{"id":261741,"date":"2025-11-14T04:34:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T04:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/261741\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T04:34:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T04:34:09","slug":"meet-the-kosher-restaurant-expert-helping-travelers-find-food-w","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/261741\/","title":{"rendered":"meet the kosher restaurant expert helping travelers find food w"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elan Kornblum is likely the world\u2019s leading expert on kosher dining<\/a>. For more than 22 years, he\u2019s been covering the kosher food scene \u2014 first through a print magazine and now via a Facebook group with over 130,000 members, all passionate about one thing: where to find great kosher food around the globe. \u201cI eat for a living,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n

According to Kornblum, the kosher dining world is undergoing the same transformations seen in the broader restaurant industry, with ethnic cuisine now emerging as the dominant trend. \u201cAcross the U.S., ethnic restaurants are popping up more \u2014 Georgian, Bukharian, Russian, Indian. Of course, you\u2019ve still got the staples like Italian and Japanese. But ethnic is what\u2019s growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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1 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05de\u05e1\u05e2\u05d3\u05ea<\/a>\"\u05de\u05e1\u05e2\u05d3\u05ea<\/p>\n

Immersion Restaurant in Tel Aviv; ‘People want experiences, not just food’<\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy of the restaurant)<\/p>\n

He also notes the spread of \u201cghost kitchens,\u201d particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cYou\u2019ve got commissaries running four different cuisines from one kitchen \u2014 Chinese, American, Italian \u2014 all delivered from the same place. It\u2019s cost-effective, no waiters, no storefront. And the food\u2019s often great.\u201d<\/p>\n

What other trends are you noticing?<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople go out to eat for the experience now,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they want food, they can stay home. But if you\u2019re going out, you want a show \u2014 you want something unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentions Immersion in Tel Aviv, a gourmet kosher restaurant that combines 3D graphics, tech and design. \u201cIt\u2019s expensive, but people are willing to pay for the experience,\u201d he says. \u201cSame with Pitmaster \u2014 they offer a meat show. It\u2019s not just a steak on a plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do non-Jews also dine at kosher restaurants abroad?<\/p>\n

Running a kosher restaurant isn\u2019t easy. \u201cPeople think, \u2018Oh, I know how to cook, I\u2019ll open a kosher place.\u2019 But it\u2019s so much more than that,\u201d he says. \u201cLabor, rent, kosher supervision \u2014 it all adds up.\u201d<\/p>\n

But good kosher food can appeal to everyone. \u201cIn New York, a lot of non-Jews eat at kosher restaurants \u2014 especially for business meetings. Places like Reserve Cut and Barnea cater to that professional crowd. They\u2019re upscale, polished, people go for the food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is the \u201cInstagram-worthy dish\u201d trend affecting the kosher restaurant scene?<\/p>\n

Kornblum is also wary of social media and artificial intelligence distorting how people perceive food. \u201cI see a lot of fake videos \u2014 AI-generated dishes, celebrity endorsements that didn\u2019t happen. It\u2019s a big problem,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople are constantly asking me: \u2018Is this real?\u2019 A lot of times, we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05dc\u05dfElan Kornblum, Kosher Food Expert
\nPhoto: Courtesy<\/p>\n

He insists on authenticity. \u201cI never post filtered photos. I tell the restaurant: serve me exactly what you serve customers. I don\u2019t want people thinking I got something special. If a dish looks good but doesn\u2019t taste good, what\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n

Which kosher restaurants in Israel do you like?<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind Paris, Israel has probably the best kosher restaurants in the world,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019ve got everything \u2014 shawarma, falafel, street food, high-end places. I could eat at a different place every day for a year and love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s especially drawn to simplicity. \u201cSome of the best meals are just schnitzel and chips. Israeli chefs really get that \u2014 take something basic and elevate it just a little. It works, especially with today\u2019s prices. Not everyone can drop 300 shekels on steak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any recommendations in Israel and New York?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not necessarily the best restaurants, but I\u2019ve had great experiences,\u201d he says. \u201cDecks and Pagoda in Tiberias were fantastic \u2014 right on the water, great family memories. Pitmaster is also great for meat lovers.\u201d<\/p>\n

In New York, he recommends Barnea in Manhattan and Le Marais, a French kosher classic that\u2019s been serving customers for over 30 years. \u201cIt\u2019s always consistent, always good.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most surprising place you found kosher restaurants?<\/p>\n

\u201cPanama City,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019ve got nearly 40 kosher restaurants. The Jewish community is very social \u2014 they love to go out.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also highlights kosher tourism in the Caribbean. \u201cThere are resorts in the Bahamas and Aruba with year-round kosher options, full Shabbat services, everything. Kosher cruises are also booming. People want real meals, not just salad and fruit for a week. It\u2019s about having the full vacation experience \u2014 while keeping kosher.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elan Kornblum is likely the world\u2019s leading expert on kosher dining. For more than 22 years, he\u2019s been…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261742,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[102,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-261741","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}