Philadelphia Food Review: Zahav

If you are a foodie living in Philadelphia, you’ve probably heard about Zahav, the uber-popular Israeli restaurant that has been dazzling customers’ taste buds since opening in 2008, snagged the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant” in 2019, and all these years later is STILL one of the hardest reservations to score in the city. Needless to say, eating at this iconic spot has been on my bucket list for some time now.

Lucky for me, a well-connected friend of mine was able to coordinate a group dinner for 27 of us, securing a private room in the back of the restaurant, with a specially curated menu which included all of chef Michael Solomonov’s most popular dishes. In preparation of this special dinner, I barely ate all day, saving room in my belly for the feast that was to come.

As I said, our friend customized this unbelievable menu for us, giving our large group a chance to try all of the “must-have” dishes, with everything served family style. I’ll do my best to try and remember everything we ate, but honestly it became a blur after a while, with plate after plate of amazing and colorful food being presented to us.

We started things off with Hummus-Tehina, Laffa Bread, and a selection of Salatim (Beets with Tehina, Twice-Cooked Eggplant, Pickled Napa Cabbage, Moroccan Carrots, Green Beans with Matbucha, Spicy Fennel). I’m not much for veggies, but I did try most of them and they were interesting. But let me tell you, the hummus most definitely lived up to the hype, it was the best I ever had, and I could have eaten it all night!

After that, the Chef’s Selection of Mezze came out, which included Brussels Sprouts, Haloumi, and Salmon Crudo. All of these were delicious in their own right, but none were real standouts for me. Not a huge deal, as we had plenty of food still to come, and I didn’t want to get full.

Then it was time for the entrees. Naturally, we got the Pomegranate Lamb Shoulder, as that’s Mike Solomonov’s signature dish: a whole-roasted, falling-apart lamb shoulder that has been dry-aged, smoked, and glazed with pomegranate molasses, served with crispy Persian wedding rice. So juicy and flavorful, I can see why the lamb shoulder is so popular!

The Smoked Chicken (with Shipka Peppers, Za’atar and Tehina) was another surprise hit for me, just full of flavor and cooked perfectly, nice and juicy. As for the Yemenite-Style Short Rib (with Braised Greens and Confit Potatoes), I had high hopes for this, as I’m a short ribs fan, but as you can see from the photo, it was pretty dry and flavorless. Needless to say, I mainly stuck with the Lamb and Chicken, of which there was plenty. Controversial take – While both dishes were great, I think I actually liked the chicken more than the lamb.

For dessert, we had the Chocolate Konafi, a sophisticated version of a popular Israeli dessert. This delectable buttery pastry is made with threads of semolina dough loaded with labneh, chocolate, and pistachio, topped with coconut jam. It’s sweet, crunchy, and oh so delicious. I went in for seconds with no shame, it was just that good. I had a long walk back to the PATCO station afterwards, so I’d just burn the extra calories that way. 🙂

Overall, I really enjoyed my dining experience at Zahav. This was my first time eating Middle Eastern food, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but others at my table said it was the best they ever had. So if you’re in the mood for some delicious, authentic Israeli cuisine, Zahav is one place you definitely need to check out.

As I said, reservations are very hard to come by, so you should definitely plan ahead. Weekend reservations are booked out 60 days in advance, with weeknights booked two to three weeks out. That said, the 16-seat bar and four spots at the chef’s counter are first come, first served. Show up a little before the restaurant opens at 5pm and you should be golden.

Zahav
237 St. James Place
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
Tel: 215-625–8800