If you’ve lived in New York long enough, you know there are restaurants you visit once… and then there are the ones that become yours. The places you casually drop into conversation with a confident “I have a spot,” the ones you recommend without even thinking, the ones that feel like part of your weekly rhythm.
For me, 12 Chairs Café and Miriam, both Israeli, are exactly what I’m talking about. Whether I’m at 12 Chairs in SoHo with its lively, younger-sister energy or in Williamsburg, where the vibe is just a touch more pulled back, or I’m bouncing between Miriam’s multiple locations from Park Slope to Upper West Side or its newest West Village outpost, these restaurants have that rare, familiar magic.
They feel like true neighborhood anchors–warm, stylish without trying, delicious without fuss, and instantly claimable. They’ve been around for years- well ahead of any trends and are even more popular today than they were when they got their start. Visiting them uplifts my soul and warms me up.
12 Chairs Café, The Downtown Café With a Loyal Following
Here’s the thing about 12 Chairs–you go for brunch, but you stay because suddenly it’s 4 pm, your pita basket has mysteriously refilled itself three times, and you’ve told your friends secrets you swore you’d keep to yourself. With locations in SoHo and Williamsburg, 12 Chairs Café brings the sun-soaked ease of Tel Aviv straight into New York. It’s the kind of place where brunch isn’t a meal- It’s a full-out activity.
You come here for the bright, bold Middle Eastern flavors, warm pita you tear with your hands, dips that somehow keep refilling themselves, and shakshuka bubbling away as if it came right from someone’s home kitchen. The vibe is effortlessly social, where strong coffee and a stylish crowd add to the draw.
Set the Scene
The two locations have a sibling dynamic. SoHo is the younger sister–loud, fun, and a center for action, while the other feels like the older, more composed counterpart.
This is the location where a casual brunch or dinner turns into a full-fledged party, where someone inevitably ends up standing on a chair shaking a tambourine, and where the room is filled with a who’s-who of downtown New York at any random hour.
Williamsburg, on the other hand, is the semi-pulled-back sibling, and we say semi because they still bring the party, just with a slightly cooler, Brooklyn edge. It’s more relaxed, a little roomier, and gives you enough space to breathe while still buzzing with that signature 12 Chairs social energy.
What the Food Is Like
The food is the holy trinity of delicious, shareable, and “don’t touch that, I need a photo first.” My go-to spread always starts with shakshuka, two perfectly poached eggs bubbling in spicy Moroccan tomato sauce, and a lineup of hummus and labneh with warm, pillowy pita that somehow disappears faster than anyone admits. The Arayes are essential: grilled pita stuffed with minced lamb, cooked into a juicy bite. And I will forever defend the chicken schnitzel with mashed potatoes as one of the city’s best comfort dishes–that honey mustard dressing lives rent-free in my mind.
Other callouts go to the grilled chicken salad, which is far more extraordinary than the Plain Jane it sounds like, and the crispy falafel, which my husband has to order no matter what. His other crave-able is the shipudim, a grilled chicken skewer with a spicy cherry tomato salad.
Let’s Talk About the Drinks
The drink vibe shifts depending on which sister you’re visiting. SoHo serves wine only - lots of bubbles, crisp whites, chilled reds. Williamsburg goes deeper into cocktails, offering seasonal menus that match the mood—refreshing spritzes in the summer, warm-you-from-the-inside classics in the winter, and playful spins featuring spirits like arak.
Miriam, A Must with Bright, Comforting Staples
Locations: Park Slope, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village
If 12 Chairs is your flirty brunch friend, Miriam is the dependable one you text when you need an authentic meal, a strong drink, and a vibe that hits whether you’re pre-gaming a show at Barclays or pretending you’re the Upper East Side or West Village local you secretly know you are.
The Upper West Side location has my heart. I come for brunch almost every week, and sometimes dinner, too. I’ve gone two days in a row and even twice in a day- yes, I love it that much.
Set the Scene
Each location of Miriam has its own personality, which is part of the fun. The Park Slope original feels like a cozy neighborhood hub and is dangerously convenient before or after anything at Barclays. Upper West Side has that very “I definitely live here” vibe– relaxed, charming, and steps from the Beacon. Upper East Side feels polished, with the kind of regulars who have standing reservations. And then there’s West Village, the glamorous sister, all sunlight, layered textures, Mediterranean tones, and two beautiful bars—one for cocktails, one doubling as a mezze counter. It’s the kind of place you walk into and immediately understand why people linger.
What the Food Is Like
Miriam’s food has that perfect balance of comforting and vibrant—Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors brought together in a way that feels familiar even if you’ve never had the dish before. Brunch is practically a sport here, with dishes like burekas for breakfast, Turkish eggs with roasted eggplant, and malawach, crisp, melty, and always the table favorite. The entree salads, which change seasonally, are also a winner.
Dinner shifts into heartier dishes like the Jerusalem sesame bread with muhammara, crisp chicken schnitzel with lemon sauce, the fragrant Steak Levant, and the theatrical Lamb Shawarma Terracotta sliced tableside under its baked flatbread lid. The grilled branzino with confit cherry tomatoes and a tahini romesco sauce is a dream. And of course, dessert is non-negotiable—the rose babka and kadaif cannoli both feel like a hug.
Let’s Talk About the Drinks
The cocktails at Miriam are genuinely among my favorites because they don’t just “pair well”–they actually expand on the flavors of the food. Everything has a Mediterranean edge: spices, herbs, citrus, floral notes, even fig and date. You get drinks like tequila with watermelon and rose water; mezcal with ancho reyes, smoked salt, and watermelon; and rye rounded with honey-cardamom syrup and topped with a bruléed fig. Even the martini gets a thyme-and-Castelvetrano-olive upgrade. They’re layered, aromatic, and always a little unexpected—the kind of drinks you remember and end up ordering again “just to taste it one more time.”
Then you’ve got Miriam Upper West Side, Miriam West Village, and Miriam Upper East Side, each with slightly different personalities in that cute, sisterly way. West Village is the stylish one—sun room, marble bar, mezze counter, the whole Mediterranean-dream aesthetic. UES is the polished, grown-up sis (and dangerously close to too many boutiques).
