Fun Dishes To Enjoy While Celebrating Hanukkah

The Festival of Lights is just days away, and that’s an excuse to indulge in some delicious dishes at restaurants around the country in honor of the holiday.

Zoë’s Doughy Hawky Ribbon

This Hanukkah, Hawksmoor NYC will have a new doughnut via baker Zoë Kanan in collaboration with the restaurant’s pastry chef, Carla Henriques. Zoë’s Doughy Hawky Ribbon is made with Graft Farm Cider directly from the Hudson Valley, apple brandy caramel, and buckwheat praline. The buckwheat is caramelized, then crushed, and folded through the brandy-cider glazer before it’s fried in beef tallow and served with lashings of spiced custard.

Potato and Caviar

Found at Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen in Boca Raton, Florida, this dish is made with potato kugel, cured salmon, caviar, chives. “This is my play on a classic dish using a potato pancake, caviar and crème fraiche. The tasting notes are salty, sweet and savory,” said Director of Culinary Demetrio Zavala.

The Hanukkah Baller

At Proper Eats at Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Wexler’s Deli will be offering The Hanukkah Baller, made of homemade potato latkes topped with lox, crème fraîche, and onions.

Potato & Brussels Sprouts Latkes

At Aba in Miami, this is a tasty new take on the traditional latke. Aba Miami’s potato, brussels sprouts & parmesan latkes are the ultimate trifecta of delicious. Created by Top Chef alum Chef CJ Jacobson, these latkes are the perfect dish for holiday dinner. “I unfortunately love fried food. I’ll always order the fried item on the menu so I try to make mine great. I’ve learned, after frying most every leaf imaginable, that the deep toasty green taste you get from fried kale is unmatched. Using that knowledge I tried it with shallots in a latke. It’s fantastic.”

Crispy Latkes

In New York City at Zou Zou’s, after shredding the potatoes and combining with onions and a blend of spices, the latkes are shallow-fried in oil until golden brown and crispy. They’re then topped with duck-fat fried shallots and frizzled thyme and finished with flakey salt.

Super Sized Caviar Latkes

At Caviar Russe in New York City, super-sized potato latke topped with classic osetra caviar with Crème fraîche and egg jam piped on top. “Caviar is always front and center at our restaurant. As a caviar house with a Michelin restaurant, bar and lounge and boutique, we try to find unique ways to demonstrate our delicate premium caviar that compliments the flavor profiles. We cherish the nostalgia and traditions that go with caviar while innovating and finding new ways to present it, such as starches like our latkes potato topped with osetra. This also offers a comfortable price point to try premium caviar with a unique experience for the holidays with the option to buy it as a gift on the way out and to enjoy it again later,” said Executive Chef Edgar ’Teddy’ Panchernikov.

Large Spinach Latkes and Middle Eastern Latkes

At Kubeh in New York City, large spinach latkes mixed with lots of herbs like an herb frittata and Middle Eastern Latkes served with labneh and zaatar and a side of spiced apple sauce. “Growing up my mother made latkes all the time, not just on Chanukah. My mother is of Eastern European Jewish descent and my father is Persian-Israeli. So, my mother made latkes with Middle Eastern spices and style, which meant the potato latkes had loads of parsley and a little heat. Also “spinach pancakes’ ‘, as my mom calls them, were a regular at our house. They’re a Jewish fritter version of Kuku Sabzi. Following the tradition of the Shurka family, at Kubeh we serve potato latkes mixed with parsley, garlic, and a touch of pepper. They’re served with labneh and zaatar, rather than sour cream, and a homemade apple sauce spiced with aleppo pepper. We also serve an extra-large spinach latke made with lots of herbs as a tribute to the traditional Persian dish “Kuku Sabzi”, an herb frittata. They’re both gluten-free since I like to keep them healthy. Yet still crispy,” said owner and chef Melanie Shurka.

Latkes Trio

At 12 Chairs Cafe in New York City, this is a lovely latkes trio, served alongside salmon from Acme and sour cream for dipping. “Each year, we try to offer something unique to our customers for Hanukkah to keep things exciting and new. This year, we decided to offer a combination that has been a fan favorite in previous years with a different presentation to offer more options for sharing with a trio of latkes and the best smoked salmon from Acme. This combination offers the perfect amount of a crunch and saltiness from the fish and potato and comfort for our guests which is very needed at this time,” said Chef Maayan Glass.

Smoked Salmon Latke with Labneh, Trout Roe and Chives

At St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar in Raleigh, North Carolina, chef/owner Sunny Gerhart created smoked salmon latke with labneh, trout roe and chives. “We’ve amped up the classic latke dish for our brunch service, just like we do with oysters and shellfish throughout the year. Playing on the classics — latkes with sour cream and smoked salmon — we’re serving latkes with creamy labneh and our house smoked salmon. A really delicious mash-up that’s finished with a briny pop of Sunburst Trout, farmed right here in the North Carolina mountains.”

Sunchoke Latkes

If you feel like getting a little extra creative with delicious Hanukkah dishes, Sessions at Hard Rock Hotel New York is offering Sunchoke Latkes this holiday season. The latkes are served paired with a soft egg, quince, chicory, and pumpkin seeds and prepared with sunchokes (often called Jerusalem artichokes) and chicory for a freshly balanced approach to this traditional Hanukkah dish.