CookNSolo

What CookNSolo does

CookNSolo Restaurants is a privately held Philadelphia hospitality group co-owned by chefs Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, operating a portfolio of 9 distinct restaurant concepts centered on Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine. The portfolio spans formats from fine dining (Zahav) to fast-casual (Goldie, Federal Donuts), bakery/café (K'Far Cafe), grill/shipudiya (Laser Wolf), seafood/oyster bar (Jaffa Bar), event venue (Lilah), and an Israeli concept at a hotel (AVIV) — distributed across Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Brooklyn, and Miami Beach. CookNSolo generates revenue through dine-in, takeout, and delivery operations across its physical footprint; private event hosting and catering (per-person pricing starting at $90 at Zahav and $160 at Lilah, with Lilah capacity up to 250 guests); and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store selling a line of four cookbooks (Zahav, Zahav Home, Israeli Soul, Federal Donuts).

The company's core technology is deep domain expertise in Israeli culinary traditions — mezze, hummus, taboon-baked laffa, charcoal-grilled skewers, salatim — supported by internal chef talent pipelines (e.g., Andrew Henshaw promoted from Chef de Cuisine at Zahav to Executive Chef of Laser Wolf). Distribution is entirely direct via company-owned storefronts, the e-commerce store, and brand-specific Instagram accounts. The group has earned three James Beard Foundation Awards, including Outstanding Chef (Solomonov, 2017) and Outstanding Restaurant for Zahav (2019, the first Israeli and first Philadelphia restaurant to receive this honor), and Condé Nast Traveler recognized Laser Wolf as one of the best new restaurants in the world in 2021. No external institutional funding, M&A activity, or public listing is disclosed; growth has been organic through new concept launches and selective geographic expansion, including a partnership with Chicago's Boka Restaurant Group for the Brooklyn entry and a hospitality partnership with 1 Hotel South Beach for the Miami Beach debut.

Name

CookNSolo

Legal name

CookNSolo Restaurants

Website

https://cooknsolo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CookNSolo Restaurants is a Philadelphia-based hospitality group operating 9 Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine concepts (fine dining, casual, bakery, event venue) across Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Brooklyn, and Miami Beach, supplemented by cookbook e-commerce and private event catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Hospitality Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Retail Bakeries (311811), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Fast Casual (THAFABAD), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Israeli cuisine restaurants
• Hospitality group
• Event venue catering
• Restaurant operations
• Cookbook publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Operations: Multi-concept restaurant group operating Israeli cuisine restaurants across Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Miami Beach. Revenue from dine-in, takeout, and delivery services.
2. Cookbook Sales: Sale of cookbooks including Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, Israeli Soul, and Federal Donuts cookbook through the company's online store.
3. Private Events & Catering: Event venue rental and catering services at multiple restaurant locations including Lilah event space, Zahav, Jaffa Bar, and others with per-person pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CookNSolo operates a multi-concept restaurant group centered on Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine, spanning fine dining (Zahav), casual and fast-casual concepts (Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Goldie, K'Far Cafe, Laser Wolf, Jaffa Bar, AVIV), and an event venue (Lilah). The company also publishes cookbooks and offers private event catering across its locations.

Product overview

CookNSolo Restaurants operates a diversified portfolio of restaurant brands and consumer products centered on Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine. The portfolio includes 9 distinct restaurant concepts (Zahav, Federal Donuts and Chicken, Dizengoff, Goldie, K'Far Cafe, Laser Wolf, Lilah, Jaffa Bar, and AVIV) spanning casual dining, fast-casual, bakeries, event venues, and fine dining across Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Miami Beach. The company also publishes a line of cookbooks (Zahav, Zahav Home, Israeli Soul, and Federal Donuts) available through its e-commerce store. Additionally, CookNSolo offers private event catering services at multiple restaurant locations with capacities ranging from 14 to 250 guests. The company has been recognized with multiple James Beard Awards including Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant for Zahav.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CookNSolo: Philadelphia hospitality group co-owned by Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, champions of Israel's culinary landscape
• Zahav
• Federal Donuts
• Dizengoff
• Goldie
• K'Far Cafe
• Laser Wolf
• Lilah
• Jaffa Bar
• AVIV

