Where to Find Perfect Latkes From New York to Warsaw

For eight shining nights each December, Jewish people around the world gather around the menorah, sing songs, and play with dreidels to commemorate the rededication of the Temple of the God of Israel, desecrated circa 165 B.C. And then they eat latkes. Lots and lots of latkes. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the importance of oil during Hanukkah stems from the fact that when the Jews returned to Jerusalem to repair the damage to the Temple, they found enough oil to last only one day. The miracle is that it lasted for eight.

Today, that oil is symbolized in Jewish homes everywhere by lighting the menorah for the eight nights and by eating just about anything that’s fried in oil. In Israel, the star is the jelly-filled sufganiyot (doughnuts). Sephardic Jews go for syrupy fritters like loukoumades. Italian Jews fry up chicken cutlets. And Ashkenazi Jews – those Eastern Europeans who scattered across the globe – go all in on golden, lacy potato latkes.

In medieval times, latkes were originally made with cheese, in honour of the Biblical Judith, a Jewish widow who fed the Assyrian general Holofernes salty cheese and wine before killing him to save her people. To celebrate her, Jewish people adopted the tradition of eating dairy foods during Hanukkah. When the potato rose to prominence in Eastern Europe in the mid-19th century, people started frying them, and it soon became a beloved dish.

“Potatoes were [also] cheaper than cheese,” says Rachel B. Gross, Associate Professor in the Department of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University. “Central and Eastern European Jews started making their Hanukkah fried pancakes out of potatoes rather than wheat (like a regular kind of fried pancake). When German Jews came to the US in the mid-nineteenth century, they brought with them the idea of potato latkes.”

Perhaps the most famous recipe in the Jewish culinary repertoire (save for bagels), latkes are made from little more than potatoes, onions, eggs, a bit of matzo meal or flour, salt, and oil for frying. When made right, hot and crisp and served with sour cream or applesauce, they taste like a little bit of a miracle.

Here’s where to try some of the best:

Russ & Daughters, NYC

Potato latkes with crème fraîche and salmon roe (Photo courtesy of Russ & Daughters)

The Russ & Daughters Café is the platonic ideal of what a modern Jewish “appetizing” restaurant should be, now in its fourth generation of family ownership. From fish platters with lox hand-sliced so thin you can read the New York Times through it, to bagel sandwiches and babkas, you’ll want everything – especially their perfectly crisp latkes. They’re handmade in small batches every day using a decades-old recipe and topped with wild Alaskan salmon roe and crème fraîche.

Russ & Daughters, multiple locations in NYC, including 127 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States

Dingfelder’s, Seattle

It’s a story practically as old as the Bible: A native New Yorker leaves town, can’t find the food he grew up on, so he opens his own deli. And that’s exactly what restaurant industry veteran Vance Dingfelder did with Dingfelder’s. The menu is a greatest-hits list of old-school classics – kosher salami, tongue, knishes, matzo ball soup, and yes, house-made latkes. They even offer special Chanukah boxes that include 12-hour brisket, latkes, sufganiyot, dreidels, and Chanukah gelt. Or you can order a dozen latkes with your choice of sides, including Honeycrisp applesauce, caramelized onion–mushroom compote, orange–cranberry relish, or brisket gravy.

Dingfelder’s, 1318 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122, United States

Polka Restaurant, Warsaw

Located in the historic Renaissance Mansjonaria tenement house in Warsaw’s Old Town, Polka Restaurant consists of a series of airy, colourful rooms where hefty portions of seasonal Polish recipes – some traditional, some modern – are served to locals and tourists alike. Think sour rye soup, handmade pierogi, roasted pork knuckle with sautéed cabbage, and crisp potato pancakes served with either creamy mushroom sauce or sour cream.

Polka Restaurant, Świętojańska 2, 00-288 Warszawa, Poland

Free Times Café, Toronto

Brisket latke slider (Photo courtesy of Free Times Café)

Currently celebrating its 45th year, Free Times Café is a standout for its authentic, homespun Jewish food, but especially its “Bella! Did Ya Eat?” Sunday Brunch Buffet. The spread includes everything from challah French toast to smoked salmon, blintzes, bagels, gefilte fish, salads, fruit, cheeses, cakes, and the absolute best latkes in town. Plus, live Klezmer music! Bonus: From Dec. 13 to 23, they’re offering a dozen latkes to go for $29.95, including applesauce and sour cream.

Free Times Café, 320 College St, Toronto, ON M5T 1S3, Canada

Sherman’s Deli and Bakery, Palm Springs

A local landmark since 1963, Sherman’s Deli and Bakery is known for bringing a big slice of NYC to Palm Springs. This Jewish-style deli, still family-owned and operated by Sherman Harris’s son and daughter, is a desert oasis of cinnamon bread French toast, eight-egg omelets, and Reuben sandwiches stacked on freshly baked caraway rye. But perhaps most famous is their Beef n’ Latkes, in which a generous serving of corned beef or pastrami is sandwiched between two homemade latkes instead of bread, with a cup of creamy coleslaw on the side.

Sherman’s Deli and Bakery, 401 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States