Topic Wiki

5 Towns / Far Rockaway Master Wiki
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Restaurants & Eateries – FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE LIST SEE: https://vaadhakashrus.org/establishments/
  • 550 Restaurant / FiveFifty – Upscale meat chop-house with creative plating (Central Ave.).
  • Adams Glatt – Butcher counter plus hot Israeli grill (Peninsula Blvd., Hewlett).
  • Ahuva’s Grill Express – Shawarma, laffas and salads to-go (Rockaway Tpke.).
  • Anju – Street-food–style Asian-fusion; small-plate focus (Cedarhurst Ave.).
  • Apron Masters Kitchen – Cooking-school storefront now selling prepared Shabbos meals.
  • Bagel Boys On Central – Classic NY bagel & dairy café; early-bird breakfast specials.
  • Barbacoa Burger House – Craft smash-burgers and smoked meats (Spruce St.).
  • Bean & Berry / That Pizza Joint – Dairy café with Detroit-style pies and açai bowls.
  • Berrylicious – Frozen-yogurt & crêpe bar (590 Central Ave.).
  • Blissful Events – Boutique caterer; seasonal boutique pop-ups (Far Rockaway).
  • Bogo Pizza – Buy-one-get-one pies & family combos (Rockaway Tpke.).
  • Bravo Kosher Pizza – Slice joint in Broadway Commons, Hewlett.
  • Burnside Pizza – Neighborhood pizza and salads (Inwood).
  • Café Chocolat – Dairy crêperie & chocolate café (Central Ave.).
  • Capri – Contemporary dairy Italian (Woodmere).
  • Carlos & Gabby’s – Long-running Tex-Mex grill (Washington Ave.).
  • Carving Block – Smokehouse meats, deli platters and pastrami on rye (Cedarhurst Ave.).
  • Central Perk Café – Breakfast & brunch spot with greenhouse seating (Cedarhurst Ave.).
  • Central Pizza Co. – Thin-crust & grandma pies plus pasta (Central Ave.).
  • Chap-A-Nosh – NY deli subs, burgers & the famous sesame chicken (Central Ave.).
  • Chefah Catering – Upscale off-premises caterer; lavish Shabbos packages.
  • Chickies – Crispy chicken sandwiches, fingers and salads (opened 2021).
  • Chimichurri Charcoal Chicken – Latin rotisserie & homestyle sides.
  • Doma – Upscale meat; rave steaks but some find portions small.
  • Hibana Hibachi – Tableside teppanyaki show; mains get mixed reviews.
  • Holy Schnitzel – Long-time chicken-sandwich staple; quality noted as uneven of late.
  • Off The Diet (“Famous Pita / Tanami”) – Israeli grill & shawarma on Broadway, Hewlett.
  • Sandwich Bar – Build-your-own panini & salad bowls (Rockaway Tpke.).
  • Smash House – Smash-burgers; faux-cheese Philly hailed as best value combo.

Groceries / Supermarkets / Meat Stores
  • Bingo Wholesale – Rockaway Tpke. Opened Feb 2024; huge kosher selection, liquor outlet next door.
  • Gourmet Glatt – Flagship kosher super-store; famous but pricey and challenging parking.
  • Stop & Shop – Lawrence – New, spacious branch in former K-Mart site.
  • Seasons – Central Ave. branch; solid prepared-food counter.
  • Kol Save – Budget meats and close-dated grocery deals.
  • Keneret Fresh Market – Butcher/take-out (Mehadrin 5T).

Shuls & Minyanim
  • White Shul (Kehillas Bais Yosef, FR) – Large Ashkenazi; multiple daily minyanim & learning programs.
  • Red Shul (KBYT) – Late-night Selichos & popular shiurim.
  • Shaare Emunah – Sephardic on Peninsula Blvd.; daily minyanim.
  • Hachaim V’Hashalom – 24-hour Beis HaMidrash-style minyan factory.
  • Other busy shuls: Aish Kodesh • The Shteeble • Yeshiva Darchei Torah • YFR Beis Medrash.

Hotels & Lodging
  • Five Towns Inn – Lawrence – Basic but walkable to many shuls.
  • Rockaway Hotel & Spa – Boutique option near beach; confirm eruv routes.
  • Hyatt Place Long Island/East End – About 1-hour east; bundles Aquarium tickets.
  • Standard JFK airport hotels (Hilton, Courtyard, TWA, etc.) are 10–15 min drive if you have post-Shabbos transport.

Things To Do / Attractions
  • Atlantic Beach Boardwalk – Closest ocean access; bridge toll $2 (Long Beach bridge free).
  • Long Island Aquarium – Riverhead – Full-day family outing; Hyatt guest discount available.
  • Woodmere / Hewlett Shopping Stroll – Boutiques & cafés; Target mini-store at Bay Harbour Mall.
  • Seasonal: Kapparos drive-through (Caffrey Ave.), Purim carnivals, local food festivals, etc.

