This was, hands down, my best meal of 2024…
Jaffa Bar, which opened late fall, is an instant smash hit from Mike Solomonov, Steve Cook, and chef Andrew Henshaw. I loved the hospitality, the food, the building (!), and décor, and the custom craft cocktails and Israeli wine selections, which featured Galia, Zahav’s very own wine label.
Jaffa Bar is in a freestanding, truly one-of-a-kind, triangular-shaped building, with beautiful exposed brick and tall, open floors — it’s got a fun and industrial vibe to it. The cocktail list has 30 drinks, and the Green-Eyed Lady with the aguachile is incredible (think a spicy margarita meets a green juice). Definitely start with an oyster and shrimp cocktail assortment from the raw bar, and know that the entire menu is delicious — everything’s light, flavor-packed, and will leave you wanting more. Both the (hot) crispy tuna and (cold) tuna kibbe naya, the shabazi shrimp with white beans, fluke ceviche, spicy steamed mussels and, drumroll please, the namesake burger, were standouts.
— Hannah Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Marketing
Dining and Cooking