Jewish dairy restaurant

Due to the strict rules for separating milk and meat in Jewish law, dairy or milchig () restaurants evolved as an alternative to Jewish delicatessens that specialized in meat (fleischig or fleyshik). They are generally ovo-lacto-pescatarian even though they may be referred to as "vegetarian" or "vegetarian and dairy restaurants"; some proprietors of kosher dairy restaurants added "vegetarian" to their name to attract additional clientele. Dairy kosher places were also found in Chicago and Toronto, as well as in the East End of London. Dairy restaurant menus include items such as potato latkes, gefilte fish, matzo brei, vegetarian (milkhiker) borscht, kugel, protose (a synthetic vegetable meat substitute), pierogies, milk toast, poppy seed cakes, buttermilk, cheese blintzes, and kreplach, as well as American dishes such as scrambled eggs and tuna salad. Perhaps due to its utilitarian style, the Jewish dairy restaurant has not been memorialized or preserved compared with the Jewish deli or other ethnic restaurant styles. They survive in advertising from newspapers of the time. == History ==

Precursors Precursors to the milchig restaurant include the milchhallen or "milk pavilions" of Germany and Austria, also called meierei (dairy farms). These were urban businesses that ranged from a kiosk to a large building which served milk, custard, cheese dishes, beer, cold cuts, and small sandwiches. Some of these dairy stands or milk shops had Jewish proprietors. However, some restaurants were not Romanian-style and may have predated them. Jewish dairy restaurants proliferated due to the low barriers to entry for immigrant entrepreneurs, and a ready base of customers with experience with a taste for Eastern European Ashkenazic-style dairy cuisine. The restaurant business was experiencing an upswing in early 20th century New York. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, which exposed issues in the meat industry, was translated by Abraham Cahan and published in Forverts in 1906, which popularized the benefits of a dairy and vegetarian diet and the unsanitary conditions of slaughterhouses. The Yiddish theater district around 2nd Avenue played host to many restaurants that opened up to serve the theater-goers and the performers during its heyday. Restaurants like Ratner's were frequented by Yiddish theater actors, were meeting places for political writers such as the Partisan Review writers, and later on became relevant to the 1960s youth culture. == Notable examples and patrons ==

melt at B&HNotable examples frequented by Jewish immigrants and American Jews, among others, include B&H Dairy and Ratner's. As of 2024, B&H is operating as one of the few remaining Jewish dairy restaurants in New York's former Yiddish theater district, and is run by an Egyptian Muslim and Polish Catholic couple. B&H counted Yiddish theater actors Molly Picon and Maurice Schwartz among its patrons. Another famous intellectual patron was author and Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, a noted Jewish vegetarian, was said to favor the Famous Dairy Restaurant on West 72nd Street. The infamous gangster Meyer Lansky frequented Ratner's, where he met with Lucky Luciano. Ratner's later named a bar after him. The Lansky Lounge, a makeshift speakeasy with dancing, was located in the rear party room of the establishment, with a secret entrance in the alleyway and decor depicting East Side mobsters. According to Abraham Reinstein, the manager of Ratner's for nearly 40 years, Lansky would sit at a table in that room surrounded by bodyguards. More recently, in Los Angeles, Steven Spielberg's mother opened The Milky Way restaurant. In Boro Park, New York City, a Hasidic neighborhood, modern dairy restaurants serve pizza and falafel alongside traditional dairy restaurant fare like donuts, omelets, pancakes, and pirogies. Many of the classic-style dairy restaurants in New York have closed. == Kosher certification ==

In the modern day, particularly in more observant denominations of Judaism, dairy restaurants are usually certified by a kosher certification agency. Dairy restaurants in the early 20th century generally were not certified kosher, and most Jewish consumers of the time were satisfied with U.S. government approval. == See also ==