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Miss Ada’s shakshuka. Photo via Miss Ada

17 Superb Shakshukas in NYC

Whether traditional or not, the Middle Eastern egg dish has never been better

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The question isn’t why has shakshuka become so popular in New York City, but rather why did it take so long? The North African dish, in which eggs are poached in a stew of tomatoes, has no single authentic recipe. It’s a typical breakfast in Israel, but it’s become more visible among interesting brunch spots here in town, Middle Eastern or otherwise, likely because it’s health-conscious yet undeniably delicious. Here’s a list of the places across the city doing the best things with the classic.

Note: This list is arranged geographically, north through south from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

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La Shuk

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The Moroccan restaurant in East Harlem offers a truly bountiful green shakshuka for $15, available during brunch. It comes with not only spinach and feta cheese, but also a salad, hummus, and pita on the side. It’s a meal and then some.

La Shuk
La Shuk
La Shuk

Hummus Place

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The namesake chickpea dip is of course the focus at the humble Manhattan mini-chain, but it also serves a notable shakshuka that can be topped with halloumi, an underutilized salty cheese similar to paneer. The impossibly creamy hummus makes for a perfect side. There’s an additional location in the West Village.

Hummus Place
Hummus Place
Hummus Place

Dizengoff

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The fast-casual import from Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook adds artful twists to hummus, but for breakfast, shakshuka is the thing to get, served with piping-hot, homemade za’atar-spiced pita.

Taboonette

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The Union Square-area outpost of Taboon in Hell’s Kitchen offers counter-service Mediterranean standards, including an excellent all-day shakshuka that can be served in a pan or wrapped up in a sandwich.

Taboonette
Taboonette
Taboonette/Facebook

Chef Nir Mesika’s East Village restaurant offers creative spins on Israeli dishes, including a shakshuka at brunch that’s made luxuriously creamy with a slow-cooked tomato base, tahini, and peppers.

Local 92

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Israeli chef Shai Zvibak’s East Village hummus bar does the simple things right, including a shakshuka that comes in a cast-iron skillet, with eggs melting into a mix of fresh tomatoes and canned San Marzano varieties. It’s a luscious dip for the house-baked challah.

Local 92
Local 92
Local 92

Spiegel

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The inviting cafe, which brings Israeli food to the historically Jewish Lower East Side, serves a remarkable shakshuka, with eggs practically submerged in a deep-red stew. Tahini and pita come on the side.

Spiegel
Spiegel
Spiegel

Balaboosta

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Balaboosta, from chef-owner Einat Admony, didn’t quite bring shakshuka to Manhattan when it opened in Nolita in 2016, but it helped unfamiliar locals fall in love. Its brunch menu highlights the dish with a traditional version that can be topped with merguez sausage, as well as a “yellow” shakshuka made with coconut milk.

Balaboosta
Balaboosta
Daniel Krieger

Jack's Wife Freda

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Shakshuka welcomes many different interpretations. The one at Jack’s Wife Freda, which helped the bistro get attention, is proof. Two baked eggs come swimming in bright, acidic tomatillo sauce, rather than red sauce. Challah toast helps round out the comforting daytime item. There’s an additional location in the West Village, and another coming in Chelsea.

A spread of dishes including green shakshuka, fruit-topped waffle, salad with halloumi cheese, and fries
Jack’s Wife Freda
Photo via Jack’s Wife Freda

Nish Nush

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This Tribeca joint is known for its delicately balanced falafel pita, but shakshuka is also a standout with its just-spicy-enough tomato sauce enlivened with jalapeños. There’s an additional location on John Street.

Nish Nush
Nish Nush
Nish Nush

12 Chairs Cafe

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The small cafe serving Middle Eastern staples makes an unfussy shakshuka for breakfast that’s supplemented by the optional Bulgarian feta cheese. The included Israeli salad is a bonus. There’s an additional location in Soho.

12 Chairs Cafe
12 Chairs Cafe
12 Chairs Cafe

Zizi Limona

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The Williamsburg Mediterranean restaurant makes shakshuka accessible day and night, but the best time to get it is at dinner, when the thick, rich stew is studded with eggplant.

Zizi Limona
Zizi Limona
Edgar B./Yelp

Queen of Falafel

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The quick service-oriented cafe tucked away in the Bushwick nightlife venue House of Yes specializes in shakshuka on the go. The eggs in a spicy harissa tomato sauce can be packed into a fluffy regular or whole-wheat pita.

Queen of Falafel
Queen of Falafel
Queen of Falafel

EastWick

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EastWick is a gourmet American diner by way of the Mediterranean, an unexpected delight on the edge of Williamsburg and Bushwick. The shakshuka at brunch fits the bill: eggs in a tomato and bell pepper sauce with an uncommon topping of parmesan cheese and arugula.

Miss Ada

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Chef Tomer Blechman, formerly of Bar Bolonat and Maialino, opened this Fort Greene space in 2017, drawing on Middle Eastern influences with individualistic touches. The traditional shakshuka is nevertheless impeccably executed, and it gets a refreshing bite from goat cheese and a heaping pile of torn parsley.

Miss Ada’s shakshuka.
Miss Ada
Miss Ada

The Park Slope mainstay has long served fans of Middle Eastern food with heaps of flavor, and the Mexican-inspired green shakshuka at brunch there remains a standout. Made with tomatillos, poblanos, and cilantro, it also comes with a side of pita.

