Zahav Is One of the 38 Essential Restaurants in America

Zahav must have a separate room for all of its awards. The Israeli restaurant from Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook just earned yet another well-deserved accolade: Bill Addison, Eater’s national restaurant critic, has once again included Zahav on his list of the 38 essential restaurants in America. This is the fourth time Zahav made the cut in the four years Addison has been compiling the list — this year, he spent 32 weeks traveling, eating over 500 meals in 36 cities, to find the best. Zahav is also on Eater Philly's list of the 38 essential restaurants in the city.

“In polarizing times, these places don’t just exemplify culinary excellence — they foster hospitality and pleasure and purpose in their communities,” Addison writes of this year’s essential 38. The chosen restaurants, which must be 18 months old to qualify, span cuisines, regions and price points.

In Philly, Zahav joined the Eater Hall of Fame, a designation given to restaurants on the list for three consecutive years. “Israeli cuisine — the clearinghouse of the culinary Middle East — is trending in the United States, but the finest place still to relish its complexities (bright salads and transcendent hummus, for starters) is at the flagship of Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook,” Addison writes.

The critic named The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, as the restaurant of the year. Read the full list of America’s 38 essential restaurants here.

Bill Addison