Today is December 23, 2024 / /

Kosher Nexus
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A POCKET-SIZED RESTAURANT: III

Technically, I don’t think Moshe’s Cafe can be called a cafe – or a restaurant of any sort. It’s basically just a counter outside the Citicorp Center on Lexington Avenue and 53d Street in Manhattan. But it was the latest stop on My Most Favorite Lunch Companion’s and my search for the perfect shwarma – and again we were pleasantly surprised.

The downsides: (1) The staff of Moshe’s Cafe consists of – Moshe. A very nice guy, but very busy as well! Be prepared to wait a while for your food if you’re not the only one there. (2) You have to wait outside while your food is being prepared – which wasn’t fun in a snowstorm! (If you’re nice to him he may let you wait inside where he works, but when we were there the crowd was too large already.)

The upsides: Moshe prepares just about everything to order – so you know you’re getting freshly grilled meat or chicken, not something that has been sitting around for a while and is now being rewarmed. And the dishes we tried were REALLY good. MMFLC had shwarma, of course. It was very tender and perfectly seasoned. I had the chicken kebab and can say the same about that. Fries were crisp and also freshly made. Our only complaint was that the Israeli salad was essentially tomatoes, with a few flecks of cucumber. But everything else was great, and the prices are good too – $6.95 for a sandwich, $9.95 for a platter.

Since this is just a counter, you go into the Citicorp Center atrium to eat. This was another pleasant surprise, as not only is the area spacious and bright, but we had live entertainment from a pianist for most of the afternoon. [BTW, there’s another kosher restaurant there too, Eli’s Deli – maybe we’ll write about that one another time.] Great ambiance to enjoy some good food.

Moshe’s phone number is 212-355-3656; he also offers free delivery in the area. Supervision is by the Rabbinical Court of the Sephardic Communities in Queens.