Image from http://www.mjhnyc.org/

Lox & More at the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s New Cafe

Image from mjhnyc.org

The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City just opened its new cafe, Lox, where museum-goers are treated to Old World dishes, many of them reimagined with flavors and ingredients from around the world.

Central to the menu, of course, is house-cured lox, which the cafe cures and infuse five different ways. Chef David Teyf strays from classic preparation with options like sake ginger lox, grapefruit and gin lox, and pastrami lox.

The cafe serves kosher dairy dishes, meaning it does not serve meat. You’ll find grilled cheese on rye, borscht, cheese blintzes, and chocolate or prune babka, to name a few.

Image from Museum of Jewish Heritage's Instagram.
Image from the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Instagram.

Alongside these classics, there’s some buzzed-about dishes that are unique to the cafe, like Minsk Matzo Babka. This savory dish is swirled with butter and garlic, perhaps resembling kugel as much as babka. The recipe comes from Teyf’s grandfather. He told The New York Times, “My family is from Minsk, some of them are Holocaust survivors, and I am happy to honor them.” 

Another concept we’re excited about is the “Jewish Bento” which is a sampling of Ashkenazi classics and shots of vodka. We’re not sure if this should be your first stop at the museum or your last stop — but either way it sounds like a good idea.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage is the latest museum to upgrade its cafe, transforming it into less of a sideshow for weary museum-walkers and more of a culinary destination. Other fantastic cafe restaurants include Russ & Daughters at the Jewish Museum, Saul Restaurant at the Brooklyn Museum, and M.Wells Dinette at MoMA PS1.

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