Azuri Cafe

The first and foremost draw to this place is the owner, Ezra Cohen. He is always there and at first might come off as disinterested and even rude. He’s a no nonsense guy, often hard pressed to smile, especially when the line is out the door, but don’t let his Israeli approach to business stand between you and his food.

There are no frills here, at all. No décor, no drink list and no special service, just Ezra’s food. And his food is somehow the product of his character. No nonsense straight & simple Israeli (& Kosher) fare. The cook’s station is a rainbow of bright vegetables, slaws, pickles and spreads all made in-house. The matzo ball soup is very good, and the shawarma sandwich, stuffed to the brim, is like a different sandwich in every bite. Normally I might nit pick this sandwich with the complaint of uneven ingredient distribution, but there are so many components to taste them all would be overwhelming. And, the variety keeps the sandwich interesting in a very satisfying way.

There is also my favorite, the Combination Salad Plate. A little helping of everything in the place, topped off with falafel and served with pita. One of my favorite one-plate meals in the city. Followed by some baklava and a Turkish coffee. All for a whopping 13 dollars. Unbeatable.

If I had to draw a comparison, I would go out on a limb and compare Ezra to one of his own falafel; hard and crusty on the outside, but soft in the middle. Ezra, it turns out, is a very nice man, with a great memory for his clientele. It truly seems like he spends his days doing what he loves to do. We, the customer, are an afterthought but the beneficiaries of great food from a good man.