PHLReview
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Dizengoff
Included In
A Center City business lunch usually means eating a below-average caesar salad and someone telling you what they do for a living as if they’ll spontaneously combust if they don’t blurt it out. These meals can be pretty boring, but the juicy lamb over turmeric rice at Dizengoff isn’t. Rely on this revamped Israeli spot on Sansom, which was formerly a fast-casual hummus platter kind of place, when you want something coworker-appropriate and a little splurgy—even if the restaurant can’t keep the same momentum at night.
The menu mixes together hits from the Zahav Cinematic Universe, like silky hummus, sandwiches on fluffy, house-baked pita, and za'atar making cameos in everything from charred chicken to chuggable zero-proof drinks. You could eat half of the Dizengoff lunch menu and still feel pretty light, and all of it will be more memorable than that Rittenhouse seasonal American meal that tastes like it came from a cruiseliner buffet.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
At nighttime, though, the energy at Dizengoff doesn’t rev up enough to feel exciting. Even though the color-splashed room is usually busy with people celebrating birthdays, only two out of eight diners will feel inspired to clap when a tehina-date ice cream sandwich comes out topped with a candle. People are drinking, but they’re talking about taxes while sipping bright pink cocktails. Dizengoff may serve a la carte versions of the slow-roasted and grilled stuff from Zahav and Laser Wolf—like lamb neck with syrupy grape molasses and smoked cabbage that’s surprisingly tender after its time in the flames—but it's missing the distinct identity those two restaurants have cultivated. Nothing lingers with you after you leave dinner at Dizengoff. It’s not quite a party, and it’s not quite a special occasion spot, either. Which means dinner isn't worth the hassle of reservation hunting, especially because the starters are consistently better than the mains.
So stick to lunch, when Dizengoff thrives on dips, salads, and frozen lemonanas in daylight, and people seem energized not to be eating in a gray cubicle. Dizengoff takes all the stress out of big-deal work meals, particularly if you're planning for groups or vegetarians or groups of vegetarians. It might even convince your boss that the team is more productive after sipping on chai soda and passing around spiced fries.
Food Rundown
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Chai Soda
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Hummus Tehina
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Turkish Hummus
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Boreeka
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Za'atar Roasted Chicken
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Whole Fried Dorade
photo credit: Michael Persico
Chicken Schnitzel