A spotlight from Society Hill
Zahav
Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook's Israeli mesibah — a taboon oven, laffa to order, and salatim by the yard
Zahav began to turn around when we embraced the notion that Israeli food is not a static collection of traditional recipes. It is an idea.
— Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook, Chef-Owner & Co-Owner
A quiet corner of Society Hill
Michael Solomonov and business partner Steven Cook opened Zahav in a quiet corner of Society Hill in May 2008 — tucked into the base of the Society Hill Towers complex overlooking the pedestrian pathway to the Delaware.
The name means 'gold' in Hebrew, and the restaurant arrived as one of the first serious American attempts at contemporary Israeli cooking rather than a catch-all 'Middle Eastern' menu.
The mesibah
Solomonov and Cook built Zahav around the mesibah — a Hebrew word for a celebratory gathering — and shaped the menu into a procession of salatim, hummus with warm laffa, grilled skewers, and slow-cooked lamb meant to be shared.
The kitchen leans on stone hearth, live-fire coals, and a taboon oven to signal Israel's melting pot of Yemenite, Persian, Bulgarian, and Arab cooking traditions.
Federal-era brick, glowing windows
Society Hill's cobblestone lanes and 18th-century brick townhouses give Zahav an unexpectedly hushed setting for such a lively room.
Guests wind past the Society Hill Towers and Old City to reach a dining room whose picture windows glow at dusk over a neighborhood otherwise defined by Federal-era rowhouses and quiet gardens.
Order this
The dishes that made Zahav
Hummus Tehina with Laffa
Whipped chickpeas with tahini poured over the top, served with warm flatbread baked to order in the taboon oven.
Pomegranate Lamb Shoulder
Slow-braised whole lamb shoulder with chickpeas and crispy Persian rice — the centerpiece of the tasting menu.
Salatim
A rotating spread of small vegetable salads that opens every meal and sets the tone for the mezze tradition.
Good to know
Zahav, answered
How do I get a table?
Reservations for the following month open the first Tuesday of each month at 11am Eastern and move quickly.
What should a first-timer order?
The Tayim tasting menu is the fullest expression of the kitchen and typically includes the lamb shoulder shared family-style.
Where's the entrance?
The dining room sits below street level with limited signage; look for the entrance at the base of the Society Hill Towers complex.