Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. This year, it begins on Sept. 15 and ends at sundown on Sept. 17.
Some traditional Jewish foods to enjoy for the holiday include rugelach (rolled cookies that resemble croissants) and honey cake. Jewish families will typically serve a large, round braided Challah bread with meals. A favorite Jewish main course is traditional, hearty brisket.
Following Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur runs from sundown on Sept. 24 to sundown on Sept. 25. During this time, many observing Jewish folks partake in a 25-hour fast. The fast symbolizes the Day of Atonement and is seen as a time to repent and reflect on the sins of the past year.
The fast is typically broken with a huge feast of bagels with spreads such as whitefish salad, tuna salad, egg salad or cream cheese, and platters stacked with shiny smoked salmon. Here are nine places to go this year for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur specialties in the Valley.
Chompie's
Multiple Locations Chompie's is well-loved for good reason. With an expansive bakery and a menu of Jewish classics, the local chain creates unique twists such as Challah Brisket Sliders.
The restaurant's dine-in Rosh Hashanah dinners this year are on Sept. 15 and 16 with seatings at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For the meal, customers can choose a starter, a soup, an entrée, a potato, a vegetable and a dessert. Combinations include gefilte fish with beet horseradish, matzoh ball soup, brisket with gravy, a potato latke with apple sauce, glazed carrots and a slice of honey cake. Reservations are strongly recommended. Adult meals cost $29.99 and meals for children 10 and under are $14.99.
Chompie's also has many catering options including a four-course meal package for $299 and a holiday dinner package for $249. Both dinners serve eight people. There's also a special bagel deal on Wednesdays where customers can buy a dozen bagels and get six more bagels free — perfect for breaking the fast for Yom Kippur. The deli has staples like tuna salad egg salad and whitefish salad. We are especially partial to Chompie's chocolate babka — a sweet twist on braided Jewish bread laced with chocolate swirls.
Lior the Baker
10953 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale Lior the Baker offers a rotating assortment of freshly baked treats and the shiniest challah loaves in Scottsdale to supplement a sweet New Year. Challah bread typically has an egg wash that gives it a bit of sparkle in the light. Try the large, round loaves in regular or raisin for the holiday.
Lior also serves a large selection of rugelach with flavors like cinnamon, chocolate, pecan and vanilla halva. Rugelach are flaky cookies that resemble both a cookie and a croissant. They are rolled by hand and filled with different flavors, sold in dozens and half dozens. Mixing flavors is a great way to sample the varieties.
The bakery is also a destination for a honey cake for the holiday as well as Purim treat hamantaschen all year round. Hamantaschen are triangle-shaped buttery cookies with a hollowed-out center with various fillings such as apricot and chocolate. Other sweet offerings include apple turnovers and almond croissants. It's hard to resist the sweet and bready smells as soon as the door opens. Lior's bakery is truly a taste of home. Call ahead to see what's in stock or place an order early if looking for something specific as things tend to sell out, especially the challah.
Miracle Mile Deli
4433 N. 16th St. A landmark in Phoenix for more than 70 years, Miracle Mile Deli brings a taste of Brooklyn to the Valley with plenty of Jewish classics and holiday favorites. It's perfect for those looking to stop in for a soup and sandwich or those who want to pick up takeout or order catering.
The Hot Brisket Sandwich is one of our favorites, and the tender meat is featured on this year's holiday menu. For $19.50, customers can enjoy a plate of brisket with a potato pancake, sour cream and applesauce. The meal also comes with a cup of matzo ball soup and rye bread with butter. The special will be available for dine-in or takeout on Sept. 15 and 16.
Goldman's Deli
6929 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale Goldman's Deli was founded in 2000 and has Chicago roots. The cafe-style restaurant has a robust assortment of Jewish classics such as brisket and matzo ball soup as well as high-quality baked goods. The Chicago flavor is on display with their Chicago-style hot dogs which make for a great lunch option.
Try a tasty hot brisket sandwich for $15.99 or upgrade to an extra lean cut for $2 more. Dessert highlights include chocolate or cranberry almond slices of crunchy Mandel bread and noodle kugel, a sweet noodle casserole dish with cinnamon and apples. Catering trays are also available for the holidays piled high with fish, breakfast lox, salad or meat. The deli asks for two days' notice for tray orders.
NY Bagels 'N Bialys
Multiple Locations With Challah bread in various flavors, a wide variety of bagels, bialys, cream cheese flavors and spreads, New York Bagels 'N Bialys is a destination for the Jewish holidays.
