Two Distinct Restaurants, Jewish and Palestinian, Earn Spots on Top U.S. Dining List
The New York Times has included two notable restaurants with distinct cultural and political identities in its "50 Favorite Restaurants in America" list for 2026. The list, which is unranked, features a wide array of dining experiences across the U.S., from Armenian bakeries to high-end Manhattan establishments.
Jacaranda, a four-month-old Hollywood restaurant, is owned by a Jewish couple: chef Daniel Patterson, whose family fled pogroms in Russia, and his observant wife, Sarah Leavitt, whose parents emigrated from Egypt. The intimate restaurant seats only 30 patrons and offers a 12-course tasting menu for $295, featuring dishes like tofu with caviar and duck with blueberries. Leavitt, a former influential figure in the New York music scene, engages with diners, while Patterson, a renowned chef who previously earned two Michelin stars, returns to fine dining after a period of burnout.
Albi, a Palestinian restaurant in Washington D.C., has also been recognized. Chef Michael Rafidi, whose family has a bakery in Ramallah, opened Albi in February 2020. The restaurant, which received a Michelin star in 2022 and a James Beard Award for Rafidi in 2024, was ranked sixth on "The 50 Best Restaurants in North America" this year. Albi's menu highlights Palestinian cuisine with dishes such as dates from Jericho, hummus with blue crab, and makloubeh with soft-shell crab. The restaurant prominently features wines from Bethlehem and the West Bank, explicitly labeling them as Palestinian and omitting Israeli classifications. Rafidi has used his platform to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, dedicating his awards to Palestine.
Both restaurants have attracted attention from political figures. Albi has catered for the campaigns of both Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, as well as Republicans like Steve Scalise and Matt Gaetz, with total catering payments exceeding $6,000. Jacaranda, though not explicitly mentioned in this context, is a new and exclusive establishment.
The article also notes that Albi's wine list includes bottles from Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, a region sometimes referred to by conservative U.S. media as a "Hezbollah stronghold." One of Albi's popular items is "Grapes of Wrath" wine, produced by Palestinian winemaker Sari Khoury from vines near Bethlehem, some of which were reportedly damaged by the construction of an Israeli settlement.
