The following are the participating vendors vying to be named the greatest ‘taste’ of Crown Heights, all while enjoying an epic trail of food, beverages, and local vibes, from Crown Heights’ favorite eateries.
The second Taste Of Crown Heights food crawl will take place this Sunday, October 14, on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights, and will feature 25 restaurants and vendors offering their best dishes.
The event is organized by JMenu and sponsored by COLlive.com, and will benefit Toys For Hospitalized Children.
The walk-able trail on Kingston Avenue will feature local restaurants, beverage shops, and caterers.
Participating vendors will be serving bite-size samples of their signature dish or beverage, and participants will be able to sample and rate each vendor along the route. Attendees will enjoy a variety of food and drink, local vibes, and a great day out with family and friends.
This year’s vendors are:
1. ALEN-bi
Situated in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, Alenbi serves the food of modern day Israel. Our menu is influenced by the rich cultures of Jewish kitchens, from across the Middle-East and Europe. The passion in our cooking has been nurtured in this cultural mix, and we’ve given it a contemporary modern approach.
2. Baguette Express
Since early 2017, Baguette Express has delighted Crown Heights consumers with delicious sandwiches and grilled meats, including hot dogs, burgers, pepper steak, shawarma, baby chicken, and schnitzel.
3. Bakerie
Bakerie provides a creatively liberating environment for its bakers and staff, which results in a variety of high-quality bread and pastry, like its tangy Russian rye and standout macaroons. Bakerie’s bread and pastry are matched by its homemade-from-scratch retail items unlike those found anywhere else, like its preservative-free Greek yogurt, fluffier take on Nutella, and strikingly bright purple beet and horseradish gravlax.
4. Benz’s
Established 1976, Benz’s carries a full line of fresh & frozen fish and groceries. They service Caterers, Chain Stores, Hospitals, Hotels, Local Grocers, Nursing Homes, Restaurants, Schools, Summer Camps, Synagogues, and more.
5. Calabria
Calabria serves pizza, the old-fashioned way! Calabria brings this typical Italian “Fast Food” to Crown Heights made “the Brooklyn way,” of ingredients that have been carefully sourced from passionate farmers and cheese makers, chosen the freshest to ensure their dishes are the purest you’ll taste.
6. Chocolatte Espresso Bar
Chocolatte boasts excellent locally roasted coffee and a fresh innovative menu. Add a pleasant, modern atmosphere, free WiFi, dedicated service, and accommodating prices — and it’s clear why everyone loves Chocolatte Espresso Bar.
7. Dean Street Cafe
Dean Street Cafe serves their own house-made coffee, ground from beans imported from Colombia and El Salvador. They also offer a unique menu of artisan sandwiches, salads and more, making it the perfect stop for brunch – or any time of day!
8. Eber’s Liquor and Wine
Since 1974, Eber’s Liquor and Wine has been serving the Crown Heights community with high quality wines and spirits at unbeatable prices. They pride themselves on their broad selection and friendly customer service, making sure no one leaves the store unsatisfied.
9. Empire Grill
Empire Grill serves a wide variety of kosher food for eating in, takeout or delivery, including grilled meat sandwiches, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican cuisines. They pride themselves on their consistent high quality, fast and friendly service, and rock-bottom prices.
10. Ess & Bentch
Named after a nostalgic restaurant that used to serve hungry Chassidim would would come to 770 from all over the world, the new and revamped Ess & Bench, located just down the block from the original, continues in that vein with a modern, delicious menu of Schnitzel, Shawarma, Falafel and much more!
11. Hal’s New York Seltzer
Hal was born in 1940 and raised in Brooklyn. He got his start working in the beverage industry by spending long summers and bitter New York City winters “pounding the pavement”. Eventually he built his name within the liquor industry, which is where he earned his reputation for having a sharp eye, dynamic personality and a finger on the pulse of the beverage industry. In 1986, he used his expertise to start his own company that would end up becoming one of the largest nonalcoholic beverage and snack distributors in the Northeast.
12. JJ’s Holy Cow
JJ’s Holy Cow serves a mouth-watering array of handcrafted burgers, made fresh daily by an accredited chef. Their mobile restaurant can be found on special occasions all over the city, but usually serves Jewish professionals in Downtown Brooklyn.
13. Koshertown Shabbos Gourmet
Koshertown Shabbos Gourmet serves a wide variety of hot and cold Shabbos dishes, which are delivered straight to your door on Friday afternoon. Whether you cannot cook your Shabbos meals, or just want to take a break one week, Koshertown’s delicious foods will ensure your Shabbos table isn’t lacking a thing.
14. Mama’s Kitchen
Mama’s Kitchen, a bar-stool seating restaurant serving authentic Israeli street cuisine, is located on Rochester Avenue and Fulton Street, a few hundred feet past Crown Heights’ northern border. The restaurant serves sandwiches – both Pareve and meat, and has a different specials menu every day, making every visit a unique experience.
