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Time to Let Someone Else Do the Cooking This Passover
April 8, 2025, 11:45.55 pm ET

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Photo: Mijo Mexican Matzah Ball Soup

Passover in New York is all about honoring tradition—without necessarily spending hours in the kitchen. This year, some of the city’s top restaurants are offering thoughtful, chef-driven Seder packages and dinners that take the stress out of hosting while keeping the spirit (and flavors) fully intact.

At 12 Chairs Café, known for its laid-back Tel Aviv energy, the $325 Passover Box (pickup only in Soho) is stacked with Israeli favorites like spicy eggplant, matbucha, and creamy tahini, alongside mains like Moroccan fish fillet and braised beef with chestnuts. It serves 4–6 and comes with everything from matzo ball soup to malabi for dessert.


Photo: Miriam & Rafael

Over at Miriam and Rafael, sister spots from Chef Rafi Hasid, a $395 package (available for pickup or delivery) goes big on Middle Eastern elegance. Think matzo ball or spring minestrone soup, tri-tip steak or wild caught grouper in shakshuka sauce, plus dips, sides, traditional charoset, and almond apricot cake for dessert. A la carte options let you build your own meal, and every order includes matzo and easy warming instructions.

If you’d rather skip the home prep altogether, Ci Siamo is hosting a one-night-only Seder dinner on April 17 from6:30pm-9pm. Chef Hillary Sterling’s four-course menu (215pp) blends Jewish and Italian influences—wood-fired matzo with ramp-horseradish butter, lamb crespelle, roasted bass—served in an intimate setting. (Not kosher, but deeply soulful.)

Mesiba in Williamsburg is also offering a communal-style dinner that celebrates the Jewish diaspora through the lens of Chef Eli Buli’s heritage. Priced at $115 per person (minimum six guests), the meal tells a global story: Georgian pickles, traditional Ashkenazi charoset, short rib with Moroccan spices, and Polish-inspired meringue “kisses.”


Photo: Zabar's

For those leaning more snacky than sit-down, Zabar’s delivers on the classics with Kosher-for-Passover bundles, from sweet macaroons to full Seder essentials. Li-Lac Chocolates adds a luxe touch with kosher-certified chocolate-covered matzo, and Dominique Ansel gives the holiday treat a bakery upgrade with pistachios and Maldon sea salt.

And for something completely different? Mijo at Pier 57 is bringing Mexican flair to the holiday, with brisket tamales, matzah ball soup spiked with serrano and lime, and a chocolate-covered matzah box from La Newyorkina dusted with toppings like hibiscus and freeze-dried raspberry.

Whether you’re ordering in or heading out, Passover in NYC is about deliciously reimagining tradition—and maybe letting someone else handle the cooking this year.


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