The 8 Best Kosher Dairy Restaurants in NYC (2026)

Updated October 2026 · 8 picks

The best kosher dairy restaurants in NYC in 2026 are Abaita in Midtown East, Castell's in Brooklyn and Tiberias near the Empire State Building. For something lighter, Libbi on the Upper East Side, Noi Due on the Upper West Side and the Lox cafes at two Jewish museums are all excellent. Each pick names its certifying agency.

1. Abaita — Midtown East, Manhattan

The best dairy Italian in the city — handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and whole fish.

$$$ UpmarketHechsher OK

Abaita, on East 49th Street between Third and Lexington, is run by Italian-born chef David Donagrandi, and it shows in the pasta. The menu merges Jewish and Italian cooking — spaghetti, arancini, wood-fired pizza, fresh fish and house-made sorbets — in a warm, modern room a few blocks from Grand Central.

Dairy is the one setting where kosher Italian food gives nothing up: butter, cream and real cheese are all on the table. It is certified by the OK and works equally well for a business lunch or a long dinner.

Good to know: Book for dinner; at lunchtime it is a favourite with Midtown offices.

145 E 49th St, New York, NY 10017

Google Maps Website

2. Castell's — Gravesend, Brooklyn

The grandest kosher dairy room in New York — Italian food in a castle-like dining hall.

$$$ UpmarketHechsher Vaad Hakashrus of Flatbush

Castell's opened on Avenue U at the start of 2025 and has been called the fanciest kosher dairy restaurant around — the room is a dramatic, castle-style space seating about 110. The menu is Italian: pizzettes such as margherita and bianca, eggplant parmigiana and ricotta-filled pastas in lemon cream.

The bar makes its own Campari and vermouth because the bottled versions aren't kosher. It is listed under the Vaad Hakashrus of Flatbush, opens evenings Sunday to Thursday and closes for Shabbat.

Good to know: Bring a group — the room is built for celebrations, and sharing lets you work through the pastas.

222 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11223

Google Maps

3. Tiberias — Murray Hill, near the Empire State Building, Manhattan

Dairy and fish with a sushi bar and wood-fired pizza — served later than almost anyone.

$$$ UpmarketHechsher OK (chalav yisrael, mashgiach temidi)

Tiberias, on East 34th Street between Madison and Park, is a full-service dairy and fish restaurant with a sushi bar, pastas, wood-fired pizza and desserts like pistachio crème brûlée. Fish is the only animal protein, which keeps it simple for mixed groups.

It is certified by the OK with chalav yisrael dairy and a mashgiach on the floor whenever it is open. Its real selling point is the hours: table service until 1am Sunday to Thursday and until 2am on Saturday night after Shabbat.

Good to know: A rare kosher option after a late show or a late flight — it serves full dinner past midnight.

45 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016

Google Maps Website

4. Libbi — Upper East Side (Yorkville), Manhattan

A small, chef-owned dairy spot from the Abaita family, cooking everything from scratch.

$$ Mid-rangeHechsher OK (cholov yisroel)

Libbi, on East 81st Street in Yorkville, is Abaita's smaller sister: a chef-owned dairy restaurant with a short menu, food made from scratch and quiet, attentive service. It has become a neighbourhood favourite for brunch and for a relaxed dinner.

It is certified by the OK and its dairy is cholov yisroel. It is a short walk from the Met and Museum Mile, which makes it a useful stop on a museum day.

Good to know: Pair it with a morning at the Met — it is about ten minutes' walk east.

205 E 81st St, New York, NY 10028

Google Maps Website

5. Noi Due Cafe — Upper West Side, Manhattan

Brick-oven pizza, pasta and gelato — the Upper West Side's family dairy standby.

$$ Mid-rangeHechsher OK

Noi Due, on Columbus Avenue, has been the Upper West Side's go-to kosher dairy Italian since 2009. The menu is Italian with a Mediterranean slant: crisp brick-oven pizzas including a truffle pizza, cacio e pepe, spinach rollatini lasagna, eggplant carpaccio and fish like sole marsala.

It is certified by the OK, has a private room for parties, and runs its own gelato shop next door. A meat sister, Noi Due Carne, is on West 69th Street.

Good to know: Close to the American Museum of Natural History — a good dinner after a museum day with kids.

