(New York Jewish Week) — Thousands of pounds of smoked salmon are consumed in New York City at the conclusion of the fast on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which this year begins on Sunday night and ends the following evening.
For lox lovers, there’s no shortage of spots to cater a traditional Ashkenazi meal (which often consists of bagels, smoked fish, plus schmears and all the fixings).
But there’s no reason to draw the line there. In this vast and diverse city of ours, there are a host of other delicious ways to break the fast — without breaking a sweat over the stove. Whether you want a platter of Yemenite flatbreads delivered or a variety of vegetarian Ethiopian stews to go, keep reading for 12 places across the city that are preparing Yom Kippur break-fast meals this year.
Multiple locations in Manhattan
For Yom Kippur break-fast, Breads Bakery is offering an assortment of cakes, breads, smoked salmon and schmears. If you’re feeding a crowd, the 12-serving Jerusalem Bagels and Atlantic Smoked Salmon Platter ($125) includes Jerusalem bagels (oblong, sesame seed-coated bagels), smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese and capers. For $65, there’s a platter of six Jerusalem bagels with a choice of four spreads, including hummus, egg salad, tuna salad, labneh, tzatziki and tahini. As a bonus, the Israeli-style bakery also has a new dessert on this year’s menu: milk-and-honey rugelach. Kosher-style, but not certified kosher.
2. Edith’s
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Edith’s, the Williamsburg eatery that celebrates Jewish cuisine from around the world, has a selection of items that can be picked up or delivered for your Yom Kippur break-fast. An $85 Bagels & Spreads Platter includes assorted cream cheeses served with sliced cucumber, tomatoes and pickled onions. Or, for the same price, there’s a Malawach and Spreads platter that includes the Yemenite flatbread paired with butter, housemade jam, grated tomato, zhug (a fiery green hot sauce) and labneh. A la carte items are also available. Not kosher.
3. Gertie
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg’s Jewish diner, Gertie, has a break-fast menu available for pickup or delivery. For $150, there’s the Gertie x Jake Cohen Deluxe Bagel Spread, which includes six bagels with smoked fish and schmears, plus three slices of cake from Cohen, a cookbook author/influencer, as well as a signed copy of his latest book, “I Could Nosh.” A la carte items also available. Not kosher.
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Gravesend, Brooklyn
Family-owned Mansoura Pastries has been producing Middle Eastern sweets and treats for five generations, selling break-fast-appropriate items such as baklava (15 pieces for $30) and mamoul, a flower-shaped cookie dusted with sugar and filled with pistachio (12 pieces for $24). The bakery also sells a variety of candied nuts and nougats as well as chocolate-dipped fruits and nuts. Drop by the Kings Highway bakery or order online for delivery via UPS. Kosher.
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Beat it, bagels! Merlyne’s Cuisine is a caterer specializing in Syrian specialties like cheese sambusak — a fluted buttery pastry filled with cheese ($18/dozen) — or calsonnes, a cheese-filled ravioli-type pasta ($18 per dozen); tomato or spinach mini tarts ($20 per dozen), or a 9-inch spinach tart for $42. Pick up in Brooklyn or local deliveries available in the borough. Yom Kippur orders are due Monday, Sept. 18; order form here. Kosher.
Two locations in Manhattan (plus Los Angeles)
Gluten-free bakery Modern Bread & Bagel has a variety of platters perfect for a Yom Kippur break-fast meal. Their Bagels, Cream Cheese, Smoked Fish and The Works Platter ($179) serves 10 and includes a dozen bagels and 24 ounces of smoked fish, plus assorted schmears and fixings. Other platters and a la carte items available, too. Yom Kippur pre-orders will be available for pickup and local delivery on Sunday. The cut off to order is Thursday at noon. Kosher.
7. Moss Cafe
Riverdale, Bronx
This lively kosher cafe — where produce is procured from small local farms — has a variety of Yom Kippur break-fast options, including a dairy-free Herbed Egg Salad Platter ($140, serves 10) that includes egg salad made with local, cage-free eggs and housemade mayonnaise served with bread, microgreens and lacto-fermented pickles. Other items are also available. Items will be available to pick up on Sunday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.; delivery to the Upper West Side, Westchester County and Teaneck, New Jersey, is also available. Order deadline is Tuesday at 9 p.m. Kosher.
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Two locations in Manhattan
Second Ave. Deli offers far more than pastrami: For the break-fast meal, you can order smoked fish and bagels, too. The Nova Scotia Salmon platter runs $19.95 a person and includes lox, bagels, non-dairy cream cheese, tomatoes, onions and capers. Salads, tuna, rugelach and babka are available, too. $125 minimum on all deliveries; $100 minimum on orders you pick up. Kosher.
9. Seudah Glatt Kosher Caterers
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Get your choice of dairy, meat or pareve prepared foods from Seudah. Look online under “Local Takeout – Pickup” for dairy choices running from cheese balls (6 pieces for $4.50) and cheese bourekas (6 pieces for $7.50). Meat options range from mini beef kibbeh ($1/piece) and apricot chicken ($10 for a half chicken). Salads and pareve sides are also available; items must be picked-up at Seudah’s store on Kings Highway in Brooklyn. Kosher.
10. Shelsky’s
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
This popular Brooklyn spot has a variety of break-fast platters available for pickup on Sunday or Monday, Sept. 25. One option is the Smoked Goodness Platter ($40/person, eight-person minimum) with “hand-sliced Eastern Gaspé Nova, whole-filleted smoked whitefish, wild-Alaskan sable, and kippered salmon beautifully arranged on a platter with thinly-sliced red onions and capers”; the order also comes with bagels and plain and scallion cream cheese. For the non-fish eaters, Shelsky’s is preparing deli, crudite and fruit platters, too, plus a variety of sweets. Pre-order deadline is Monday, Sept. 18. Not kosher.
11. Tsion Cafe
Harlem
For Yom Kippur, Ethiopian Israeli Tsion Cafe has a vegan Ethiopian Veggie Combo that owner Beejhy Barhany considers the best way to break the fast. The combo is served with injera, a flatbread made with teff flour, accompanied by an assortment of veggie stews (red lentils, yellow split peas, cabbage with potatoes and carrots, ground chickpeas,and collard greens). Each stew is packaged individually and easy to warm up for consumption at any time. $21 per serving. Orders for pickup only on Friday and Saturday from 7-10 p.m. Not kosher.
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12. Zucker’s Bagels
Multiple locations in Manhattan
Local chain Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish has an expansive High Holiday menu consisting of a variety of offerings for Yom Kippur gatherings both large and small. The High Holidays Essentials Kit ($115, serves six) includes a choice of bagels, three cream cheeses (plain, veggie and scallion), Eastern Nova Scotia salmon, babka, mini black-and-white cookies, plus a jar of toasted everything seeds tucked inside a Zucker’s thermal bag. Customers can also order a la carte by phone or email from their extensive menu. Orders must be placed 48 hours in advance; stores are open on Yom Kippur until 3 p.m. with deliveries being made until 5 p.m. Not kosher.
