Rosh Hashana dinner packages from The Goddess and Grocer feature chicken, brisket, salmon or vegetarian options. (The Goddess and Grocer)
The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana, begins Sunday, kicking off 10 days of prayer and reflection that culminate Oct. 5 with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Like most Jewish holidays, food is a key component of the celebration, and Chicago restaurants are happy to make hosting friends and family easier by doing the cooking. Rosh Hashana feasts feature ceremonial foods like apples dipped in honey to usher in a sweet new year, and round loaves of challah bread representing the circular cycle of time, plus traditional fare like brisket, kugel and matzo ball soup.
For Yom Kippur, restaurants are offering platters of bagels and other breakfast fare to dig into after a day of fasting. Here are 17 restaurants looking to take a bit of the stress out of the High Holidays.
Order a Rosh Hashana dinner to go by 5 p.m. Friday and you’ll get Brussels sprouts and Parmesan latkes, smoky garlic hummus, shawarma-rubbed brisket, za’atar-roasted chicken, roasted beets and honey pie for $65 per person. The meal is available for pickup or delivery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 25-26. If you want to dine in, you can get the brisket for $29. 302 N. Green St., 773-645-1400, abarestaurants.com
Start your meal with chopped liver, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and apples and honey before moving on to potato pancakes, slow-braised short rib, candied carrots and olive oil cake. The meal is $55 per person, and orders must be placed by noon Friday. Pick up dinner or get it delivered from 2-7 p.m. Sept. 25-26 through the restaurant’s River North, Fulton Market or Streeterville locations. Locations vary, beatrixrestaurants.com
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Feast on a Rosh Hashana dinner featuring apples and honey, gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, potato pancakes, brisket and apple crostata at the restaurant, or pick it up to go Sept. 25-26. Pickup orders must be placed by 3 p.m. Friday. 2124 Northbrook Court, Northbrook; 847-498-4321; di-pescara.com
Put a Mediterranean twist on your holiday meal with avocado hummus, apple and walnut salad, cardamom and cinnamon kugel, and grilled chicken kebab offered for $59 per person for pickup or delivery from 2-7 p.m. Sept. 25-26. Orders must be placed by noon Friday. Rosh Hashana specials including latkes made with kale, leeks and the Greek cheese mizithra, and lamb stew with dates, pearl onions and dried figs are also available for dine in. 74 W. Illinois St., 312-527-5586, emachicago.com
Choose from brisket, chicken, salmon or vegetarian Rosh Hashana dinner packages for $40 per person, which comes with chicken matzo ball or roasted fall vegetable soup, challah rolls and honey apple cake. A $25 per person Break the Fast package for Yom Kippur features lox and bagels, veggie frittata and fruit salad. Add-ons include noodle kugel ($35), gefilte fish ($7.50) and sweet potato and zucchini latkes ($21). Pickup and delivery orders must be placed by noon Wednesday for Rosh Hashana and Sept. 30 for Yom Kippur. Locations vary, goddessgrocer.com/roshhashanah
This new Wicker Park spot offers small and large round challah ($11-$14) as part of a Rosh Hashana menu featuring cheese or blueberry blintzes ($2.50), rotisserie chicken ($17) and gefilte fish ($7.95). Orders must be placed by Monday. For Yom Kippur, pick up a hand-cut nova lox tray featuring bagels, plain and chive cream cheese, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and capers ($18 per person) or a meat tray with corned beef, pastrami, potato salad, bread, pickles and condiments ($17 per person). 1750 W. North Ave., 773-904-7751, helfeldsdeli.com
Dine on gefilte fish with red beet horseradish, chopped liver, matzo ball soup, ginger-glazed carrots and potato pancakes and your choice of herb-roasted chicken, brisket with red wine Bordelaise or wild Alaskan halibut, with flourless chocolate cake or key lime pie for dessert. Served from 4-9 p.m. Sept. 25-26, the meal is $65 per person or $30 for kids under age 13. You can also get it for carryout from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. if you place an order by 5 p.m. Thursday. 60 E. Grand Ave., 312-379-5637, joes.net/chicago
