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Hanukkah is about many things: Jewish resilience, miracles and—as is usually the case with Jewish holidays—food.
Two dishes reign supreme during the Festival of Lights: sufganiyot—deep-fried donuts traditionally filled with jelly, though in recent years they’ve embraced all kinds of inventive fillings—and latkes, crispy potato pancakes that have also undergone a modern culinary glow-up, moving beyond their plain, traditional roots to creative versions with diverse fillings and toppings.
Today, we’re focusing on the latter: delectable, crackly latkes. Specifically, we’re highlighting some of the most interesting—and absolutely must-try—versions served across New York starting this week. (Hanukkah officially begins Sunday, December 14, and lasts eight nights.)
Before we get to our picks, a pro tip: any potato latke is made better with smoked fish, and no place in New York knows smoked fish quite like Acme Smoked Fish in Brooklyn—a fourth-generation, family-owned institution that locals flock to weekly. The destination’s smoked salmon and whitefish salad make for perfect latke toppings. The staff is also now selling a new spicy tuna, which is absolutely worth trying as well.
Chickpea Latkes from Miriam
The Middle Eastern restaurant knows exactly how to cater to New York crowd: its take on the latke is a gluten-free one made with chickpea flour. According to the eatery, the ingredient makes the patties "extra crispy," a "trick passed down from chef and owner Rafael Hasid's mother." Locations in the West Village, Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Park Slope
Hanukkah-Only Latke from 12 Chairs Café
At 12 Chairs Café, latke are on the menu pretty often. But the eatery's Hanukkah-only version, served with sour cream and apple sauce, is made that much more special when consumed with Middle Eastern-forward sides, like labneh and smoked salmon. Locations in Soho and Williamsburg
Zucchini Latkes from Motek
Considering that a meal at Motek feels like an evening out in Tel Aviv, it is no surprise that the relatively new restaurant's latkes are list-worthy. Made with shredded zucchini, fresh herbs and spices, the patties are pan-friend until deeply crisp and then served with sweet labneh and apple sauce. Yum. 928 Broadway
Crispy Potato Latkes from Le Basque
Although the actual latkes served at Le Basque are pretty classic, usually prepared with Golden Yukon potatoes, it's the side dishes that kick the dish a culinary notch forward. The food here is served with a truffle aioli, cashew-lemon sour cream and smoked paprika aioli. Keep in mind that the latkes are also served at two other City Roots Hospitality restaurants, Willow at 199 8th Avenue and Sentir at 37 West 19th Street. 15 Union Square West
Crispy Latke with Apple Sour Cream from Mama Mezze
There are two reasons why this particular latke makes it on our list. First of all, the dish doesn't ask diners to choose between two traditional dippings, sour cream and apple sauce, combining both in a delicious creation that combines apples roasted in Aleppo pepper, honey, rosemary, thyme, yogurt and sour cream. What's more, the treat was invented by chef-collaborator Einat Admony of Balaboosta fame, widely regarded as one of New York City’s most authoritative voices in Middle Eastern cooking. Bonus points: the latkes are served all year-round. 1123 Broadway
Masala Latkes from FOLK
FOLK is a new cocktail-forward neighborhood bar opening in Park Slope this week, on December 11—so sampling as much of the menu as possible is a must. But with Hanukkah beginning just days later, there’s really only one essential order: the masala latkes, made with oyster mushrooms and Spoonbill caviar. 689 6th Avenue, Brooklyn
Potato Latkes from Breads Bakery
It would be inappropriate not to include Breads Bakery on this list. Sure, the eatery’s potato latkes—served with sour cream and homemade applesauce—are as traditional as it gets, but there’s a reason tradition endures. Multiple locations
Celery Root Latke from Sungold and NoMad Diner
Served year-round at both of chef Michael King's restaurants, Sungold (96 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn) and NoMad Diner (11 East 31st Street), the celery root latke takes two days to make. The thick wedges, made with shredded Idaho russets and shaved celery root, are slow-cooked in clarified butter, pressed, chilled and then fried to order. The whole thing is then finished off with pear butter, finely grated horseradish and a ton of chives. Happy Hanukkah!
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