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Akosher restaurant orkosherdeli is an establishment that serves food that complies with Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). These businesses, which also includediners,cafés,pizzerias,fast food, andcafeterias, and are frequently in listings together with kosherbakeries,butchers,caterers, and other similar places, differ fromkosher-style businesses in that they operate underrabbinical supervision, which requires the observance of the laws ofkashrut, as well as certain other Jewish laws, including theseparation of meat and dairy.
Such locations must be closed duringShabbat andJewish holidays if under Jewish ownership. In most cases, a kosher establishment is limited to serving exclusively eitherdairy (milchig) or meat (fleishig) foods.
Some types of businesses, such asdelicatessens, frequently serve both, kept in separate areas.Vegetarian (pareve) kosher restaurants serve only vegetarian fare.
Kosher dairy restaurants began to emerge in modern Europe and then 19th century America, primarily in New York. Descended from themilchhallen or "milk pavilions" of Europe, they popped up in theJewish immigrant community of theLower East Side in the late 19th, where there were at once hundreds of dairy restaurants.[1][2][3]
Due to rules aboutmilk and meat in Jewish law, kosher dairy restaurants do not serve meat. Their offerings may include dairy products, such as cheese and milk.Milchig restaurants may, and often do, serve fish, eggs, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and other foods classified as "pareve" under kosher rules. In the U.S., there have been many kosher pizza restaurants.
Kosherfleishig (meat) establishments often serve meat dishes popular withinMiddle Eastern cuisine, such asshawarma, along with common American fast-food staples likehot dogs andhamburgers. Fish is also frequently served atfleishig restaurants, though Orthodox kosher rules stipulate that fish should not be served on the same plate as meat.[citation needed]
KosherChinese restaurants are also common. These are mostly eitherfleishig orvegetarian (serving onlypareve food).
In recent years, a tradition has developed inJewish communities to eat Chinese food onChristmas Day (andChristmas Eve), as many Chinese restaurants are open on these days.[4] This phenomenon is the subject of the song "Chinese Food on Christmas."[5]
In the 21st century, there has been an increase in vegan restaurants that, among other things, deliberately cater to the needs of Jews who keep kosher. In the New York area, in particular, there are a growing number of restaurants with a kashrut certification aspareve. This label means that they must not contain any meat or dairy (e.g., cheese) products, though it does allow for fish and eggs.
Some Orthodox Jewish authorities reportedly treat strictly vegan restaurants as kosher, absent a certificate.[6] In May 2023, vegan restaurants gained a similar vote of approval byConservative Judaism's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.[7] The committee ruled that the kashrut restriction on cooking by gentiles does not apply to restaurants and that Jews may follow kashrut while eating at an unsupervised vegan or vegetarian restaurant, as long as (1) they do not eat there on the Sabbath, (2) nor on Saturday nights, preferably, and (3) avoid weeks near Passover, and (4) exclude eating fish at unsupervised vegetarian restaurants. The ruling also specified that Jews are permitted to eat at Indian restaurants that have images or statues of Hindu deities.[8]
Israel has a vibrantveganism movement, including Orthodox spokesmanAsa Keisar, with more than 500 vegan restaurants, which are seen as "naturally kosher" even without a certificate.[9][10]
While most kosher restaurants are small businesses operating only a single location, some operate multiple locations within a city (often in New York City).[citation needed] Some corporate restaurants and fast food chains operate kosher locations in places with Jewish populations.
InIsrael, kosherMcDonald's, andSbarro franchises can be found.[citation needed] In the United States, there are many kosherDunkin' Donuts,Krispy Kreme[11] andSubway locations.[12] Mostkosher Subways had failed by 2011, and some of these locations must modify their typical menus in order to comply with Jewish dietary laws.[13]
Among other major corporate chains,Baskin-Robbins ice cream is kosher at all locations, certified by the Vaad Hakashrut ofMassachusetts, with most flavors kosher.Rita's Italian Ice operates some locations under rabbinical supervision, in states such asMaryland,New Jersey,New York, andPennsylvania.
