Arba is a modern Israeli restaurant that is dedicated to artisan and natural food, with a focus on fish, cheese, vegetables, and fresh baked bread that everyone can enjoy; since everything on the menu is 100% gluten free. They are a dinner-only dairy restaurant on New York’s Upper West Side. This is also where Modern Bread and Bagel is located, but they are only open until 4pm; Arba opens their doors at 5:30pm with waiter-service. Arba officially opened to the public on May 8th 2019, Yom Ha’atzmaut. When you first walk in your eye is instantly drawn above, where woven basket lampshades from Thailand cast a soft glow on the tabletops. Owners, husband and wife team, Orly Gottesman and Josh Borenstein have a unique story. Orly was driven to develop a gluten free baking product that didn’t compromise on taste to benefit her food-centric husband living with celiac disease. Gottesman and Bernstein partnered with Chef Nir Zook on a recent trip to Israel. Chef Zook discovered his love of cooking at the age of 13 in his family home, a flower and fruit farm, located in a small village in southern Israel. Chef Zook has years of restaurant experience. He recently opened the kosher restaurant Mapu in Tel Aviv and previously had several restaurants in Jaffa, including Cordelia and Noa Bistro. He’s also catered private events large and small, in Israel and the US.

The menu is dreamed up by Chef Nir Zook and is changing weekly, according to the fresh seasonal produce that inspires him. Chef Nir Zook is an award-winning Israeli chef who has opened multiple restaurants, authored numerous cookbooks, and starred in various television programs. Arba is a marriage of vision of both Gottesman and Zook, who see the restaurant as being a space where diners come to relax.

The restaurant offers two options to diners: both a 7 course tasting menu (currently listed at $59/person or $49/person for the vegan option) as well as ordering from the menu a la carte. Their latest menu includes flatbread pizzas (including a vegan one topped with impossible burger meat and baked tahini), handmade pastas, Israeli mezze and dips, fresh salads, a vegan section, and a large variety of fresh fish options. The dessert menu includes fresh donuts served with coffee, chocolate, and caramel sauces, that are fried a la minute! Look for dishes like Branzino with winter greens, Red Snapper with garlic cream and Herb Crusted Salmon, shakshuka, branzino, and an “Israeli ceviche” made with lime-cured halibut. You can also expect a generous assortment of veggie-based starters, hummus, homemade Mediterranean desserts, and specialty hot drinks including Turkish coffee and rose and peanut tea.  Diners can also enjoy one of 200 kosher wines, 20 of which will be available by the glass. They have also launched a brand new seasonal cocktail menu with wine and sake cocktails that have been crafted by their sommeliers.

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Arba is also open every Saturday for a set-menu family style meal by prepaid reservations only from11:00am - 3:00pm for $36 per person (not including gratuity and tax).

This self-described passionate Mediterranean kitchen seriously has something for everyone.

Review 5/29/19 (Handoneh Bizamat) 

Review 7/16/19 (Tina Livian)

Review 11/27/19 (Levana Kirschenbaum)

Review 2/19/20 (Jaime Levy)