Hanukkah in New York: Where to Try the Most Intriguing Latkes

timeout tells the story of the unusual and classic latkes served in New York City for Hanukkah. The city's restaurants offer a wide variety of variations on the dish, from traditional to modern interpretations.

The festival will begin on December 14 and last eight nights.

Hanukkah Traditions and Food

Hanukkah is a story of resilience, miracles, and, as is often the case with Jewish holidays, food.

The two main Hanukkah dishes are sufganiyot and latkes.

Sufganiyot are fried doughnuts with filling.

Latkes are crispy potato pancakes.

On the subject: Hanukkah in New York: A Complete Guide to Events and Activities

Today they are often served in unusual versions, with different fillings and sauces.

Experts advise: any potato latkes are improved with lightly salted fish.

There's a famous place in Brooklyn called Acme Smoked Fish. It's a fourth-generation family business.

They make salmon and whitefish salad there, both of which go great with latkes.

They even sell a new spicy tuna mix there now.

Chickpea latkes at Miriam Restaurant

• Address: 140 7th Avenue South in the West Village, 300 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper East Side, 79 5th Ave in Brooklyn.

This Middle Eastern restaurant knows what New Yorkers like.

Their latkes are made from chickpea flour.

The restaurant's chefs say this flour makes the pancakes "especially crispy."

It's a "trick passed down from chef and owner Raphael Hasid's mother."

Hanukkah-Only Latkes at 12 Chairs Café

• Address: 56 MacDougal St, Soho and 342 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn.

Latkes are served quite often at 12 Chairs Café.

But the Hanukkah version is made only for the holiday.

The dish is served with sour cream and apple sauce, and is made even better by the Middle Eastern appetizers of labneh and lightly salted fish.

Zucchini Latkes from Motek

• Address: 928 Broadway.

Motek is reminiscent of a Tel Aviv dinner.

Their latkes are made with zucchini, fresh herbs and spices.

The pancakes are pan-fried until crispy and served with sweet labneh and apple sauce.

Crispy Potato Latkes from Le Basque

• Address Le Basque: 15 Union Square West.

Latkes at Le Basque are classic—usually made with Golden Yukon potatoes.

The special thing is the sauces.

The dish is served with truffle aioli, cashew-lemon sour cream and smoked paprika aioli.

Latkes are available at two other City Roots Hospitality restaurants: Willow (199 Eighth Avenue) and Sentir (37 West 19th Street).

Crispy Latkes with Apple Sour Cream from Mama Mezze

• Address: 1123 Broadway.

This latke made the list for two reasons.

First, it combines two classic dips: sour cream and applesauce.

Ingredients: apples baked with Aleppo pepper, honey, rosemary and thyme, plus yogurt and sour cream.

Secondly, the recipe was created by renowned chef Einat Admoni, who is considered one of the leading experts in Middle Eastern cuisine in New York.

Bonus: Latkes are served year-round.

Masala Latkes at FOLK

• Address: 689 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn.

FOLK is a new cocktail bar in Park Slope.

It opens on December 11th.

The entire menu is worth trying, but during Hanukkah, the highlight is the masala latkes.

They are made from oyster mushrooms and served with Spoonbill caviar.

Potato Latkes from Breads Bakery

• Address: 18 E 16th St,
  1890 Broadway,
  1294 3rd Ave.

Breads Bakery is a must-see.

Their latkes are traditional, served with sour cream and homemade applesauce.

Celery Root Latkes from Sungold and NoMad Diner

• Address: Sungold (96 Weiss Avenue, Brooklyn) and NoMad Diner (11 East 31st Street).

This latke is served year-round in Chef Michael King's restaurants.

It takes two days to prepare.

The thick chunks are made from Idaho potatoes and celery root shavings.

They are slow cooked in ghee, pressed, cooled and fried before serving.

The finished dish is decorated with pear butter, horseradish and plenty of green onions.