This year, the restaurant is serving a Rosh Hashanah Dinner for $29.99 per person. It includes a chopped liver appetizer, matzo ball or chicken soup, roasted chicken or brisket, potato pancake or kugel, glazed carrots or green bean almondine and a kosher challah knot.
The restaurant is also offering platters with lox, assorted meats, dairy or desserts. Orders for the specials must be placed 72 hours before pick up. They have an appealing breakfast menu to fully load up after a fast and offer a large interior and a dog-friendly patio.
Misha's Kosher Food Market
814 E. Union Hills Drive Misha's Kosher Food Market is a hidden gem. The market has a captivating spread of imported goods from Europe and Israel to enjoy any time of year. Misha's has special holiday selections during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Find brisket and other kosher meat at the butcher counter. They offer all kinds of ingredients for preparing a feast or bringing some unique products from as far as Jerusalem.
The unexpected must-try item is the family's signature Uzbekistanian stone oven bread. The pillowy Lepyushka, which has a thick yeasty crust and a crispy sunken center, is perfect to add to any meal.
Kitchen 18
10211 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Glatt Kosher restaurant Kitchen 18 has all sorts of delicious Jewish foods and many options to ring in the Jewish New Year or break the Yom Kippur fast. The restaurant offers catering and dine-in options and the menu ranges from all sorts of handheld sandwiches and burgers to sushi and traditional Israeli-style shawarma and kabobs. We enjoy the sandwiches served in hot pitas with sides of Israeli salad or salty french fries. Kitchen 18 has a large menu with many offerings, making it a great choice for picky eaters or large groups.
Scott's Generations
742 E. Glendale Ave. Scott's Generations has a very cozy neighborhood feel which is no surprise since the restaurant has been a staple in Phoenix since 1989. The restaurant's founders moved from New York City and recreated an East Coast-style Kosher deli with yummy offerings for the holiday season. They serve all-day breakfast and lunch and they offer catering. The menu has all kinds of classic over-stuffed sandwiches plus hot dogs, salads and hearty soups. Baked goods from NY Bagels 'N Bialys are also available.
Arizona Bread Co.
7000 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale Arizona Bread Co. has garnered a lot of recognition for its outstanding bread and tasty lunch offerings. On Fridays, they serve raisin and plain challah bread as well as matzo ball soup. The bakery also churns out several unique types of bread such as apricot walnut and orange cranberry. They have a selection of tasty sweets at the counter as well.
Some traditional Jewish foods to enjoy for the holiday include rugelach (rolled cookies that resemble croissants) and honey cake. Jewish families will typically serve a large, round braided Challah bread with meals. A favorite Jewish main course is traditional, hearty brisket.
Following Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur runs from sundown on Sept. 24 to sundown on Sept. 25. During this time, many observing Jewish folks partake in a 25-hour fast. The fast symbolizes the Day of Atonement and is seen as a time to repent and reflect on the sins of the past year.
The fast is typically broken with a huge feast of bagels with spreads such as whitefish salad, tuna salad, egg salad or cream cheese, and platters stacked with shiny smoked salmon. Here are nine places to go this year for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur specialties in the Valley.
Chompie's
Multiple Locations Chompie's is well-loved for good reason. With an expansive bakery and a menu of Jewish classics, the local chain creates unique twists such as Challah Brisket Sliders. The restaurant's dine-in Rosh Hashanah dinners this year are on Sept. 15 and 16 with seatings at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For the meal, customers can choose a starter, a soup, an entrée, a potato, a vegetable and a dessert. Combinations include gefilte fish with beet horseradish, matzoh ball soup, brisket with gravy, a potato latke with apple sauce, glazed carrots and a slice of honey cake. Reservations are strongly recommended. Adult meals cost $29.99 and meals for children 10 and under are $14.99.
Chompie's also has many catering options including a four-course meal package for $299 and a holiday dinner package for $249. Both dinners serve eight people. There's also a special bagel deal on Wednesdays where customers can buy a dozen bagels and get six more bagels free — perfect for breaking the fast for Yom Kippur. The deli has staples like tuna salad egg salad and whitefish salad. We are especially partial to Chompie's chocolate babka — a sweet twist on braided Jewish bread laced with chocolate swirls.
Lior the Baker has a wide assortment of treats including cookies, danishes, apple turnovers, hamentashen and challah.
