Kosher in Brickell – called City Juice http://www.cityjuicebrickell.com/c/ their also on Ubereats
I haven’t been to some of these (the raw places and Boca thai) but can give feedback on the others, as a Hollywood resident and fellow What’s for Dinner Wahi Foodie:
– Acqua Trattoria: super yummy. Delicious homemade pasta and fish, nice ambience and service, in my opinion much better than neighboring Fuego (but Jews like their meat). Definitely worth a visit. I want their risotto NOW.
– Ditmas: I’ve heard mixed reviews, not so surprising for a new place. We’re trying it tomorrow for our anniversary dinner, so I can follow-up. I heard the fries, flatbread pizza, and artichoke soup were all great.
– Foozo: Yup, it’s good. Small and casual, good for a quick lunch with kiddos or taking food out. I like the “Foozoli”, which are their signature calzone-type offerings.
– Blaze: Agree with person below. Meh.
– ZTB deli: Just tried it on Sunday. SUPER long wait, even at an off time, so I highly recommend going early or late for your sanity. The menu is tiny, about four sandwiches and a soup (word is full menu will start after Pesach). My husband had the corned beef and I had the smoked fish sandwich. I loved mine. Totally yummy.
– Hummus places- Hollywood is chock full of ’em. They’re all good, but can’t for the life of me figure out why we need so many, and I wouldn’t make a special trip for them. I would, however, make a trip for Levy’s babka, which is the best.
– Brickell Kosher Deli- I haven’t been, but my husband has gotten food from there a few times at his office, and said it was solid.
* Big caveat to any experience you have down here is that, as I think you know, Yeshiva week is the absolute worst week of the year for SoFlo restaurant service. Your experience won’t be representative of what it’s like when things are less insane down here.
Have a great trip!
Follow up on Backyard BBQ in Surfside:
This WAS one of my favorite restaurants. You used to get a big greeting from the manager and they continuously checked up on you during the meal – even when they were crowded. Those days are over.
Apparently, the restaurant was recently sold. The menus have no connection to what’s actually being served.
I wanted to know about sauces on the ribs. The waitress showed me side dishes. I said to her “sauces”. She pointed to the side dishes. Then I realized she barely spoke english.
The salad I received was just lettuce. I asked where the salad was. They pointed to the lettuce. My dinning partner got an actual salad. They didn’t understand that plain lettuce was not a salad.
The tiny portion of ribs made me dream of the Dinosaur ribs of the past. But they told me, the dinosaur ribs are history. They will not return to Backyard BBQ. Today’s ribs were a piece called triangle. The sauce on the ribs was probably at least 1/2 thick.
The other 1/2 inch went on top of my chicken. It didn’t even say it came with sauce.
A disappointing evening. Pathetic service. I had to chase them down for my check.
A great restaurant no longer.
Did you know that this article has been at the top of your YeahThatsKosher homepage for months?
not kosher yet but with great Poke Bowls: https://fuel-miami.com