PHLReview

photo credit: Michael Persico

K’Far image
8.5

K'Far

Middle EasternBakery/Cafe

Rittenhouse

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastBrunchCoffee & A Light BiteDate NightImpressing Out of TownersLiterally EveryoneLunchOutdoor/Patio Situation
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You might have first heard about K’far because it’s from the people behind Zahav, one of the best restaurants in the city. You may have also heard that the pastries and breakfast food, like Jerusalem bagels with za’atar and thick kubaneh toasts topped with whipped ricotta and brown sugar, are excellent. You might have even seen a line down the block.

All of that is true - K’Far is one of Philadelphia’s best bakeries. But what you really need to know is that dinner here is just as good as the pastries. And you won’t have to wait in a long line to experience it.

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photo credit: Kerry McIntyre

Eating dinner at K’far feels a lot like being in Night At The Museum. The glass cases usually filled with ham and cheese borekas and walnut cake are empty, and the light in the Coca-Cola fridge is off (although the bottles of Orangina are still in there, asking to be paired with some moussaka). The one thing that does make more sense at night is the full bar, which is responsible for the cocktail list of mostly low-proof drinks made of things like arak, sour cherry, and cardamom.

While eating a sit-down meal in a bakery at night might feel a little strange at first, you’ll forget about it as soon as the fantastic food starts to arrive. They use a lot of the same ingredients at night as they do in the morning - like the kubaneh toasts. They’re just as warm and buttery as they are at breakfast, but instead of toppings like brown sugar ricotta, figs, and blueberry syrup, you can get one at dinner that has a sweet-salty combination of foie gras and date molasses. The air-cured beef (basturma) that’s served on a Jerusalem bagel in the morning comes underneath sweet melon at dinner - and you should wrap the honeydew up in it like you’re swaddling a delicious newborn baby. There are also larger dishes that are exclusive to the dinner menu, like the rich and tender whole lamb shank covered in a sour cherry glaze, and the t’bit, which is essentially an Israeli chicken casserole that we wish someone would spoon-feed us daily.

After finishing dessert, you’ll want to stay overnight and wake up to freshly-baked pastries the next morning. We don’t blame you - but we can’t promise that the table settings won’t come to life and play out movie-length storylines with each other while you sleep.

Food Rundown

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Pastries

Every pastry here is excellent, but some of our favorites are the walnut cake (which happens to be gluten-free), the chocolate babka, and the chocolate rugelach. Those last two always sell out pretty early, though, so make sure to come by before noon if you really want them.

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Basturma Jerusalem Bagel

Basturma is air-cured beef, and it’s layered onto a warm, fluffy Jerusalem bagel with a mix of olives, peppers, and spinach. There are a lot of bagel options on the daytime menu, but this is our favorite by a mile. Or 1.6 kilometers in Jerusalem.

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Brown Sugar Ricotta Toast

This is one of the best bites of food you can have in Philly right now. It’s insanely rich - with thick, buttery bread and sweet, whipped ricotta under a blueberry drizzle. It’s also the best excuse to essentially eat dessert for breakfast.

Basturma & Melon

At night, the air-cured beef is paired with galia melon (which is essentially honeydew) instead of sandwiched between two halves of a Jerusalem bagel. It’s sweet and salty at the same time, and is the best way to begin dinner here.

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T’bit

The T’bit, an Israeli chicken casserole, is roughly the size of a small dog. It can easily be split by at least two (or four) people, and it’s delicious. There are layers of tender chicken, eggplant, carrots, and rice inside, as well as pieces of apricot that make it just a tad sweet.

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Lamb Shank

Rich, juicy, and a little prehistoric. The huge lamb shank (only on the dinner menu) comes with a sour cherry glaze and essentially falls off the bone with a little help from a fork. You need this.

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Konafi

The konafi - a sweet and savory fried cheese dessert topped with maple syrup - is the best way to end dinner here.

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FOOD RUNDOWN

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