Miriam Photo via Miriam/Facebook

Mimi's Hummus

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In Brooklyn’s Ditmas Park, Mimi’s is a low-key haven of Middle Eastern specialties, including a special shakshuka made with roasted tomatoes and spiced with cinnamon for a sweet-savory combination. There’s an additional Midtown location.

Mimi’s Hummus
Mimi’s Hummus
Mimi’s Hummus/Facebook

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La Shuk

The Moroccan restaurant in East Harlem offers a truly bountiful green shakshuka for $15, available during brunch. It comes with not only spinach and feta cheese, but also a salad, hummus, and pita on the side. It’s a meal and then some.

La Shuk
La Shuk
La Shuk

Hummus Place

The namesake chickpea dip is of course the focus at the humble Manhattan mini-chain, but it also serves a notable shakshuka that can be topped with halloumi, an underutilized salty cheese similar to paneer. The impossibly creamy hummus makes for a perfect side. There’s an additional location in the West Village.

Hummus Place
Hummus Place
Hummus Place

Dizengoff

The fast-casual import from Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook adds artful twists to hummus, but for breakfast, shakshuka is the thing to get, served with piping-hot, homemade za’atar-spiced pita.

Taboonette

The Union Square-area outpost of Taboon in Hell’s Kitchen offers counter-service Mediterranean standards, including an excellent all-day shakshuka that can be served in a pan or wrapped up in a sandwich.

Taboonette
Taboonette
Taboonette/Facebook

Timna

Chef Nir Mesika’s East Village restaurant offers creative spins on Israeli dishes, including a shakshuka at brunch that’s made luxuriously creamy with a slow-cooked tomato base, tahini, and peppers.

Local 92

Israeli chef Shai Zvibak’s East Village hummus bar does the simple things right, including a shakshuka that comes in a cast-iron skillet, with eggs melting into a mix of fresh tomatoes and canned San Marzano varieties. It’s a luscious dip for the house-baked challah.

Local 92
Local 92
Local 92

Spiegel

The inviting cafe, which brings Israeli food to the historically Jewish Lower East Side, serves a remarkable shakshuka, with eggs practically submerged in a deep-red stew. Tahini and pita come on the side.

Spiegel
Spiegel
Spiegel

Balaboosta

Balaboosta, from chef-owner Einat Admony, didn’t quite bring shakshuka to Manhattan when it opened in Nolita in 2016, but it helped unfamiliar locals fall in love. Its brunch menu highlights the dish with a traditional version that can be topped with merguez sausage, as well as a “yellow” shakshuka made with coconut milk.

Balaboosta
Balaboosta
Daniel Krieger

Jack's Wife Freda

Shakshuka welcomes many different interpretations. The one at Jack’s Wife Freda, which helped the bistro get attention, is proof. Two baked eggs come swimming in bright, acidic tomatillo sauce, rather than red sauce. Challah toast helps round out the comforting daytime item. There’s an additional location in the West Village, and another coming in Chelsea.

A spread of dishes including green shakshuka, fruit-topped waffle, salad with halloumi cheese, and fries
Jack’s Wife Freda
Photo via Jack’s Wife Freda

Nish Nush

This Tribeca joint is known for its delicately balanced falafel pita, but shakshuka is also a standout with its just-spicy-enough tomato sauce enlivened with jalapeños. There’s an additional location on John Street.

Nish Nush
Nish Nush
Nish Nush

12 Chairs Cafe

The small cafe serving Middle Eastern staples makes an unfussy shakshuka for breakfast that’s supplemented by the optional Bulgarian feta cheese. The included Israeli salad is a bonus. There’s an additional location in Soho.

12 Chairs Cafe
12 Chairs Cafe
12 Chairs Cafe

Zizi Limona

The Williamsburg Mediterranean restaurant makes shakshuka accessible day and night, but the best time to get it is at dinner, when the thick, rich stew is studded with eggplant.

Zizi Limona
Zizi Limona
Edgar B./Yelp

Queen of Falafel

The quick service-oriented cafe tucked away in the Bushwick nightlife venue House of Yes specializes in shakshuka on the go. The eggs in a spicy harissa tomato sauce can be packed into a fluffy regular or whole-wheat pita.

Queen of Falafel
Queen of Falafel
Queen of Falafel

EastWick

EastWick is a gourmet American diner by way of the Mediterranean, an unexpected delight on the edge of Williamsburg and Bushwick. The shakshuka at brunch fits the bill: eggs in a tomato and bell pepper sauce with an uncommon topping of parmesan cheese and arugula.

Miss Ada

Chef Tomer Blechman, formerly of Bar Bolonat and Maialino, opened this Fort Greene space in 2017, drawing on Middle Eastern influences with individualistic touches. The traditional shakshuka is nevertheless impeccably executed, and it gets a refreshing bite from goat cheese and a heaping pile of torn parsley.

Miss Ada’s shakshuka.
Miss Ada
Miss Ada

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Miriam

The Park Slope mainstay has long served fans of Middle Eastern food with heaps of flavor, and the Mexican-inspired green shakshuka at brunch there remains a standout. Made with tomatillos, poblanos, and cilantro, it also comes with a side of pita.

Miriam Photo via Miriam/Facebook

Mimi's Hummus

In Brooklyn’s Ditmas Park, Mimi’s is a low-key haven of Middle Eastern specialties, including a special shakshuka made with roasted tomatoes and spiced with cinnamon for a sweet-savory combination. There’s an additional Midtown location.

Mimi’s Hummus
Mimi’s Hummus
Mimi’s Hummus/Facebook

Related Maps