Why secular foodies are flocking to Bnei Brak for Shabbat flavors

Thursday night may be the Haredis’ favorite “night out”, but in Bnei Brak, they’re not the only ones lining up for a steaming bowl of cholent, kugel and petchah (calf’s foot jelly). At the city’s iconic Jewish Restaurant, diners, many of them secular, flock in for a hearty Shabbat-style meal. “More than 70 percent of our customers are secular,” the staff says. We joined the line for a heaping plate.

In recent years, Bnei Brak has emerged as a unique culinary destination where traditional Jewish food meets a modern-day taste. Bakeries selling challah by the dozen, delis stocked with salted fish and massive pots of cholent bubbling on sidewalk stands are composing the city’s food scene.

Seven kinds of cholent at The Jewish Restaurant

(Photo: Sapir Gordo)

The cuisine in Bnei Brak is rooted in time-honored Jewish recipes passed down through generations. It reflects the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle: simple ingredients, bold flavors and dishes that bring together community, tradition and the spirit of Shabbat.

Despite the city’s conservative image, its food scene has expanded in recent years and includes guided culinary tours drawing both curious visitors and nostalgic locals who wish to indulge in a homemade dish.

So what makes Bnei Brak a must-visit for food lovers? Every Thursday, a 22-year-old establishment known simply as The Jewish Restaurant hosts its weekly Cholent Festival, or Cholentiada, as locals call it. It’s an all-day celebration of food, culture and community that runs from 11:30 a.m. until midnight, peaking in the late afternoon and evening hours.

What’s on the menu? The starring dish is, of course, cholent, which stands in absolute contrast to the polished, elegant meals trending on Instagram. This is comfort food at its most chaotic and delicious. The restaurant serves seven versions, including:

Classic Ashkenazi cholent with potatoes, beans, meat and kishke; Moroccan S’hina with chickpeas, wheat, rice, hard-boiled eggs and deep spices; Iraqi T’bit, a slow-cooked chicken and rice stew seasoned with cardamom and Iraqi Baharat; Hamin’Kados, a blend of beans, sausages and dry sausage cooked for hours; smoked cholent, with rich, smoky meat flavors; Tripolitanian T’bechah, beet-based with semolina dumplings and fat, the kind that grandmothers used to make; and vegetarian cholent, an Eastern European-style dish with legumes, garlic and potatoes.

Alongside cholent, diners can order three types of kugel: sweet and peppery Jerusalem noodle kugel, potato kugel kept warm on a Shabbat hotplate and yapchik – a mix of potatoes and meat.

The spread also includes kishke, assorted salads, fried treats and, of course, fresh challah. The portions here are generous.

A large serving of cholent, with salad and challah, costs 59 NIS. Chopped liver can be added for 30 NIS. Jerusalem-style noodle kugel is 25 NIS, and the potato-and-meat kugel is 58 NIS. For fans of culinary nostalgia, jellied calf’s foot sells for 25 NIS.

Sweet kugel

(Photo: Sapir Gordo)

The restaurant is owned by an ultra-Orthodox Vizhnitz Hasid, but the chef behind the boiling pots is Zion Asor, a Moroccan cook. “His gefilte fish could rival any Polish grandmother’s,” says Michal Zilbershlag, the restaurant’s marketing director and culinary consultant.

At the front counter, a cheerful server manages the rush. “My favorite is the beet t’bechah,” he says. “It’s impossible to resist, with those dumplings, the long cooking time, it’s just addictive. The t’bit is incredible, too.”

The customers seem to agree. Some fill takeout boxes and carts with assorted dishes, while others prefer to sit down and soak in the atmosphere.

The kitchen runs like clockwork, constantly swapping out empty trays for full ones. The cholent pots never stop boiling and being refilled. “This place runs like a factory,” says a staff member. “The pots seem to be limitless.”

The Cholentiada feels more like a street food fair. The crowd may surprise some. On the Thursday we visited, most diners were from the ultra-Orthodox community, but many were secular foodies from nearby cities.

“You’d think it’s mostly religious and Haredi people here, but no,” Zilbershlag notes. “Many people from Tel Aviv come just for the food and the cultural culinary experience. It’s become a kind of culinary scene. Over 70 percent of the customers are secular. They come to the area for the market, or they make a special trip just for this food.”

For the ultra-Orthodox, Thursday night cholent is a weekend ritual like going out for drinks, a weekend routine. “There’s a real synergy here, no lines drawn between religious and secular,” she adds.

“Veteran secular diners know that for real cholent and kugel, you go to Bnei Brak. Over time, word spread, and it became a trend. A glimpse into the community, the past, nostalgia and, of course, the food.”

So what’s the most popular dish?
“The authentic Jewish food of yesteryear: gefilte fish, chopped liver, salted fish, kugels and more.”

Despite all of Israel’s tensions, one thing still brings people together: food. Especially something hot, like cholent.