The New York Times selected "Spice Brothers," a shawarma eatery founded by former Israeli kibbutz memberLior Lev, as one of the 14 best new restaurants in New York for 2024.
The outlet's famed restaurant critic Pete Wells, who announced his retirement this year due to health issues, explained praised "the brothers" — friends David Malachi and Lior Lev — for treating everything they serve — labneh, fries, crunchy falafel and spit-roasted meat slices — as an opportunity to experiment with spices.
"Cumin, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, dill and about a dozen other seasonings come at you from all the directions you’d expect and a few that you wouldn’t," he wrote. Wells highlighted the tahini, ground in Israel to Lev’s specifications using traditional millstones, describing its taste as though the sesame seeds had been roasted right before his eyes.
Wells had already awarded the eatery two out of three stars in a July review, describing it as a "showcase for the power of cinnamon, turmeric and other flavors of the Middle East."
"I'm in shock," Lev told Ynet after the results were out. "As a devoted reader of The New York Times and its food section, I know how hard it is to stand out. There are so many restaurants in New York and I can’t believe I’m even on anyone’s radar. Shawarma isn’t the first thing that comes to mind here when talking about fine dining."
"The group of restaurants in the two-star category includes places I personally admire, so it’s a tremendous honor to be part of it. This review exceeded all my expectations. Two stars are incredible on their own and I loved how the review focused on unique spices and Middle Eastern food," he added.
Opened in September 2023, Spice Brothers is located in Manhattan's East Village and features just five tables. Lev, who spent six years in senior roles under Michelin-starred French chef Daniel Boulud, aimed to bring fine-dining elements to street food, dedicating special attention to every ingredient. The restaurant's name comes from a nickname Lev gave his two sons — "Spice Brothers."
The celebrated richness of flavors isn’t coincidental. Lev, 52, founded the spice shop La Boite ("The Box" in French), specializing in sourcing premium spices globally and creating custom blends. His spices are distributed throughout the U.S., Europe and the Far East.
Lev was born and raised in northern Israel's Kibbutz Dan. His parents run a homestead in the Galilee, growing figs for alcohol and olives for olive oil, all of which Lev purchases for his ventures in the U.S.
His olive oil brand, "Moshe Oil," is named after his father, who tends the orchards. Lev left Israel in the late 1990s at age 25 to study culinary arts in Lyon, France and moved to New York in the early 2000s, where he has lived ever since.
He has also authored four English-language cookbooks, the latest photographed in Israel with photographer Dan Peretz.
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"I never intended to open a restaurant, let alone a shawarma joint, as I was busy with the spices," Lev recounted. "But a good friend tried to convince me to open one, and half-jokingly, I said that if I were to open anything, it would be a shawarma place — and here we are."
"There are other shawarma eateries in New York, but not the kind I envisioned, not in terms of the spices or the ingredients that go into the pita bread. Shawarma is a great stage for showcasing spices."