15. Mendy’s @ the JCM
Mendy’s Glatt Kosher Restaurants have been serving the New York City area for over 25 years. With Five locations, they are the largest chain of Glatt Kosher Restaurants in the country and have perfected the art of Deli. Whether it’s a business lunch, quick bite, or celebration, they are there to serve you. They offer dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering services.
16. Mermelstein’s
Mermelstein Caterers—still sporting a vintage marquee from the early 1950s—is one of the last true kosher delicatessens still around. The store continues to serve steaming plates of traditional goulash, potato knishes and latkes year-round. Over the many decades of its existence, iit has fed not only New Yorkers and its masses of tourists, but influential public servants as well.
17. Natural Treats Juice Bar
A healthy meal – a cup of pleasure! Stop by Natural Treats Juice Bar for a healthy dose of fresh juice and smoothies. You won’t be disappointed.
18. Noribar Sushi Lounge
Located in the heart of Crown Heights, Noribar serves an incredible sushi experience that everyone can thoroughly enjoy. They believe in respecting values and traditions, while introducing new, creative flavors and ideas, such as their own twist on classics, using all-kosher seafood.
19. Pho-Men on Troy
Bringing authentic, traditional Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine to the kosher world, Pho-Men on Troy presents an Asian culinary experience like no other. At Pho-Men, noodles are front and center. Whether indulging in a bowl of signature beef or chicken pho, tonkotsu ramen, Hokkaido miso ramen, tantan, tsukemen, unique Peking duck ramen, or sukiyaki nabe, you’ll realize it is quality and attention to detail you can only find dining at a place where chefs have years of experience to draw upon.
20. Prime Avenue
Prime Avenue was born with the merger of two of Crown Heights’ most favorite restaurants – Prime Sandwich and Prime Wok – serving a delicious array of sandwiches straight off the grill, and savory Chinese dishes you can never have enough of.
21. Raskin’s Fish
Raskin’s fish is a family owned business offering a huge variety of kosher fish products to their customers. It all started in 1961, when Mr. Berel Raskin opened up a fish store on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights. Besides offering daily caught fresh fish to his clientele, he developed the famous Raskin’s Gefilte Fish formula that can be found internationally today. Fast forward 50 years, Raskin’s fish has expanded their fish products selections; Herring delicacies, canned fish items, smoked fish, fish marinades etc. you name it, they have it!
22. Sushi Spot
Several years ago, two community members embarked on a mission: to provide Crown Heights with the highest quality and best tasting kosher sushi possible. Sushi Spot’s founders believe that sushi-making is an art form that combines flavor, texture, aroma and aesthetics to create the perfect dish. With a passion for utilizing only the freshest and finest ingredients, they have had the pleasure of serving thousands of happy customers both in their store and at special events.
23. Sweet Expressions
Discover your inner child at Sweet Expressions, where the most delicious frozen treats, hot and cold beverages, confections and candies delight patrons of all ages from morning until night.
24. The Jew Stew
The Jew Stew was invented in 2017 by two chefs, Dovid and Meir, who wanted to be spared the hassle of preparing and putting up a cholent each week. Figuring that they weren’t the only ones looking for a quick fix, they came up with The Jew Stew, a ready-to-cook, vacuum sealed, raw cholent, that all one needs to do is add water and set it on low heat. The Jew Stew is made from only wholesome ingredients and even has a Gluten-free option. It is designed to serve as a stand-alone cholent or as a base to which anything can be added. Since its inception, The Jew Stew has become a shabbos staple in many homes and local shuls, and is shipped all over the USA.
25. Wine By The Case
Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Wine by the Case has offered a wide selection of high quality kosher wines and spirits to the Crown Heights community at steep discounts – especially when purchased by the case.
26. Izzy’s BBQ Smokehouse
If you’re the type of person who orders meat with a side of meat; a person who doesn’t know the meaning of the word compromise; a person who cleans his plate without washing it; the type of person who will climb a mountain or traverse a valley for a serving of ol’ style BBQ; well, if that sounds like you… Welcome home.
The event will include a panel of executive chefs will determine the “Expert’s Choice Award” for the greatest taste of Crown Heights. These include David Kolotkin – Executive Chef at Basil Pizza & Wine Bar and Mina Newman – Executive Chef at Sen Sakana, Winner of Chopped 2009.
To purchase tickets click here. Ticket sales will be capped at 350 tickets, so take advantage before they run out.
All dishes & beverages are Meat/Parve, no Dairy will be served.
For more information contact [email protected].
Went last year… was fun and different and was proud to see so many Kosher opportunities
Thank you
Yum!
Wow, Jew Stew on display!
Ok can not wait
Sounds incredible!!!!
And so excited! Was so much fun last year super looking forward!!!