Mocha Red Kosher Restaurant Opens In NYC
Mocha Burger, a SoHo mainstay for kosher diners in the area, now has good company with the recent opening of a sister restaurant calledย Mocha Red. Right off Union Square and across from the Hyatt Union Square Hotel, the restaurant expands proprietor Naftali Abenaimโs line of Mocha branded restaurants nested under the Mocha Hospitality Group umbrella, Mocha Burger (two locations, one in SoHo, and one on the Upper East Side), Mocha Bleu (Dairy), and now Mocha Red.ย
Kosher certified by the OU, Mocha Red is billed as a steakhouse offering American and โMediterrAsianโ fusion fare that combines a Miami artsy vibe with a Tulum, Mexico bohemian flare. While the pairing might seem odd at first glance, the restaurant brings something unique to an area that some might refer to as a โkosher food desertโ as there are currently very few options in the neighborhood. Especially after the tumultuous year due to the health crisis, the kosher restaurant landscape, particularly downtown, is at a crossroads with much uncertainty. Without the same volume of reliable business and office clientele, tourists and residents will have to pick up the slack for the kosher scene in downtown and midtown NYC to thrive. Perhaps the creative concept of offering reserved lockers for regular diners to store their steak knives and favorite spirits is a way to achieve such reliable, loyal patrons.
Mocha Red has also clearly gone to great lengths to differentiate itself from the presentation of both the food and craft cocktails on offer. Take the smoked turkey leg as an example which arrives upright, or the CHECHฤN ITZฤ (sic), which comes in a traditional Aztec-looking mug.
Mochas Red is located at 127 4th Avenue on the corner of 13th Street and is open for lunch and dinner Sunday through Wednesday from 11:30 AM until midnight and Thursday from 11:30 AM until 2:00 AM. On Saturday nights, hours vary depending on the ending time of Shabbat.
