Where to Get Jewish Food for the High Holidays in Chicago

Jewish families love to pass along legends of selfless bubbes who have spent countless early fall afternoons in the kitchen, kneading challah dough, chopping carrots for tsimmes, and stirring steaming pots of chicken soup. How those women suffered to prepare the high holiday meals! How they wanted their children and grandchildren to know of their suffering!

Luckily you can deliver a Rosh Hashanah feast without all that work and guilt by perusing Eater Chicago’s list of restaurants, delis, and bakeries in and around Chicago with full meals and soup, sides, and challah. There are options to dine out and cater in for the Jewish New Year and break fast platters loaded with lox and bagels for Yom Kippur break fast. Just be sure to order well in advance to avoid any kvetching.

Aba: Aba in Fulton Market offers a Mediterranean inflection on holiday favorites — customers can order verjus-braised chicken, charred beef brisket, sumac-roasted baby turnips with mini carrots, and apple kataifi tart tatin for takeout. Orders are open until 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 29 via Tock. Dine-in patrons can count on special dishes such as shaved brussels sprouts salad from Wednesday, October 2 through Saturday, October 5.

Beatrix Fulton Market, River North, and Streeterville: The Beatrix Rosh Hashanah meal serves up all the classics: gefilte fish (typically for Passover), chopped liver, matzo ball soup, burnt honey chicken, slow-braised short ribs, potato pancakes (see: Hanukkah), apples and honey, and two kinds of cake — lemon olive oil and chocolate. The family-style package is available to order until noon on Tuesday, October 1 for pickup or delivery on Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3. Order online.

Bistronomic: The Gold Coast French restaurant offers a three-course dinner Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3 including housemade chicken liver mousse, seared salmon with eggplant puree and apple & honey challah bread pudding. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Ema: Aba’s River North sibling offers a Rosh Hashanah dinner for two, or for 8-10 for those feeding a group, that includes shaved brussels sprout salad, braised lamb daube, miso-maple tzimmes and apple kataifi tarte tartin. Orders can be placed on Tock through noon Monday, September 30 for carryout or delivery Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3. Some of the dishes are also available on those days as dine-in specials.

The Goddess and Grocer: Chef Debbie Sharpe’s mini-chain has a variety of options. Choose from family-sized portions of appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts; dinner packages for two or more; and Yom Kippur platters of bagels and lox or vegetarian frittatas. Preorders for Rosh Hashanah must be in by noon on Tuesday, September 24, and Yom Kippur by noon on Monday, October 7. Peruse the menus and place orders online.

The Goddess and Grocer

Helfeld’s Deli: The Wicker Park Jewish deli offers a Rosh Hashanah catering menu Wednesday, October 2 through Friday, October 4 featuring whole roasted chicken, tzimmes, chopped liver, round challah, and noodle kugel. Pastrami, hand-cut nova lox, pickles, and cream cheese are also available by the pound.

Lure Fishbar: New York import Lure Fishbar will mark the High Holidays with a dine-in menu of matzo ball soup, Autumn harvest salad, oven-roasted chicken, baked whitefish, an apple and hot honey sushi roll, and ricotta doughnut with apple cider glaze for dessert. The lineup is available for Rosh Hashanah from Wednesday, October 2 through Saturday, October 5.

Manny’s Deli: For a traditional feast, order from Manny’s Deli, a family-run spot that has which has been serving Ashkenazi Jewish fare for more than 80 years. Their Rosh Hashanah menu includes chopped liver, matzo ball soup by the quart, four types of brisket, sweet noodle kugel, and round raisin challah. For dessert, add on apple honey cake or cookies shaped like a shofar. They also supply everything needed for Yom Kipper break fast, with trays of lox, tuna salad, and deli meats. Place an order by Friday, September 27 for Rosh Hashanah or Wednesday, October 9 for Yom Kippur.

Max and Benny’s: The beloved Northbrook deli will be open on both Rosh Hashanah (dine-in and takeout) and Yom Kippur (takeout only) and also has a full catering menu available, with chicken, brisket, fish, chicken soup, bagel-and-lox platters, and more. Order online by Sunday, September 29 for Rosh Hashanah or Wednesday, October 9 for Yom Kippur for pre-holiday pickup.

Mensch’s Deli: Evanston’s new Jewish deli offers a special catering menu from Tuesday, October 1 through Sunday, October 13 including matzo ball soup, roasted beet salad, honey harissa-glazed roast chicken, carrot tzimmes, and challah bread pudding. Challah, potato kugel, and vegetarian stuffed cabbage are available to add on. Mench’s regular menu of lox, bagels, pastries, and fruit trays is available to break the Yom Kippur fast. Place an order online 24 hours in advance.

Prairie Grass Cafe: Suburban Northbrook’s Prairie Grass Cafe is offering holiday brisket dinners for two that include salad, barbecue brisket, roasted cauliflower, and warm sticky toffee date cake from James Beard Award winner Sarah Stegner. Add-ons include chicken noodle soup, tzimmes, and chopped chicken liver. Call (847) 205-4433 by Monday, September 30 to order; pickup is 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, October 3.

Schneider Deli: The Jewish deli within Chicago’s iconic mid-century Ohio House Motel is offering brisket, oven-roasted turkey breast, matzo ball soup, honey cake, and a smattering of sides including garlic roasted broccoli and latkes with sour cream and applesauce. Orders can be placed through Toast for Wednesday, October 2 through Sunday, October 6. The deli’s standard bagel and lox platters are available for Yom Kippur Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12.

Steingold’s of Chicago: Chef, owner, and bagel specialist Aaron Steingold has tons of Rosh Hashanah offerings available from Tuesday, October 1 through Friday, October 4 this year, including beef brisket, apple cider roast chicken, and honey apple cake for four to six. Options available through Oct. 13 include smoked trout salad, chicken schnitzel, rugelach, and lox platters perfect for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur. Order online via Toast.

Summer House Santa Monica

Summer House Santa Monica: The Lincoln Park restaurant offers a four-course dinner from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, October 2 and Thursday, October 3 start with a spread of challah, apples with honey, chopped liver, and gefilte fish with beet horseradish. Polish off a bowl of matzo ball soup before a choice of wood-grilled salmon or slow-braised beef short rib served with potato pancakes and tzimmes, with an apple galette for dessert. Reservations are available through OpenTable though those who prefer to dine at home can preorder the meal by noon on Friday, September 27 via Tock.

Verzenay: Start the New Year on a sweet note with challah, apricot rugelach or apple pie with almond crumble from Arshiya Farheen’s Lincoln Park bakery. Order online for pickup Wednesday, October 2 through Friday, October 4.