Seven Restaurants for Keeping it Kosher in Metro Phoenix

Drive any direction in Phoenix and you'll quickly bump into a restaurant. A certified kosher eatery required to follow strict guidelines on food preparation and ingredients laid out in the Talmud and enforced by an orthodox organization? That could be a little more difficult. But we’ve found a few. These kosher spots serve everything from pizza and tacos to sushi and kung pao chicken. Enjoy.

Cafe Chenar

1601 East Bell Road

Cafe Chenar is a homestyle Bukharian restaurant in north Phoenix and the third kosher restaurant owned by the Uvaydov family (from Uzbekistan). Guests enjoy a menu that blends flavors from Asia, Russia, Europe, and the Middle East. The feature menu item is the manti, similar in style to a steamed, Asian dumpling. They also serve hummus, Uzbek Plov (a meat and rice dish), and a large variety of shish kabobs, soups, and salads. Everything on the menu is handmade by Chef Mazal Uvaydova. Chenar has catering options available. And for more details on the food, check out our 2018 review.

LaBella Pizzeria and Restaurant

6505 North Seventh Street, #105

Also owned by the Uvaydov family, LaBella is a kosher vegetarian pizza joint that captures Italy's comforting flavors in a casual setting. Pizzas are served thin crust on kosher dough and can be ordered whole-pie or by the slice. The pasta portions are generous and include ravioli, mac and cheese, and rigatoni primavera. If Italian isn't what you had in mind, LaBella serves salads, a wide variety of fish, and sushi rolls. If you're there on Sunday or Tuesday, you can treat yourself to the Mexican menu — Mexican food without the non-kosher contamination like a bean and cheese chimichanga or a spinach enchilada. LaBella also has catering options available.

Fresh Mint

13802 North Scottsdale Road, #161, Scottsdale

Vietnamese vegetarian by Chef Mai Ly guarantees that you won’t miss the meat. Besides being certified kosher and vegan, her restaurant consistently makes lists as one of the top vegetarian restaurants in the Valley. With one visit, it’s easy to see why. Fresh Mint is chockfull of colorful, Asian dishes accented with Vietnamese flavor. Think spicy lemongrass soup, classic pad Thai, and kung pao soy chicken. Patrons can also enjoy a variety of soups and pho, familiar noodles dishes, and vegan entrees with Vietnamese flair.

Kitchen18

10211 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

Kitchen18 on Scottsdale Road combines the best of both worlds: classic American fare and Chinese favorites. And, yes, kosher too. You can get beef sliders with chicken fried rice or chicken wings with beef lo-mein. But there's also homemade matza ball soup, chimichurri red snapper, and chicken schnitzel. Order everything with kosher confidence, as Kitchen18 is owned by the same Uvaydov family that runs LaBella and Cafe Chenar. Catering and Shabbas-style takeout (food to pickup before Shabbat) options are also available.

Chick-In

240 East Orange Mall, Tempe

Among the unexpected things you'll find at ASU is the full-fledged Kosher chicken sandwich shop neighboring its Tempe campus. Chick-In is set near the Gammage auditorium and serves crispy, juicy, kosher chicken sandwiches (sans cheese, of course). They also have a full vegan and vegetarian menu that includes crispy falafel, hummus, and shakshuka. To note: The team is in the process of relocating and is expected to announce the new, on-campus location shortly.

613 Grill

6219 North Seventh Street

Seeking a plain old classic burger and fries? Head to the Seventh Street dining corridor, where 613 Grill offers diners the chance to stay kosher during a quick lunch break. 613 also serves a 16-ounce prime rib steak that’s been aged for 30 days. There's also a robust list of vegetarian options and some out-of-this-world falafel. Event catering and Shabbat takeout is also available.

Milk and Honey Espresso Bar & Eatery

12701 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

In search of a pick-me-up that falls within kosher guidelines? Milk and Honey is located in the J Scottsdale Arizona community center and ideal for a quick coffee. But it’s also worth coming back for dinner. Milk and Honey has several taco options, an array of pasta dishes, and plenty of pizza — three things that are seldom served kosher-style in the same place, at the same time. Milk and Honey also offers Shabbat takeout orders (and has fresh challah bread every Friday morning).

Bonus: Imperial Market & Deli

737 East Glendale Avenue

Imperial Market & Deli is a kosher-friendly market and eatery in Uptown. Come here for kosher meat, Shabbat catering, pareve (without meat or dairy) cakes and other baked items, and an endless variety of small pastries. Imperial Market & Deli is also solid for quick sandwiches, like a hot-pastrami or hard salami, and hot dogs, falafel, and burgers. Usually, the deli has an adjoining Bagel Cafe (though it's temporarily closed due to COVID-19 precautions).

See what Valley restaurants are offering takeout, delivery, and dine-in services with our Phoenix Restaurant Directory.