A Visit to Beit Cafe, London’s Cutest Kosher Eatery

When I moved from New York to London and married my husband, Daniel, living in a new country wasn’t the only adjustment I needed to make. Unlike me, Daniel keeps kosher in a pretty hardcore way – a way that does not allow for eating in non-kosher restaurants. 

As a foodie who loves eating out, I was a little apprehensive about how this would go. While I still occasionally eat dairy, fish, or vegan stuff at non-kosher restaurants, being with Daniel inevitably means most of my dining out now happens in the kosher realm. And while, sadly, there are some eateries that live up (or down) to the stereotype of kosher restaurants being overpriced and underwhelming, I’ve been thrilled to discover there are a lot that don’t.

One of those is Beit Cafe, a delightful dairy spot in Golders Green that will make you feel like you’ve been magically transported to Tel Aviv. Serving breakfast and lunch Sunday through Friday (and dinner on Thursdays) alongside the Israeli vibes, this place is as charming as it is delicious. 

Beit Cafe is one of the few local kosher establishments I’m wholeheartedly thrilled to recommend to anyone – even non-kosher diners who’ve got the best of London’s food scene at their feet – and I’ve been thrilled to introduce it to UK Smashing Life members at the many meetups we’ve held there. 

Plus, the minute you step inside, there’s no mistaking that you’re someplace proudly and openly Israeli. Pretty much the entire staff hails from Israel, and since October 7 there are always signs for the hostages displayed alongside the Israeli flags. 

When Daniel and I visit, we usually end up opting to share two favorites from the all-day breakfast section: First off, The Yemenite, featuring malawach and jachnun (two deliciously flaky Yemenite fried breads), three delicious dips (I’m obsessed with the fresh tomato one!), olives, a hard boiled egg,  and a green side salad.

If you’ve never had malawach, you’re missing out. Sort of like a Yemenite paratha, it’s a multilayered flatbread brushed with lots of oil or butter (if you can’t make it to Beit Cafe, you may be able to find a creditable frozen version in your local kosher shop). 

One caveat about the Yemenite, though: there’s no mention of it on the menu, but the jahnun is only available on Wednesdays. I’ve not yet made it to Beit Cafe on a Wednesday, so I’m yet to try it. No worries, though – if you order The Yemenite another day of the week, you’ll get a double portion of malawach, no bad thing in my opinion. 

The second all-day breakfast dish we tend to go for is The Shuk. Billed as a modern sabich, this one features a toasted Jerusalem bagel topped with slices of fried aubergine, hard boiled egg, and tomato, with tahini and a spicy sauce. Like The Yemenite, it comes with a nice little side salad. With this order combo, we really do feel like we’re in some cute cafe in Israel. 

Other favorites include the sandwiches, especially the “shnitzel” in challah (featuring aubergine schnitzel rather than the meat kind) and the halloumi in focaccia. Beit Cafe’s also got a nice array of salads, pastas, soups, even jacket potatoes – plus a kids’ menu. 

And the sweets… if you’re a kosher restaurant connoisseur, you know it’s not easy finding truly standout baked goods and desserts in this world. Meat restaurants tend to suffer from mediocre pareve desserts, and even the (relatively few) dairy places here in London just don’t shine in this area. 

Not so at Beit Cafe. Upon entering, you’ll come up to a glorious display case full of sweet treats – from brownies and muffins to carrot cake and cheesecake.  

Then there are the cookies. Beit Cafe’s cookies are off-the-charts amazing – these are big, chunky, chewy American-style cookies, not little English biscuits. Their White Chocolate Pistachio & Halva cookie was even listed as one of Travel Insighter’s 9 best cookies in London – quite a feat for a kosher eatery – while White Chocolate and Biscoff is my personal favorite.

Thus far, the only minor disappointment I’ve had at Beit Cafe has been their sufganiyot at Hanukkah – they were by no means bad, but I found the fillings to be a little heavier on the cream and lighter on the flavor than I’d hoped. 

On the whole, Beit Cafe is just about everything I want to see in a kosher restaurant. 

A spot that’s genuinely good – not just “good for a kosher place.” A place with a unique menu, not one that’s nearly identical to what can be found at three other local kosher eateries. A place with charm and personality. A place that doesn’t phone it in when it comes to desserts. 

I just hope Beit Cafe is the future of kosher dining in London – and if they ever want to open a second branch in Edgware, where I live, I promise to be their best customer!

You can follow along with my continued kosher foodie adventures at @kosherinthekingdom on Instagram