A family-style feast available for dine-in or pickup includes vegetarian chopped liver, matzo ball soup, rosemary brown butter chicken, potato-crusted Lake Superior whitefish and chocolate cake for $52 per person. Order by 5 p.m. Wednesday to pick up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 25-26. 7110 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincolnwood; 847-677-3350; lwoodsrestaurant.com
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Prepare for the holiday at the farmers market from 3-7 p.m. Tuesday with challah from Masa Madre, honey from The Hive Supply, apples from Parra Farms and Greg Kugel Farms, frozen apple cake from Steingold’s and other frozen fare including kugel, chicken soup and knish from Schmaltz and Vinegar. Kids can hear a Rosh Hashana story from 5-7 p.m. 3410 N. Southport Ave., 773-472-7171, lakeviewroscoevillage.org/lowlinemarket
This newish Mexican-Jewish bakery, which operates virtually but has multiple pickup locations and offers Chicago delivery, will feature round challah plain or studded with guava paste and covered in puffed amaranth from Wednesday through Oct. 7. You can also order a gift box including a round challah, mini-churro babka and a jar of locally made honey. Orders must be placed at least a day ahead. 872-202-8307, masamadre.bottle.com
Executive chef David Koehn offers a spread ranging from challah with apples and honey to matzo ball soup, to brisket and seared salmon for $60, or $25 for kids under age 13. Dine in or order by 5 p.m. Thursday to carry out. 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, 773-348-8886, monamigabi.com
Enjoy matzo ball soup, slow-braised short rib and hazelnut panna cotta for $45 per person Sept. 26-27. Reservations and delivery and carryout orders must be placed by 5 p.m. Thursday. 620 N. State St., 312-642-8450, osteriaviastato.com
A $98 Rosh Hashana dinner for two includes barbecue brisket with roasted cauliflower and sticky toffee cake, though you can add on a pint of honey glazed carrots ($12), a quart of chicken noodle soup ($20) or a round challah from Bennison’s Bakery ($9). Orders must be placed by Thursday for pickup from 2-7 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant also offers a Yom Kippur menu with a sliced smoked salmon platter ($30-$57), plain bagels with cream cheese ($20 for a dozen) and tuna salad ($14 per pint). Place an order by Oct. 2 to pick up from 2-7 p.m. Oct. 5. 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook; 847-205-4433; prairiegrasscafe.com
A four-course dinner for $55 per person includes apples with honey, matzo ball soup, brisket with onion and raspberry rugelach. Dine in Sept. 25-26 or place a carryout order by 3 p.m. Friday. 601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling; 847-777-6878; saranellos.com
Feed five to six ($240) or 10-12 ($400) people with a Rosh Hashana feast available Sept. 25-26 that includes a whole rotisserie chicken, brisket, round challah, honey-glazed carrot tzimmes and apple honey Bundt cake. A Yom Kippur package offered Oct. 4-5 for $140 or $240 features bagels and cream cheeses with house-cured nova lox, smoked whitefish salad, a veggie platter and housemade pickles. Add on matzo ball soup for four for $31 or a pound of chopped liver for $20. 3737 N. Southport Ave., 773-661-2469, steingoldsdeli.com
Make a reservation or place a carryout order by 5 p.m. Thursday for a meal including challah, matzo ball soup, sliced apples and honey, slow-braised beef short rib with mushroom gravy and apple galette with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce for $55 or $25 for kids under age 13. 1954 N. Halsted St., 773-634-4100, summerhouserestaurants.com
The restaurant’s Glenview and Lincolnshire locations serve braised brisket with noodle kugel ($35), broiled salmon with lemon caper sauce ($33), housemade chopped liver with toast points ($6.95) and apple streusel pie with fresh whipped cream ($8.95) for dinner Sept. 25-26 and offer platters for four to five people to go. 1300 Patriot Blvd., Glenview; 847-657-6363; 235 Parkway Drive, Lincolnshire; 847-279-7900; wildfirerestaurant.com
Samantha Nelson is a freelance writer.
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