A new location of Eyal Shani’s popular kosher restaurant Malka is set to open at 56 Adams Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn later this month.
Malka D’Ambo joins Malka on the Upper West Side, Shani’s first kosher location outside of Israel, which opened to much fanfare last November, and Miznon in Times Square, and will add to Shani’s rapidly expanding kosher empire in and around New York City.
Malka D’Ambo will be Shani’s third kosher-certified restaurant to open in New York in less than a year, giving the celebrity Israeli chef a total of eight restaurants in the city, after also awarding a Michelin star to his “seasonal” Greenwich Village restaurant Shmone last year.
Shani told New York Jewish Week that he chose Dumbo because it was the site of the popular but short-lived Israeli restaurant Nina until recently, and because of its “romance.” “It’s the most romantic neighborhood and place,” he said of the area. “I couldn’t say no. When I think of New York, it’s like a dream.”
Shani himself does not keep a kosher diet, but he says his focus on expanding the kosher network is connected to the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. “Before October 7, I was trying to connect with the world through terroir, the culture of Israelis,” he said, using the French culinary term for the natural environment. “What I created was food that is prevalent in the special place we live in, Israel, located between the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
“Since October 7, that identity has changed,” he continued. “I realized that I don’t just live in Israel as a cultural place with some of the best food in the world. I also recognize that I belong to my people, to the Israeli nation, many of whom are Jewish. The terroir has changed from a geographical and cultural terroir to a national terroir.”
An interior of Eyal Shani’s new kosher restaurant, Malka Dumbo, scheduled to open in Brooklyn in September 2024. (Provided)
Shani first came to New York six years ago when he opened the fast-casual street food restaurant Miznon in Chelsea Market, and since then he’s opened a variety of establishments around the city, including the music-centric Port Said, party spot Hasalon, and several Miznon locations.
Shani recently got kosher certification for his Miznon restaurant in Times Square, but he has no plans to convert other non-kosher restaurants to kosher. “In other restaurants in my life, I want complete culinary freedom,” he says.
Shani, who was named one of New York Jewish Week’s “36 People to Watch” this year, is known for his plant-based cuisine and menus that consistently feature seasonal ingredients sourced from small, local purveyors. Shani cited his vegan grandfather as his inspiration, and told New York Jewish Week that while his restaurants’ menus always feature meat and fish, more than half of the dishes are plant-based.
Malka Dumbo will serve some of Shani’s signature dishes, including schnitzel stuffed with mashed potatoes, tomato farro risotto, French and Israeli wines, and espresso martinis made creamy with tahini, as well as some Brooklyn-exclusive dishes, such as bourekas stuffed with scallions and za’atar.
Although Shani is famously, almost infamously, fond of tomatoes, he considers olive oil an essential ingredient in his cooking: “Using only olive oil in our sweet pastries, an abundance of vegetables, fresh local seafood, and the finest kosher meats allow our guests, kosher or not, to fully enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature and all it has to offer,” he said in a press release.
Shani told New York Jewish Week last year that he opened his kosher restaurant because kosher consumers were “craving” his food. “These people are part of my country,” Shani said. “Part of my people. How can I cook for half my people without feeding them? That was the main reason I opened Malka.”
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Dumbo’s location is Vision-specificShani told New York Jewish Week that he and his staff plan to “maintain the mainline” of Nina, their previous restaurant in the same location, but will make some changes to the kitchen to accommodate Malka’s service.
As of this writing, no opening date has been set, but Malka Dumbo does have at least one event scheduled. Charity event for “Rebuild Israel” organized by the Ra’aretz Foundation on Monday, September 23rd.
“What I really want to do in life is to show the light that comes from kosher food, and it doesn’t have to be dark or restrictive cuisine,” he said. “That’s why I keep creating new kosher dishes, and one of the best places to do that is New York, because it’s full of Jews.”
Shani is Another Malka restaurant to open by the end of the year — This is in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also Mizunon’s new kosher store opens It will be held in Holmdel, New Jersey this fall.
