It is a bold assertion to claim that a restaurant is the “best in the country” in its niche; but when it comes to Pescado, just steps from the Mediterranean seaside in the port city of Ashdod, this superlative may indeed be justified.
Consider the awards and accolades: in 2022 alone, Pescado won the title Best Kosher Restaurant in the annual nationwide American Express Excellence in Israeli Cuisine Awards. This recognition came hard on the heels of winning its first major international victory, earning a ranking of 24 among the Best 50 Restaurants in the Middle East and North Africa competition.
Pescado was among just six Israeli restaurants earning a spot on the MENA Best 50 list – and the only kosher restaurant representing the Jewish nation in a region dominated by Arab countries. Needless to say, Pescado was the lone kosher restaurant to achieve MENA Best 50 status.
This success did not come overnight, according to Chef Yehi Zino. “We opened 14 years ago, in the same location we are in today,” Zino, 40, tells Jewlish.com. “After 6-7 years, we started coming in first in the various Top 10 rankings of restaurants in Ashdod; and after 10 years or so, we started achieving countrywide recognition.”
Chef Zino (holding the plaque) accepting the AMEX award, photo credit: Raphael Delouya
Now, in the wake of Zino’s triumphant return from the MENA Best 50 Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi, there is a long waiting list for a table at Pescado – even at off hours.
“At one point, the waiting list was up to three months,” Zino says. “We have since pared this down to one month, by closing the list and then reopening it for new reservations.”
The makeup of Pescado’s clientele has also changed. “These days, 70-80% of our customers come from outside of Ashdod,” Zino reports.
Zino’s rise to fame is all the more remarkable considering that he never had any formal training in the culinary arts. “I started learning at home,” he recalls, “in a kitchen where the cuisine is Moroccan.
“I have always been drawn to the sea,” the surfing chef continues, “and thus to fish. I sought out chefs who specialized in cooking fish, and started on-the-job training.”
One of the connections he made in this context was Eran Jano, a fellow Moroccan and Ashdod businessman who owns one of the largest fishing businesses in Israel. Jano became a partner in Pescado when Zino first opened his own restaurant, and basked in the shared MENA Best 50 glory.
Interestingly, Chef Zino himself is not a religiously observant Jew – but Pescado has been a kosher establishment from the moment it opened its doors.
“We founded the restaurant as a place where businessmen who keep kosher could come and network or entertain clients,” he says.
As a corollary, staying closed on Shabbat was also a factor in Zino’s decision. “I welcome the day of rest for the time it affords me to spend with my family,” says Zino, the father of three young children. “I have seen too many colleagues’ families fall apart as a consequence of operating a restaurant seven days a week.”
In fact, Pescado is shuttered all day Friday, as well as virtually all of Saturday. It re-opens on Saturday night, after the Shabbat ends – “as a commitment to our customers,” Zino says.
As for any adverse effects caused by dietary restrictions imposed by the laws of kashrut, Zino insists that he honestly does not feel any.
“I cook out of curiosity and specialize in creating dishes out of unusual cuts of fish, such as fins and eggs,” Zino explains. “The result is there is no lack of variety, and therefore no need to put seafood on the menu, for example.”
Indeed, one of the delicacies at Pescado is the unusual Sea Bass eggs in Moroccan sauce. “Commonly, roe comes from other fish,” he notes, “and not sea bass. So here we have the basis of something different and intriguing.”
Zino’s Tuna on Challah is another popular menu item, relying on traditional Jewish food. “Kosher is a language unto itself,” he waxes poetically, “and the essence of Jewish cuisine, as it developed in the Diaspora as well as Israel.”
Zino’s innovations are clearly what caught the eye and admiration of the judges of the American Express and Best 50 competitions. And it has not escaped his notice that other top chefs in Israel are switching to kosher, even after years of helming non-kosher kitchens (see the article Why Israeli Chefs Are Going Kosher on this trend).
One of the latest to leap on the bandwagon is Mariposa, a fine dining restaurant in Caesarea, which underwent the transformation this year after seven years of not being kosher – and it is still booked solid.
“Kosher may introduce the element of religion into our food,” Zino concludes, “but first and foremost, it primarily identifies our cuisine as Jewish.”