491 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10024

Google Maps Website

6. Lox at the Jewish Museum — Upper East Side (Museum Mile), Manhattan

Lox five ways, blintzes and borscht in the café of the Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue.

$$$ UpmarketHechsher OU

When Russ & Daughters' museum café didn't return after the pandemic, chef David Teyf's Lox took over the space at the Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue. The menu is a celebration of Ashkenazi cured fish: a 'Lox Five Ways' board with cream cheeses and a basket of bagels and bread, sandwiches, cheese blintzes, borscht with sour cream and caviar with blinis or challah.

It is a dairy café certified by the OU. The original Lox Cafe, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, has been open since 2016 and is also OU-certified — so there is one at each end of Manhattan.

Good to know: You do not need a museum ticket to eat here. It is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays and on Saturdays.

1109 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128

Google Maps Website

7. Milk N' Honey — Midtown East, Manhattan

A busy Midtown dairy lunch counter — sandwiches, pizza, sushi and breakfast from 7am.

$ BudgetHechsher OU

Milk N' Honey, on East 46th Street just off Fifth Avenue, is a practical kosher dairy stop for Midtown workers and visitors: breakfast from 7am, then sandwiches, salads, pizza and sushi through the afternoon, with delivery across nearby offices.

It is certified by the OU and keeps weekday office hours — it closes early on Friday and is shut on Shabbat — so think lunch, not dinner.

Good to know: Open from 7am on weekdays — one of the easier kosher breakfasts near Grand Central and Rockefeller Center.

12 E 46th St, New York, NY 10017

Google Maps Website

8. Le Lis Café — Upper West Side (ArtHouse Hotel), Manhattan

A kosher artisan café and bakery in the lobby of an Upper West Side hotel.

$$ Mid-rangeHechsher Rabbi Marmorstein

Le Lis is the kosher café in the lobby of the ArtHouse Hotel at Broadway and 77th Street, baking European and American pastries and breads, with both dairy and dairy-free options, and serving breakfast plates like salmon sandwiches and avocado toast.

It is supervised by Rabbi Marmorstein. For kosher travellers staying on the Upper West Side, having a kosher café downstairs makes the ArtHouse an unusually convenient base.

Good to know: A calm place for coffee and a pastry before a walk in Riverside Park, two blocks west.

2178 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

What does milchig mean?

Milchig (Yiddish) or halavi (Hebrew) is a dairy kitchen. It can serve milk, cheese, butter and cream, plus fish, eggs and produce — but no meat or poultry at all. That is why kosher dairy restaurants lean on pasta, pizza, sushi and fish.

What is chalav yisrael?

Chalav yisrael (also spelled cholov yisroel) means milk that was supervised by an observant Jew from milking onwards. Many observant diners only eat dairy that meets this standard. Tiberias and Libbi state that their dairy is chalav yisrael; for other restaurants, ask or check the certificate.

Is fish served at kosher dairy restaurants?

Yes. Fish is pareve — neither meat nor dairy — so dairy restaurants serve it freely, and it is usually the main protein on the menu. Many people eat fish and dairy together; some communities avoid combining fish with meat, but not fish with dairy.

Where can I get a late-night kosher dairy meal in Manhattan?

Tiberias, on East 34th Street, serves full table service until 1am Sunday to Thursday and until 2am on Saturday nights after Shabbat — unusually late for a kosher restaurant.

Are these restaurants open on Shabbat?

No. They close for Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Several, including Tiberias, reopen on Saturday night after Shabbat ends.

1. Abaita — Midtown East, Manhattan

2. Castell's — Gravesend, Brooklyn

3. Tiberias — Murray Hill, near the Empire State Building, Manhattan

4. Libbi — Upper East Side (Yorkville), Manhattan

5. Noi Due Cafe — Upper West Side, Manhattan

6. Lox at the Jewish Museum — Upper East Side (Museum Mile), Manhattan

7. Milk N' Honey — Midtown East, Manhattan

8. Le Lis Café — Upper West Side (ArtHouse Hotel), Manhattan

Frequently asked questions

Related lists

The 11 Best Kosher Restaurants in NYC (2026)

The 12 Best Kosher Meat Restaurants in NYC (2026)