Trip Reports (“TR”)

Restaurant Reviews / Ratings (from forum members)
  • Smash House – “Best value in the bunch… fake cheese outshines every other” – shiframeir
  • Hibana Hibachi – Fun show but mains “too salty” for some diners – Agoldsc1
  • Crave – Good food yet concept “made no sense”; closed Jan 2025 – Dan
  • Ondas – “Some of the best steaks I’ve ever had” – mochjas
  • Capri (Woodmere) – “Amazing and always empty – hope they stay open!” – Bookish
  • Early takes on Crave vs. Smash vs. Graze burgers – multiple mini-reviews in the main thread.



Services & Misc.
  • Precision Auto Body – Inwood – Frequently recommended for honest, quality work.
  • Cedar Plumbing – Reliable local plumber for small leak & boiler jobs.
  • Gas deals – Conoco (Peninsula & Rockaway) often cheapest with app discounts.


Help keep this wiki current! Edit this wiki in addition to replying below.


« Last edited by mevinyavin on May 23, 2025, 01:30:26 AM »

Author Topic: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread  (Read 1034025 times)

Offline JuryDuty

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4260 on: January 19, 2025, 12:19:59 PM »
2.75 LIRR tickets from FR is live
Jury Duty: Nothing to do there but chill and write a TR. Kinda like the beach but missing the view and ocean breeze.

Offline David R

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4261 on: January 23, 2025, 03:19:37 PM »
Deliver it to the restaurant. ;D
How does that work? Do they skip sending a driver?

Offline mochjas

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4262 on: January 23, 2025, 03:39:48 PM »
How does that work? Do they skip sending a driver?
worked horribly for me the other day. The driver took it, had no clue where to bring it and just left with the food

Offline Dan

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4263 on: January 23, 2025, 05:07:36 PM »
worked horribly for me the other day. The driver took it, had no clue where to bring it and just left with the food
You need to time it right of course.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Dan

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4264 on: January 23, 2025, 05:30:41 PM »
-Ordered onion rings from Crave to be delivered to Chimichurri on Uber Eats.

Onion rings: 10/10: Incredible.


In case you want to try them, Crave closes for good after tonight.
That did not last long!
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline shiframeir

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4265 on: January 23, 2025, 05:49:11 PM »
In case you want to try them, Crave closes for good after tonight.
That did not last long!
sad but so not surprised

Offline ushdadude

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4266 on: January 23, 2025, 05:56:25 PM »
sad but so not surprised

Why?
TBH I didn't try it yet

Offline shiframeir

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4267 on: January 23, 2025, 07:46:32 PM »
Why?
TBH I didn't try it yet
concept didnt make sense there and so much competition, and they started out assumedly paying a fee for branding to CRAVE in israel so already behind the 8 ball. waiter service in a small fast food space not enough tables inside (during summer they had more outside) and pricing/waiter makes it hard to bring kids there and yet its not nice enough for date night. for what its worth i thought the food was pretty good and loved that they had beer on tap.

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4268 on: January 27, 2025, 01:09:11 AM »
concept didnt make sense there and so much competition, and they started out assumedly paying a fee for branding to CRAVE in israel so already behind the 8 ball. waiter service in a small fast food space not enough tables inside (during summer they had more outside) and pricing/waiter makes it hard to bring kids there and yet its not nice enough for date night. for what its worth i thought the food was pretty good and loved that they had beer on tap.
yep so not surprised why can’t they just drop waiter service and turn it back into west wing, or if they’ll be so bold, back to delicious dishes :D
I enjoyed the food, the business model made no sense in that location
nothings impossible- the word itself says Im possible

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4269 on: January 27, 2025, 09:47:49 AM »
and i guess timing of opening at the same time as smash house didn't help

Offline shiframeir

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4270 on: January 27, 2025, 10:22:30 AM »
and i guess timing of opening at the same time as smash house didn't help
marketing matters so much too these days. crave didnt have any real marketing campaign beyond some posts from gkr afaik, smash works every day to keep young rich kids eyes on them and brings them in with lil giveaways and deals. need to bring in a core constituency when u break into a huge market like 5t with so many current options, sadly i expect central pizza to be next.

