Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisines have taken the nation’s restaurant spotlight. Thrillist notes that from coast to coast, “familiar street food like shawarma and falafel” go award-winning when given some contemporary-chef love. Philadelphia’s Michael Solomonov won the prestigious James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef last year. The restaurant Shaya, in New Orleans, highly regarded for its blend of Israeli and Southern flavors, was named the country’s Best New Restaurant. This year, Los Angeles’s modern, fresh, Middle Eastern-inspired Kismet is up for the same award.
Of course, Boston’s own kosher catering restaurants can knock shawarma and falafel out of the (Fenway) park. These kosher restaurants in Boston do this while complying with strict kashrut dietary laws, so you can rest assured knowing that the flavorful salads and juicy grilled-meat sandwiches under the spotlight are kosher.
Rami’s (Harvard Street, Brookline)
Rami’s has been serving up golden, crispy falafel since 1990. It’s hard not to appreciate the restaurant’s willingness to accept last-minute catering orders. Plus, Rami’s prepares super-flavorful Israeli and Middle Eastern eats with authentic and trusted recipes. Mix-and-match appetizers, like creamy hummus topped with nutty tahini, fluffy turnovers, and crispy deep-fried veggie cigars. Entree platters are piled high—try the chicken kebabs, fragrant with curry and onions and grilled until juicy. The tuna salad, brightened with lemon, and crisp breaded schnitzel are good, too. With vegetarian and meat options available to you, feeding a mix of vegetarian and meat-loving kosher guests is a snap.
Pure Cold Press (Harvard Street, Brookline)
Eaters looking for Boston’s kosher catering restaurants with healthy, nutrient-dense eats will find a mecca in Pure Cold Press. The kosher operation pops fresh ingredients into everything. The Thai Time sandwich layers vegetarian tofu, veggies, and peanut sauce. Salads include everything from crunchy pita chips to raw kale, tempeh, and quinoa. Cauliflower and lentil, split-pea, and zucchini soups feed vegan and gluten-free eaters, too. Some herbs are even grown right in the store. The sweet basil and rosemary in your just-made dressings won’t taste fresher anywhere else.
Chik Chak Food Truck (Boylston Street, Brookline)
Sometimes the best kosher restaurants in Boston come straight to you! Chik Chak takes up the food-truck trend and drives crispy fried vegetarian falafel, deep-fried “meat cigars” teeming with juicy ground beef, and fresh hummus and baba ganoush right to where you need them. For an ample, filling spread, the catering packages combine entrees and appetizers, in beautiful presentations with contrasting color and crunch. To make sure every meal ends right, order the baklava to bring just enough sweet into your life.
Jerusalem Pita & Grill (Pleasant Street, Brookline)
Customers seeking the best home cookery that Boston’s kosher catering restaurants can provide adore Jerusalem Pita & Grill. For a full spread of kosher treats, mix and match from an extensive list of appetizers, like stuffed grape leaves, bourekas (puff pastries filled with soft potato or mushroom), “Moroccan cigars” (crispy dough filled with seasoned ground beef), or an array of fiery and sweet wings. Juicy, spit-roasted turkey shawarma comes on chewy pita bread or (for an easy upgrade) laffa—its thicker, fluffier cousin. For a taste of Jerusalem, kebobs of beef and lamb pair with two side choices like veggies grilled to a perfect char and steamed herbed rice. No matter the order, the feast feels like home.
Kupel’s Bakery (Harvard Street, Brookline)
The best bagels that Boston’s kosher-catering bakeries deliver come from Kupel’s Bakery. Since 1978, its kitchen has made bagels three times a day to ensure that they put out bagels with a super-crunchy skin that yields to a flawless chew. The breakfast-platter catering packages are a sure-fire hit. Start with bagel options like cinnamon raisin, egg, pumpernickel, everything, and whole wheat. Then an abundance of fresh cream cheese keeps sweet and savory tooths satiated: honey walnut balances mixed veggies; fresh strawberry compliments sharp chives. Top it off with the pastries that Food & Wine calls “divine” and a successful day is guaranteed. When it comes to kosher restaurants in Boston that keep bagel eaters happy (until one hour before sundown on Friday!), no one does it better than Kupel’s.
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