Areas with large Jewish populations, such asJerusalem,[14]New Jersey[15] andToronto, Ontario, Canada, are described as having many kosher restaurants, while other areas such asDublin, Ireland may be lacking.[16]
In theUnited States,New York City has the highest number of kosher restaurants, and inCanada,Toronto has the most.[citation needed] As of 2017, there were over 500 kosher restaurants in the New York area.[17] Locations such asPhiladelphia also have relatively small numbers of certified kosher restaurants.[18]
In cities with smaller Jewish populations, kosher dining is often limited to just a single establishment. Some cities do not have any kosher dine-in facilities, but small communities have other arrangements for Jewish residents to obtain ready-made kosher meals and other types of food that may be hard to obtain otherwise.[citation needed]
A kosher restaurant serves food that complies with Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). These businesses operate underrabbinical supervision, which requires that the laws ofkashrut, as well as certain other Jewish laws, must be observed.[citation needed] Among those laws, the meat and dairy cannot be mixed, and grape products made by non-Jews cannot be consumed.
Pork andshellfish cannot be served, and animals must be slaughtered by a certifiedshochet, frequently arabbi.[15] In most cases, the location is limited to serving exclusively either dairy or meat foods. But some types of establishments, such asdelicatessens, frequently serve both, kept in separate areas.[citation needed]
Such locations must be closed duringJewish holidays if under Jewish ownership.[citation needed] For example, kosher restaurants are closed from Friday evening to Saturday evening forShabbat.[19][20] In the New York area, many kosher restaurants close over the eight days ofPassover as "a matter of practicality," as staying open requires that noyeast-related products be used. The restaurants must also be thoroughly cleaned of yeast residue to be opened for Passover.
According to theWall Street Journal, more New York kosher restaurants in recent years have remained open on Passover, including both casual and fine-dining locations.[17]
Because many foods (excluding among otherspork orshellfish) can bekosher as long as food is prepared heeding Jewish laws, there are "koshersteakhouses, kosherpizzerias, kosher fish joints, kosherIndian restaurants, kosherThai places," and other sorts.[15]
Unlike in the general population, where manyrestaurants andfast food businesses specialize in a particular type of food, many kosher establishments have a variety of different types of popular food. Many kosherdelicatessens exist that serve bothmilchig (dairy) andfleishig (meat) foods that are kept separate.[citation needed]
Dairy items include sliced cheeses and cream cheese. Manypareve items and fish items are also served, such as smokedwhitefish salad andherring.
Pizza is a popular food served at kosher restaurants, but kosher pizza shops typically also serveMiddle Eastern cuisine, such asfalafel, and other foods that can be served with dairy, such as fish and pasta. Some locations also have the menus common at pizza shops.
Bagel shops are also common, servingbagels and cream cheese withlox and a variety of other spreads. At kosher bagel shops, salads may also be served.[citation needed][citation needed]
Many cities with Jewish communities also havekoshergrocery stores. These can range in size from acorner store, similar in style to adelicatessen, or a full-sizedsupermarket similar in appearance to abig box store. As of 2010, the largest such store in the United States isSeven Mile Market in the Baltimore suburb of Pikesville.[21]
Corporate supermarket chains also sometimes have "kosher" sections inside their locations in Jewish areas that specialize in food that is popular among religiouslyobservant Jews.
Koshercafeterias andfood stands can sometimes be found at college and university campuses,Jewish community centers, hospitals, professional sports stadiums, and some tourist attractions. In some of these locations where special stands do not exist, prepackaged kosher sandwiches and other meals are offered, or can be pre-ordered. Some airlines also offer kosher meals when ordered in advance.
Withkashrut being a very sensitive issue, there have been many controversies surrounding the kosher-dining industry.
In 1990, a planned kosher fundraising meal aboard a ship on the BaltimoreInner Harbor contained non-kosher food due to lack of business planning.[22] The mix-up was caused by a kosher and a non-kosher caterer under the same ownership.
Occasionally, an establishment operating as kosher will make the choice to drop its certification and become non-kosher.
One such instance was aDunkin inRockville, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, D.C.), which made the decision to be non-kosher in 2007 in order to offer menu items sold at non-kosher Dunkin' Donuts locations (such asham). This led to a protest.[11] Dunkin' Donuts still has several other kosher locations in the Greater Washington and Baltimore area.
In 2024, the kosher cafe was decertified in Australia, prompting an accusation ofracism by the owner, anEthiopian Jew.[23]
In some U.S. states and other jurisdictions, laws have been passed that mandate establishments that claim to bekosher to actually comply with Jewish dietary laws. These jurisdictions sometimes employrabbis to aid in enforcing these laws. Some of these laws, including one in New York State, have been overturned by courts on constitutional grounds.[24]
The more recent trend for these laws is simply to allow the establishment to disclose its ownkashrut standards, with the governmental authority then scrutinizing whether the establishment in fact lives by thekashrut standards it discloses. This approach appears to overcome theEstablishment Clause issue successfully.
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