Offline ushdadude

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4271 on: January 27, 2025, 10:31:40 AM »
marketing matters so much too these days. crave didnt have any real marketing campaign beyond some posts from gkr afaik, smash works every day to keep young rich kids eyes on them and brings them in with lil giveaways and deals. need to bring in a core constituency when u break into a huge market like 5t with so many current options, sadly i expect central pizza to be next.

al tiftach peh but I don't see sandwich bar lasting too long either

Offline Bookish

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4272 on: January 27, 2025, 12:27:10 PM »
Capri in woodmere is amazing and always empty. I'm nervous they will close as well!

Offline Willie

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4273 on: January 27, 2025, 02:30:28 PM »
Hi,
anyone know what hechsher by hewlett yogurt is?

Ill try answering this... they have OU certification for all of their flavors as seen on attached pics but says for "sealed containers only" trying to figure out what that means if it comes out of a machine, and also forgot to ask about toppings, but at this point it seems like its ok and may just be chumra about the sealed containers.



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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4274 on: January 27, 2025, 02:49:19 PM »
Ill try answering this... they have OU certification for all of their flavors as seen on attached pics but says for "sealed containers only" trying to figure out what that means if it comes out of a machine, and also forgot to ask about toppings, but at this point it seems like its ok and may just be chumra about the sealed containers.



These look like the storeowner is claiming that they buy the mix from this manufacturer that is under the OU but that the store may not have any hechsher at all. Such cases you are entirely relying on the store owner. If you ask the OU about it they will often send a cease and desist for an unauthorized OU.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline ushdadude

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4275 on: January 27, 2025, 02:51:00 PM »
Ill try answering this... they have OU certification for all of their flavors as seen on attached pics but says for "sealed containers only" trying to figure out what that means if it comes out of a machine, and also forgot to ask about toppings, but at this point it seems like its ok and may just be chumra about the sealed containers.




can probably move this conversation to the kashrus board but I would imagine this isn't sufficient to make the shop reliably kosher.

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4276 on: January 29, 2025, 12:10:11 AM »
can probably move this conversation to the kashrus board but I would imagine this isn't sufficient to make the shop reliably kosher.
I’ve admittedly not researched this at all but my family has gone there and I know others who have gone there too. I don’t take it as a proof that’s it’s good but I know my parents are really careful with hechsherim so they must have looked into it. Having said that, it’s obviously a good idea to really check out what the OU says about this, id love to know

marketing matters so much too these days. crave didnt have any real marketing campaign beyond some posts from gkr afaik, smash works every day to keep young rich kids eyes on them and brings them in with lil giveaways and deals. need to bring in a core constituency when u break into a huge market like 5t with so many current options, sadly i expect central pizza to be next.
I know exactly what you mean bc of all those giveaways smash burger is doing. I personally find it a little too ‘cool’ for me, but who am I :D . Crave wasn’t necessarily catering to the young crowd since they went w waiter service. They were clearly trying to be competitors w barbacoa, and they lost big time.

nothings impossible- the word itself says Im possible

Offline ushdadude

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4277 on: January 29, 2025, 10:02:49 AM »
I’ve admittedly not researched this at all but my family has gone there and I know others who have gone there too. I don’t take it as a proof that’s it’s good but I know my parents are really careful with hechsherim so they must have looked into it. Having said that, it’s obviously a good idea to really check out what the OU says about this, id love to know

I just spoke with someone from there (in response to an email I sent them)
He said exactly what the letter says. They certify an ice cream plant in Canastota, NY. That has absolutely nothing to do with the store! They don't certify the store.
Anyone who eats there is relying 100% the non-Jewish owner to certify that the food is kosher.

He said that he knows about it and it's a problem here and many ice cream trucks. There is nothing they can do legally but they are working on educating consumers about it.

Offline Sammy82

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4278 on: January 29, 2025, 10:17:39 AM »
I just spoke with someone from there (in response to an email I sent them)
He said exactly what the letter says. They certify an ice cream plant in Canastota, NY. That has absolutely nothing to do with the store! They don't certify the store.
Anyone who eats there is relying 100% the non-Jewish owner to certify that the food is kosher.

He said that he knows about it and it's a problem here and many ice cream trucks. There is nothing they can do legally but they are working on educating consumers about it.
Isn't this old news? Same thing as Haagen Dazs, every single Mr. Softer ice cream truck, Friendlies ice cream bar, TCBY, Carvel, Baskin Robbins (except for Rocky Road), and so on.

Offline ushdadude

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Re: 5 Towns/Rockaway Master Thread
« Reply #4279 on: January 29, 2025, 10:41:47 AM »
Isn't this old news? Same thing as Haagen Dazs, every single Mr. Softer ice cream truck, Friendlies ice cream bar, TCBY, Carvel, Baskin Robbins (except for Rocky Road), and so on.

Some stores are certified. Toppings are especially important to research.
also i would imagine a franchise has different rules. plus you can check the tub the ice cream is coming out off. can't do that for soft serve.