Overthrow Hospitality, the group behind some of the most excellent drinking dens in all of Manhattan (including Amor y Amargo and Proletariat), has recently gone big on all things kosher, turning five of their vegan restaurants into certified kosher destinations by Lighthouse Kosher: Ladybird, Third Kingdom, Cadence, Avant Garden and Soda Club, all within a couple of blocks of each other in the East Village by Avenue A.
Although all unique in their own way, it is Soda Club at 155 Avenue B by Tompkins Square Park that particularly excites us: the destination is a vegan pasta and wine bar that offers the sort of ambiance and drink menu that is very much lacking across the kosher scene.
From a plain focaccia to arancini balls and a herbed ricotta dish made with an almond-based version of the cheese, the apps make for the perfect shareable orders to be enjoyed alongside the various wines available, which range in form and provenance.
There are sparkling options from Italy and Spain, Montepulciano rosés, a slew of orange wines, classic whites and reds from Greece, Canada, Germany, and South Africa, among other nations and more. The drink menu actually features close to one hundred constantly rotating wines. Whether worthy of a Michelin star or not, the staggering amount of options feels refreshing when measured against the usually meek range at other kosher establishments, where the selection often feels limited and repetitive.
Add to it all a solid roster of pasta dishes—from cappelletti served with morel mushrooms, porcini roux and truffle olive oil to tagliatelle made in lemon nori butter, broccoli rabe, capers and celery root—and you’ve got yourself the ideal cozy destination for a third date or, perhaps, an anniversary celebration.
Let’s be honest: sometimes, it feels very good to dine at a kosher restaurant that feels like anything but a kosher restaurant.
