Zahav — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Let me start by saying that Zahav is a very good restaurant. The food that I ate from the tasting menu was well-prepared and in most cases tasty, and the service was good.

Is Zahav the best restaurant in the country, as the James Beard Foundation has called it? Probably not, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't visit.

The concept of the menu is based on shared plates that better convey the culture of the region Zahav's cuisine represents. The menu starts with the Laffa bread, some hummus with green tehina, and six vegetables salads. All had an interesting neo-traditional flavor profile that I enjoyed.

Moving to the mezze, the haloumi kataifi was the star of them all. The haloumi was baked inside the kataifi filo and was accompanied by some blueberries. The balance of the dish was good, with this dish being between somewhere between savory and sweet, without being either. I enjoyed this ambiguity that put me into thinking more actively about this dish and its role in the menu.

The heirloom tomatoes with feta was an interesting take on an every-day Greek mezze that combines feta and fresh, ripe tomatoes. The tomatoes were confit with a crumble on top, adding an extra texture to this dish.

We had a fried cauliflower as part of our mezze, which I didn't appreciate that much. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing extremely interesting either.

The role of the tuna crudo in the menu, I can't understand. While I see variations of this dish in various menus in fine dining restaurants, which they term theirn cuisine "contemporary," I am not sure why the flavor profile of this dish belongs in a menu that focuses on playful/creative representations of Israeli/Middle eastern/Mediterranean food.

Moving to the Al Ha'esh part of the menu, this is the point I am getting extremely full with my food. I like tasting menus to perform just that, to provide me with a wider selection of tastes and cooking techniques from that restaurant. If, without getting additional Laffa bread, I am moving through the menu and I am getting very full before the main arrives, then I can't finish my tasting experience. I do like value for money always, but in this case less would be more.

In the Al Ha'esh section, the chicken shishlik was tasty and juicy, and the red plum matbucha added complexity to the very familiar flavor of a chicken souvlaki. While the sweet potato dish was good, it probably needed more tartar to balance the elements in that dish. The swordfish, on the other hand, had a heavier smell that I didn't appreciate. I was good without this dish, and it really took away from my entire experience.

Going to our main dish, our pomegranate lamb shoulder was tender, if a bit dry, but the pomegranate and the mint were not very prominent at all, flavor-wise. I honestly couldn't trace them anywhere. Having these elements to stand out more, they would have provided more complexity to this fundamental dish of the wider region.

Moving to our dessert, both the cantaloupe sorbet and the malabi were tasty. The sorbet was more impressive to me. I was having the entire tasting experience of eating the fruit itself, with all the flavors and nuances of a ripe cantaloupe, while going through the sorbet. The malabi was tasty, but I am not sure it needs the white chocolate. The bay leaf and the peaches were really overpowering everything else, not necessarily in a bad way, but not in a positive manner either.

I think for Zahav less could be more, less dishes, in certain cases, less elements in certain dishes. I want something more cohesive as a menu.

Also the louder (RnB) music and the chatter that echoes in Zahav's chambers really destroyed the ambiance of this restaurant. Sitting there and going through their tasting menu for 2h I prefer an environment where I can relax and enjoy.

Would I go again. Maybe, maybe not. I had higher expectations, I was told my tastebuds would be blown away, etc. I don't think this happened at all. Also I had to book 2...

Uniquely delicious unmissable Israeli food in the heart of Philadelphia, featuring legendary lamb (takes 72 hours to cook) and a ~$70 tasting menu that’s an amazing value, and absolutely worth it. Flavors from places your tongue may not even have experienced before; a must for any diner with a global palette or at least a love of good food!

You cannot miss this place. And if you don’t have a reservation (which is tough), you can show up at 4:30 and sit at the bar, where you can still (exclusively) get the amazing tasting menu and anything else you might want from the drinks menu. Obviously if you have any food restrictions, they’ll cater to you individually - so it won’t be an issue.

The tasty tastes begin with humus, flatbread, and incredible sides (6). You’ll practically be full by the time you’re through with this course, but then 3 or more appetizers show up and you can get unlimited bread. It’s between pita and naan, I would say- if you want a comparison. Everything is delightfully flavored and is rich without being overbearing. Salt forward certainly, but not to the point of excess. The Hamachi crudo from hawaii is tender and mild. The tomato and feta have no equal. The fried zucchini is a shockingly good way to have zucchini. I don’t like zucchini but I liked this!