Products and services

• Zahav Flagship Israeli restaurant featuring laffa bread baked in taboon, hummus, salatim, mezze, charcoal-grilled skewers, and signature Pomegranate Lamb Shoulder with chickpeas. Located at 237 St. James Pl, Philadelphia.
• Federal Donuts and Chicken World's first fried chicken and donut shop serving Fancy donuts (glazed and decorated), Hot Fresh donuts (fried to order with flavored sugars), and Korean-style twice-fried crispy chicken. 10 locations in Philadelphia plus 1 in Las Vegas.
• Dizengoff Modern Israeli restaurant inspired by Tel Aviv's iconic Dizengoff street, featuring ultra-creamy hummus, fresh pita, full-service bar, and retro Tel Aviv style decor. 1 Philadelphia location.
• Goldie Falafel shop featuring light and crispy falafel balls fried to order in fresh pita, with chopped salad, cabbage, tehina, and condiments like Spicy Schug, Harissa, and Amba. Kosher and vegan. 4 Philadelphia locations.
• K'Far Cafe Israeli bakery and all-day cafe featuring Israeli pastries (bourekas, rugelach, babka), salads, grain bowls, and toasts made with traditional Yemenite Kubaneh bread and Jerusalem Bagel sandwiches. Located at 110 S 19th Street, Philadelphia.
• Laser Wolf Israeli grill/shipudiya (skewer house) featuring skewers cooked over charcoal, salatim, and Middle Eastern flavors. Executive Chef Andrew Henshaw leads the kitchen. Located at 1301 N Howard St, Philadelphia.
• Lilah Event Venue 7,000 square-foot immersive event space in Fishtown neighborhood accommodating 100-300 guests for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and corporate events. Features Israeli and Old-World Jewish cuisine with customizable tasting menus.
• Jaffa Bar Israeli seafood restaurant and oyster bar located in a two-story, 19th century firehouse in Olde Kensington, Philadelphia. Features oyster bar classics, Israeli-inflected seafood preparations, cocktails, and natural wines from the Levant.
• AVIV Israeli restaurant inside 1 Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach featuring hand-rolled Yemenite flatbread, Solomonov's world-famous hummus, mezze plates, and charcoal-grilled kebabs in an open kitchen.
• Zahav Cookbook Cookbook showcasing the melting-pot cooking of Israel including mezze, hummus, and lentil soup with lamb meatballs, featuring Persian wedding rice and whole roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate.
• Israeli Soul Cookbook Cookbook featuring informal Israeli cuisine including falafel, shawarma, chopped salads, kebabs, crispy chicken schnitzel, flatbreads, pastries, and beverages like tehina shakes.
• Federal Donuts Cookbook Cookbook chronicling the Federal Donuts story featuring donut recipes with imaginative flavors (strawberry lavender, guava poppy, pomegranate Nutella, salted tehina) plus Korean-style fried chicken recipes.
• Private Events & Catering Private event hosting and catering services across multiple CookNSolo restaurants including Dizengoff (up to 14 guests), Jaffa Bar (up to 50), Laser Wolf (full venue buyout), Zahav (14/30 person rooms), and Lilah (up to 250 guests). Pricing starts at $90/person for Zahav tasting menus and $160/person + venue fee for Lilah.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Israeli and first Philadelphia restaurant to win James Beard 'Outstanding Restaurant' Award

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• 1 Hotel South BeachflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025AVIV restaurant opened in March 2025 inside the 1 Hotel South Beach, representing a strategic hospitality partnership for the Israeli dining concept.
• Boka Restaurant GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022In May 2022, CookNSolo partnered with Chicago's Boka Restaurant Group to open Laser Wolf Brooklyn on the rooftop of The Hoxton, bringing the grill house concept with Manhattan skyline views to Brooklyn.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Ottolenghi: Yotam Ottolenghi's London-based deli/restaurant group and cookbook brand. Directly comparable Israeli/Middle Eastern chef-author-brand model, but primarily UK-focused with limited US restaurant presence.

Broad incumbents

• Major Food Group: NYC-based hospitality group (Torrisi, Carbone, Sadelle's, The Grill) operating premium chef-driven restaurants with national expansion. Comparable as a multi-concept, chef-anchored, high-end restaurant group pursuing brand and geographic extension.
• CAVA Group: Public Mediterranean fast-casual chain with hundreds of locations nationwide. Comparable as a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern-flavor brand pursuing scale, though CAVA operates in the fast-casual/limited-service segment versus CookNSolo's full-service model.
• Union Square Hospitality Group: Danny Meyer's NYC hospitality group (Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack origin). Comparable as an established, multi-concept operator with strong brand equity, cookbook publishing, and event/private dining capabilities.
• Boka Restaurant Group: Chicago-based multi-concept hospitality group founded by Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, partner with CookNSolo on Laser Wolf Brooklyn. Operates Boka, Momotaro, Swift & Sons, and others, providing a comparable multi-concept portfolio and co-development template.

Emerging players

• SweetGreen: Public fast-casual salad/bowl chain with strong brand and tech-enabled multi-unit operations. Comparable to Federal Donuts and Goldie in the fast-casual segment, and represents a similar trajectory of chef-rooted concepts scaling into national brands.
• Lemonade Restaurant Group: LA-based fast-casual Mediterranean chain by Alan Jackson with multiple locations across California. Comparable as a multi-unit Mediterranean-cuisine operator, though positioned more in the limited-service segment than CookNSolo's fine-dining core.

Direct peers

• Bavel (Ori Menashe): Bavel is an Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant in Los Angeles from Ori Menashe and Gene Vaterlaus (Bestia). Directly comparable to Zahav as a chef-driven Israeli fine-dining concept with a follow-up casual concept (Petite Bavel), paralleling CookNSolo's full-service/casual portfolio structure.
• Miznon: Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani's global pita/street-food brand with locations in NYC, Vienna, Tel Aviv, and other cities. Directly competes for Israeli-cuisine customer demand and uses a similar chef-as-brand-anchor strategy with international expansion.
• Shaya (Alon Shaya): James Beard award-winning chef Alon Shaya operates Israeli-focused fine dining in New Orleans, with related concepts including Saba and Safta. Direct competitor in the premium Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant category, sharing the same chef-celebrity and cookbook publishing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram/zahavrestaurant
• Xx.com/CookNSolo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CookNSolo