Bavel (restaurant)
{{short description|Middle Eastern restaurant in Los Angeles}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox restaurant
| name = Bavel
| logo = Bavel logo.png
| logo_width =
| logo_alt =
| image = Bavel hummus.jpg
| image_width =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Bavel׳s hummus with duck nduja
| pushpin_map =
| slogan =
| established = 2018
| current-owner = Ori Menashe & Genevieve Gergis
| chef = Ori Menashe (chef de cuisine), Genevieve Gergis
| head-chef = Ori Menashe
| food-type = Middle Eastern
| dress-code =
| rating =
| street-address = 500 Matteo St
| city = Arts District, Los Angeles
| state = California
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|34.041487|-118.232933|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA|display=ti}}
| seating-capacity =
| reservations = recommended
| other-locations =
| other-information =
| website = {{URL|baveldtla.com}}
}}
Bavel is a Middle Eastern"The restaurant defines itself as Middle Eastern, combining the co-owners’ family roots of “Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt.”", "It’s a restaurant that wonderfully encapsulates the all-things-Middle-Eastern movement" {{cite news |title='LATIMES' NAMES ISRAELI RESTAURANT BEST OF 2019 |url=https://m.jpost.com/Israel-News/LATimes-names-Israeli-restaurant-best-of-2019-587675 |accessdate=29 October 2019 |agency=The Jerusalem Post}} restaurant in the Arts District neighborhood of Los Angeles. The restaurant defines itself as Middle Eastern, showcasing the cuisines of Israel, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt, though some critics characterize it as Israeli. It received positive reviews from Jonathan Gold and Bon Appétit, and the Los Angeles Times named it 2019 Restaurant of the Year.{{cite news |title=Bavel Is Our 2019 Restaurant Of The Year |url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-food-bowl-restaurant-of-the-year-bavel-20190422-story.html?_amp=true |accessdate=4 October 2019 |agency=The Los Angeles Times}}
Bavel was founded by the Israeli-American chef Ori Menashe and his American wife, chef Genevieve Gergis, who are also the founders and owners of the Italian restaurant Bestia in Downtown LA.{{cite web |title=The Best Jewish Food In Los Angeles |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/the-best-jewish-food-in-los-angeles/ |website=My Jewish Learning |accessdate=29 October 2019}}
Etymology
The name Bavel is the Modern Hebrew pronunciation of the biblical Babel. For the restaurateurs, it evokes "a time when the Middle East was one" because "Bavel is not specific to any one region."[https://baveldtla.com/the-story-of-bavel/ "The Story of Bavel"], on the restaurant's Web site
Menu
Reception
Bavel has enjoyed a positive reception from restaurant critics both in Los Angeles and nationally, including the Los Angeles Times, Bon Appetit, Eater, Food & Wine, Los Angeles, and others. It has also been featured in The New York Times several times,{{cite news |title=What Sydney Can Learn From Los Angeles About Dining |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/dining/sydney-los-angeles-restaurants.html |accessdate=29 October 2019 |agency=The New York Times}}{{cite news |title=The Bavel and Bestia Chefs on Feasting After The Yom Kippur Fast |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/dining/bestia-yom-kippur-ori-menashe-genevieve-gergis.amp.html |accessdate=5 October 2019 |agency=The New York Times}} The Boston Globe,{{cite news |title=Restaurants across the country are serving interpretations of Israeli cuisine. Simcha is part of that conversation. |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2019/05/23/restaurants-across-country-are-serving-interpretations-israeli-cuisine-simcha-part-that-conversation/JCuejflFeK9PYgGfprQFSO/story.html?outputType=amp |accessdate=29 October 2019 |agency=The Boston Globe}} and The Jerusalem Post, among others.
=Honors=
Bavel was nominated for a James Beard Award for best new restaurant in the United States in 2019.{{cite web |title=James Beard Award Semifinalists |url=https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2019-james-beard-award-semifinalists |website=The James Beard Foundation |accessdate=5 October 2019}} Bavel was named the best restaurant of the year by the Los Angeles Times. It is listed in the 2019 California Michelin Guide with no stars."Bavel", [https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/us-los-angeles/restaurant/bavel Michelin Guide]
References
{{reflist}}
{{Restaurants of Los Angeles County, California}}
{{Israeli cuisine}}
Category:Israeli-American culture in California
Category:Jewish American cuisine
Category:Jews and Judaism in Los Angeles