Some Strictly Kosher Restaurants in London

Having listed a list of strictly kosher restaurants I have tried in Paris, I decided to do the same for London.

YMMV, both as to kashrus and taste. This information was up-to-date as of our last trip to London in June, 2009, but always call to check first.

• The Center for Jewish Life
  • Media House, 4 Stratford Place, London W1C 1AT (Central London)
    020 7495 6089
  • The food is all prepackaged from Grodzinski, i.e., Kedassia. I asked and was told that the milk for the coffee is halav Yisroel.
  • Sandwiches, salads, coffee, etc.
  • This place is some sort of Jewish everything center which also has food. It's a gem. The people are friendly and will leave you alone, there is really excellent machine coffee - figure that one out - and even the prepackaged sandwiches are good. The room which serves as a coffee shop is also a beis midrash with wood paneling and modern editions of some standard books (as well as some HaBaD books), and is a good place not only for a snack, but to hide out for a while from the stress of being a tourist, or while one's wife is wandering the local super-stores.
  
  
• Kaifeng
  • 51 Church Road Hendon London NW4 4DU (Hendon)
    020 8203 7888
  • LBD "Glatt Mehadrin"
  • Chinese
  • The food is passable. The almost-Peking duck is an interesting idea, but the duck itself was overcooked on two separate occasions.
  
  
• La Fiesta
  • 239 Golders Green Road, NW11 9PN (Golders Green)
    020 8458 0444
  • LBD "Glatt Mehadrin"
  • Grill; they call it Argentine.
  • Good meat, which they indeed grill according to your instructions.
  
  
• Mattancherry
  • 109a Golders Green Road, NW11 8HR (Golders Green)
    020 8209 3060
  • Kedassia
  • Indian
  • I liked the food; my wife didn't.
  
  
• Novellino
  • 103 Golders Green Road London NW11 8EN (Golders Green)
    020 8458 7273
  • LBD Dairy
  • Dairy. Mainly fish, pasta, and other Italian-style.
  • We both liked this one very much, even though I don't normally like anything which isn't meat-based. They have a particularly large and good selection of wines and alcohol, and someone respectable-looking enough to pour the wine.
  
  
• Milk n Honey
  • 124 Golders Green Road, London, NW11 8HB (Golders Green)
    020 8455 0664
  • Kedassia
  • Dairy. Light meals, cakes, and espresso-based coffees.
  • Friendly people. We had breakfast and/or an afternoon snack here frequently.
  
  

Some Strictly Kosher Restaurants in Paris

Now that GeoCities is about to close down, it seems likely that David Cohen's site on the kosher restaurants of Paris will disappear (though I suppose that he may move it elsewhere). It thus seems like a good time for me to list some of the Parisian restaurants which I feel that I can depend on as far as kashrus supervision goes, and which I have tried.

YMMV, both as to kashrus and taste. This information was up-to-date as of our last trip to Paris in 2007, but always call to check first.

• Micky's Deli
  • 23bis rue des rosiers
    75004
    01 48 04 79 31
  • Rav Rottenberg
  • Frenchified American grill: hamburgers, ribs, etc.
  • The food is excellent, but very informal. Don't expect to start your next seduction here (unless of your own wife, maybe). Can be have long lines at lunchtime, but they may take reservations for all I know. They also have another branch, but we've never been there.
  
  
• Essen Bench
  • 8 rue Pavee
    75004
    01 42 71 50 00
  • Rav Rottenberg
  • General dairy
  • The food was once excellent, but last time we were there they had obviously been bought up by someone, and the food was awful. The decor is strange and interesting, mixing quick cafeteria, Paris bistro, and Habad motifs. Very crowded at lunchtime.
  
  
• Korcarz
  • 29 rue des rosiers
    75004
    01 42 77 39 47
  • Rav Rottenberg
  • One side is general dairy; the other is a boulangerie and patisserie for both buying out and eating there
  • Good food, lovely cakes, good cafe au lait and (Twinings teabag) teas, good everything. Very crowded at lunchtime. They also have another branch, but we've never been there.
  
  
• Le Beverly
  • 48 passage du Caire
    75002
    01 40 26 23 39
  • HaBad
  • Grill, ribs, etc. Also ask about the daily special.
  • Hard to find, but it's there. The neighborhood is interesting: the Paris garment district seems to be mainly occupied by ultra-Orthodox Jews and prostitutes, mostly elderly, in what can only be called costumes. Service at the Beverly is very friendly. Can be crowded. Has a selection of small bottles of good everyday wines, for people whose spouses often refuse wine. They also prepare and send to your hotel good Shabbos meals.
  
  
• Chez Jonathan
  • 24 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre
    75009
    01 48 24 03 83
  • HaBad? (I don't really remember.)
  • Israeli grill and salads
  • Another strange neighborhood, which this time includes the Folies Bergère, some other rather doubtful places of entertainment, and many Jewish businesses. The food at Chez Jonathan was the worst we ate in France: The meat was dreadfully over-salted and otherwise seemed to be seasoned with some kind of ready-mix based heavily on MSG.
  
  
• Darjeeling
  • 1 rue des Colonels Renard
    75017
    01 45 72 09 32
  • Rav Rottenberg
  • Indian
  • A good, upscale restaurant. Can be crowded, but reservations are accepted. This was the only place where I felt comfortable letting them pour my wine according to their usual routines: The mashgiach does it, and he looked very respectable.
  
  
• Darjeeling, The Boutique
  • 39 rue Davy
    75017
    01 42 26 35 35
  • Rav Rottenberg
  • Indian
  • Same ownership and food as Darjeeling, above. I don't know whether they also have a real restaurant, or whether it is only take-out and deliveries. We had them send to our hotel.
  
  
• Sushi-somethingorother
  • 33 rue des laitiers
    94300 Vincennes
    01 58 64 14 14
  • Rav Rottenberg?
  • Sushi, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese
  • Very informal. Passable food. They say they deliver, but we never got around to trying their delivery service.