Melissa Parker
Lior the Baker
10953 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale Lior the Baker offers a rotating assortment of freshly baked treats and the shiniest challah loaves in Scottsdale to supplement a sweet New Year. Challah bread typically has an egg wash that gives it a bit of sparkle in the light. Try the large, round loaves in regular or raisin for the holiday. Lior also serves a large selection of rugelach with flavors like cinnamon, chocolate, pecan and vanilla halva. Rugelach are flaky cookies that resemble both a cookie and a croissant. They are rolled by hand and filled with different flavors, sold in dozens and half dozens. Mixing flavors is a great way to sample the varieties.
The bakery is also a destination for a honey cake for the holiday as well as Purim treat hamantaschen all year round. Hamantaschen are triangle-shaped buttery cookies with a hollowed-out center with various fillings such as apricot and chocolate. Other sweet offerings include apple turnovers and almond croissants. It's hard to resist the sweet and bready smells as soon as the door opens. Lior's bakery is truly a taste of home. Call ahead to see what's in stock or place an order early if looking for something specific as things tend to sell out, especially the challah.
Miracle Mile Deli
4433 N. 16th St. A landmark in Phoenix for more than 70 years, Miracle Mile Deli brings a taste of Brooklyn to the Valley with plenty of Jewish classics and holiday favorites. It's perfect for those looking to stop in for a soup and sandwich or those who want to pick up takeout or order catering. The Hot Brisket Sandwich is one of our favorites, and the tender meat is featured on this year's holiday menu. For $19.50, customers can enjoy a plate of brisket with a potato pancake, sour cream and applesauce. The meal also comes with a cup of matzo ball soup and rye bread with butter. The special will be available for dine-in or takeout on Sept. 15 and 16.
Goldman's Deli
6929 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale Goldman's Deli was founded in 2000 and has Chicago roots. The cafe-style restaurant has a robust assortment of Jewish classics such as brisket and matzo ball soup as well as high-quality baked goods. The Chicago flavor is on display with their Chicago-style hot dogs which make for a great lunch option. Try a tasty hot brisket sandwich for $15.99 or upgrade to an extra lean cut for $2 more. Dessert highlights include chocolate or cranberry almond slices of crunchy Mandel bread and noodle kugel, a sweet noodle casserole dish with cinnamon and apples. Catering trays are also available for the holidays piled high with fish, breakfast lox, salad or meat. The deli asks for two days' notice for tray orders.
NY Bagels 'N Bialys' onion bialy with whipped butter (left) and classic yellow egg bagel with plain cream cheese (right) are made fresh .
Melissa Parker
NY Bagels 'N Bialys
Multiple Locations With Challah bread in various flavors, a wide variety of bagels, bialys, cream cheese flavors and spreads, New York Bagels 'N Bialys is a destination for the Jewish holidays. This year, the restaurant is serving a Rosh Hashanah Dinner for $29.99 per person. It includes a chopped liver appetizer, matzo ball or chicken soup, roasted chicken or brisket, potato pancake or kugel, glazed carrots or green bean almondine and a kosher challah knot.
The restaurant is also offering platters with lox, assorted meats, dairy or desserts. Orders for the specials must be placed 72 hours before pick up. They have an appealing breakfast menu to fully load up after a fast and offer a large interior and a dog-friendly patio.
A freshly baked loaf of Lepyushka is a must to satisfy any bread enthusiast.
Misha's Kosher Food Market
Misha's Kosher Food Market
814 E. Union Hills Drive Misha's Kosher Food Market is a hidden gem. The market has a captivating spread of imported goods from Europe and Israel to enjoy any time of year. Misha's has special holiday selections during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Find brisket and other kosher meat at the butcher counter. They offer all kinds of ingredients for preparing a feast or bringing some unique products from as far as Jerusalem. The unexpected must-try item is the family's signature Uzbekistanian stone oven bread. The pillowy Lepyushka, which has a thick yeasty crust and a crispy sunken center, is perfect to add to any meal.
Kitchen 18
10211 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Glatt Kosher restaurant Kitchen 18 has all sorts of delicious Jewish foods and many options to ring in the Jewish New Year or break the Yom Kippur fast. The restaurant offers catering and dine-in options and the menu ranges from all sorts of handheld sandwiches and burgers to sushi and traditional Israeli-style shawarma and kabobs. We enjoy the sandwiches served in hot pitas with sides of Israeli salad or salty french fries. Kitchen 18 has a large menu with many offerings, making it a great choice for picky eaters or large groups.
Scott's Generations has a cozy, retro East Coast feel thanks to the deli counter, bistro tables and baked goods from NY Bagels 'N Bialys.
Melissa Parker
