Manhattan’s kosher dining scene will soon be home to a brand-new Persian/Mediterranean restaurant that promises to “surprise everyone” with delicious food, co-owner Rafael Yaghoubian exclusively tells Pretty Kosher.
Although originally scheduled to open this week, the new eatery at 507 Columbus Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets will likely start serving diners closer to the end of the year.
“My chef twisted her ankle really badly and I want to be 120% ready for the excited crowds to come in,” says Yaghoubian.
Although this is the co-owner’s first foray into the culinary world, he is joined by Mordechai Haimzadegan, who owns the excellent Persian/Mediterranean restaurant Shiraz in Great Neck on Long Island, as a partner in the new business. Eshel’s kosher certification will be granted by OU.
Yaghoubian is cagey about specific menu items on offer, but folks who were able to attend the eatery’s pre-grand opening event this week have taken to social media to rave about the classic Persian dishes served at the happening, from kebab options to khoreshts (stews), in addition to traditional appetizer options.
Yaghoubian also reveals that the owners are working on securing their liquor license, a process that should be made easy by the fact that the space that Eshel occupies used to be home to another restaurant, Blossom, a kosher vegan destination that shockingly shut down earlier this summer.
As for the restaurant’s name, it has a few different meanings: when spelled out in Hebrew, Eshel uses the same initials as the words “ochel,” “shotim” and “lishon,” which translate to eat, drink and sleep.
In addition to that, the moniker functions as an ode to forefather Avraham.
“My middle name is Avraham and another one of the owners is also named Avraham,” explains Yaghoubian. “We first were looking for a restaurant space back in 2023 during the week that we read the Parasha ‘Lekh, lekha,’ when Avraham opened his tent to guests and showed everyone what Hashem was all about. We wanted to call the name Eshel Avraham but decided to cut it shorter so that it would be easier for customers to pronounce.”
Hours of operation are still subject to change, but, for now, the owners are planning on opening Mondays through Thursdays from 10am to 10pm, Fridays from 8am to 2pm in the winter, Saturdays from 7am to midnight and Sundays from 8am to 8pm.