Drinks are well prepared but I wouldn’t call this part anything special; you’re here for the food. In particular I think it’s interesting to note I would consider the drinks very fairly priced, whereas these are easy to overcharge on in similar spots.

Branzino and Persian wedding rice round out course 3, but you should save some of the rice for the lamb coming in course 4! Hot tip from our attendant, AKA the bartender. The fish is perfect; crusted on the top but super tender and melts in the mouth. Sauce for it presented with unpretentious plating and doesn’t steal the show. The black currants on the rice are divine.

The lamb is incredibly good. But you knew that before you read this review. It’s a heaping portion and tastes like the very best succulent fruit roasted brisket you’ve ever had. If I’ve had anything superior, I don’t know where. You can ask for a take home box at any time by the way and staff won’t be offended. Take stuff home!

Last, dessert: truly spectacular. The peach sorbet and granita was good but the pistachio Semifreddo with halva cotton candy texture ‘floss’ on top was one of the best desserts I have had in my natural life. Like the world’s classiest ice cream sandwich. Delicate and cooked perfectly, with a soft and yet not melting ice cream between these delectable layers. They’re tough enough you can’t really cut them with a fork, so the whole thing invites you to pick it up… if you dare. Just enjoy whatever you do.

Unmissable food if you’re in the area.

Final note: Zahav has an inexplicably oddly placed entrance, until you realize the “front” door is on the side of the restaurant, in a park, between two streets. So conquer that, and you’re whisked inside a high end deliciously sustainable restaurant that represents some of Philly’s...

A very disappointing first experience. Starting with ordering - if they have a pre-fixed menu they should at least specify the breakdown somewhere. We did not know how many dishes of each category to expect but knew we would get a lot of food since we were paying so much for it.

Next, when ordering we were told that we were supposed to let them know of the things that we absolutely did not want and they would make sure we dint get those. Since, we opted for a vegetarian menu, the limited number of dishes all seemed fine to us. There however were two dishes from the mezze we really wanted to try but then again, we decided to put our trust in the restaurant. When our food finally arrived we got neither of the two dishes we really wanted. When we asked the server if we could get those instead she said we should have told her in the start what was it that we really wanted from the menu - something that she did not say before at all. However, this is a difficult time and the lack of communication was from both ends so we decided to let it slide.

Coming to the most important part now - the food. We started with hummus and laffa. The hummus was the best that I have ever eaten. It was creamy and tasted really good with the laffa. All good so far but things started going downhill thereafter. The salatim which was basically 6 different salads was below average. There was just one thing I really liked - the pickled Napa cabbage. Nothing else tasted remarkable. The salatim was followed by two mezze. We got the watermelon feta salad and zucchini with babaganoush. They were both strictly average. The salad tasted like a regular salad that you would get elsewhere and it wasn’t even the best I have ever eaten. The zucchini with babaganoush was forgettable.

They then brought us our entree which was roasted eggplant with cherry tomatoes and stuffed zucchini with jasmine rice (shows a lack of thought in planning our menu because they gave us a zucchini and eggplant mezze despite both our entrees having the same ingredients). The roasted eggplant tasted good but the texture of the dish was completely off. A mushy eggplant piece with mushy tomatoes? No element to add crunch and tasted like baby food. Now, for the stuffed zucchini - I am out of words for how bad this tasted. That tomato sauce at the bottom that tasted more like marinara sauce paired with the clove heavy rice in the zucchini was a disaster. The slivered almonds couldn’t salvage the situation either. I could not eat more than a bite. This dish needs to go off the menu.

Finally, the desserts. The sour cherry sorbet again was sour. There was no other flavor. The Mahlabi custard however, was really good. We were happy to have at least ended the meal on a good note.

I really want to cut them some slack since this is post- COVID and I know how difficult it is. But if the quality of food is going to be so sub par then at least don’t charge a bomb for it. Paying almost $100 per person for this has left a very sour taste in my mouth and I am certainly not coming back unless their...