Latkes, aka potato pancakes, are one of the simple pleasures in life, and very much enjoyed during the Hanukkah season. (Truth be told, we enjoy them all year-round.)
We’ve rounded up some of the best restaurants in the country frying up these golden morsels of potato-y goodness. Here’s where to go to get your fix:
Russ & Daughters Cafe, NYC
Two blocks down the street from the stalwart bagel and smoked fish haven lies Russ & Daughters’ spin-off for you to get your fill of knishes, chopped liver and pastrami. Here, latkes are served either with wild salmon roe and crème fraîche or applesauce and sour cream.Mill Basin Kosher Delicatessen, NYC
"This middle-aged Brooklyn treasure is as old-school as it gets, and though it’s a bit of a trek to Mill Basin, anyone looking for a true-blue Jewish deli won’t think twice," state Michelin inspectors of this deli near Brighton Beach. Latke "chips" at Mill Basin come piled high, and are served with a side of your choice: applesauce or fried onions.Pearl Dive Oyster Palace, Washington, D.C.
Though it’s all about Southern-inspired fare at Jeff and Barbara Black’s restaurant, with menu items including ricotta beignets, po’ boys and crawfish fritters, latkes are also up for grabs during brunch, and served with apple butter and chive crème fraîche.2nd Avenue Deli, NYC
New Yorkers should thank their lucky stars that there is not one, but two locations of this Kosher deli. The Gotham landmark has been dishing up traditional fixin’s like chopped liver, gefilte fish and matzoh ball soup for over half a century. Potato pancakes come in threes for $18.95, and are served with apple sauce or sour cream. For the holiday, a special take-out menu that feeds 10 people is on offer for $400.Eleven City Diner, Chicago
Breakfast is served all day at this South Loop deli, with diner standards including challah French toast, old-school lox platters and corned beef and pastrami hash. Here, the latke plate arrives with two “old school” and two “new school” complete with a side car of apple sauce and sour cream.Katz’s, NYC
No one should be surprised why we included this 130-year-old Lower East Side favorite. At any time of the day, lines of salivating New Yorkers waiting for the famous pastrami or corned beef—and perhaps to sit at the famous table from When Harry Met Sally—snake throughout the restaurant and down the block. Latkes (three for $12.25) are served with either apple sauce or sour cream. Not in New York City? No problem—mini latkes are available from the online store and shipped nationwide.Hero image courtesy of Eleven City Diner.
