Twelve restaurant and food brands with Israeli founders or roots operate in the U.S. Pura Vida Miami opened its 50th café in April 2026, while Goldie, Taim and Max Brenner shrank or faced financial trouble. Here is where each stands as of October 31, 2026.
Twelve restaurant and food brands with Israeli founders or Israeli roots operate in the United States. Pura Vida Miami, co-founded by Omer Horev, opened its 50th café in April 2026, and Tatte Bakery & Café, founded by Tzurit Or, now has dozens of locations. Miznon, Café Landwer and Anita Gelato are still adding U.S. locations, while Goldie, Taim and Max Brenner shrank or faced financial trouble in 2026.
Last updated: October 31, 2026
Which Israeli restaurant brands are still expanding in America?
Six of the 12 brands, Pura Vida Miami, Tatte, Miznon, Café Landwer, Anita Gelato and Motek, are still adding or announcing U.S. locations, according to company and press reports. Israeli-founded does not mean Israeli-owned today, a distinction covered in the ownership section below.
Pura Vida Miami: Omer Horev's 50-Café Chain
Pura Vida Miami is a health-focused, all-day café chain that opened its 50th location on April 16, 2026, at The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey, according to Pura Vida's press release. The opening marked the brand's entry into its fifth state.
Omer Horev, the company's co-founder and CEO, and his wife Jennifer Horev founded Pura Vida in Miami in 2012. Local reporting described a Flatiron flagship that opened June 5, 2026 as the chain's 53rd location nationwide.
The menu centers on salads, sandwiches, bowls and juices, and the brand markets itself to a broad American audience rather than as an Israeli restaurant. That makes Pura Vida the clearest case in this list of Israeli-born founders building a mainstream U.S. chain.
Tatte Bakery & Café: Tzurit Or's Boston Chain
Tatte Bakery & Café is a Boston bakery-café chain founded by Israeli-born baker Tzurit Or, who began selling pastries at Boston's Copley Square farmers market in 2007. Axios Boston reported in a May 2026 expansion report that Tatte has grown to dozens of locations across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
NJBIZ reported that the Ridgewood, New Jersey, shop that opened in May 2025 was Tatte's 45th location. The chain also operates in Massachusetts, the Washington, D.C. area and New York.
Ron Shaich, the former Panera Bread CEO, bought a majority stake in 2016 and now invests through his firm Act III Holdings. Tatte is therefore Israeli-founded but not Israeli-owned.
Miznon: Eyal Shani's Pita Chain in Four U.S. Cities
Miznon is a pita-sandwich chain that Israeli chef Eyal Shani opened in Tel Aviv in 2011 and brought to the United States in 2018 with a restaurant in New York's Chelsea Market. Miznon USA's location page lists restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Dallas.
The Los Angeles debut came at Grand Central Market on May 10, 2025, according to Eater's report. The Jewish Journal covered a second Los Angeles restaurant on West Third Street in June 2026. The Dallas restaurant opened under a franchisee, per Restaurant Hospitality.
Restaurant Business reported that Shani's group runs about 60 restaurants worldwide. Concepts such as HaSalon, Shmoné and Malka belong to that group but are separate brands, not Miznon branches.
Café Landwer: A Berlin Coffee Name Reborn in Tel Aviv
Café Landwer is an Israeli café chain built on the Landwer coffee brand, which Moshe Landwer started in Berlin in 1919 before moving to Tel Aviv in 1933, according to the company's history. Three entrepreneurs revived the name as a café in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square in 2004, and the company says it now has 80 locations in Israel.
Nir Caspi, a co-founder and CEO, moved to the United States in 2018 to build the North American business, according to the company. Its U.S. restaurants include Boston-area cafés, Florida locations in Hallandale Beach and Boca Raton, and a Los Angeles franchise, per company announcements and QSR magazine. It also operates in Toronto.
Anita Gelato: A Netanya Kitchen Becomes a Chain
Anita Gelato, formally Anita La Mamma del Gelato, is an Israeli gelato chain that began in 1998 in the Netanya kitchen of Anita Avital, who made gelato with her son Nir. The first continental U.S. shop opened on Manhattan's Upper East Side in 2020, according to the New York Jewish Week.
The Jerusalem Post, reporting on a fourth New York shop at Madison Square Garden, listed Los Angeles and Miami among the chain's stores and said Las Vegas, Mexico and Canada were planned next. Planned stores are not counted here as open.
Motek: A Miami Group Eyes New York
Motek is a Mediterranean restaurant group that Charlie and Tessa Levy opened in downtown Miami in June 2020, with a menu inspired by Israeli cooking. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported in April 2025 that Motek had seven South Florida locations and planned to enter New York, including a kosher concept.
Those New York restaurants were announcements at the time of that report, so this article does not count them as operating locations.
Which Israeli restaurant brands are premium or multi-concept plays?
Three of the 12 brands, Laser Wolf, Abbalé and Breads Bakery, grew through full-service dining, a second concept or a single signature product rather than fast-casual volume.
Laser Wolf: CookNSolo's Grill House in Philly and Brooklyn
Laser Wolf is an Israeli-style skewer house from CookNSolo, the Philadelphia restaurant group led by Israeli-born chef Michael Solomonov and restaurateur Steve Cook. The first Laser Wolf opened in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood in 2020.
The Brooklyn branch opened in May 2022 on the rooftop of The Hoxton hotel in Williamsburg, in partnership with Chicago's Boka Restaurant Group, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The partnership gave CookNSolo an experienced operator in a new city without building a second management team from scratch.
Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen: Horev's Second Concept
Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen is a restaurant from Omer Horev's Horev Hospitality group, separate from the Pura Vida café chain. It is a full-service restaurant drawing on Tel Aviv and Mediterranean cooking, not a national chain.
The brand shows a second route to growth: a founder with a proven café can open a different concept for a different customer instead of only adding more of the original.
Breads Bakery: Uri Scheft's Babka in New York
Breads Bakery is a New York City bakery that opened in 2013 with Israeli-born baker Uri Scheft as its culinary founder. It is best known for chocolate babka and artisan breads, and the company lists several Manhattan and Brooklyn branches.
Scheft's founding role does not establish that he owns or runs the chain today. This article treats Breads Bakery as Israeli-founded, with current ownership unconfirmed.
Which Israeli restaurant brands shrank or hit trouble in 2026?
Three of the 12 brands, Goldie, Taim and Max Brenner, closed locations, seized assets or entered bankruptcy protection in 2026, according to local and trade reporting.
Goldie: Falafel Shops Cut From Four to One
Goldie is a falafel chain from CookNSolo that opened in Philadelphia in 2017 and is shrinking from four shops to one. CookNSolo told The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 14, 2026 that weak lunch demand and changing consumer spending led it to close three Goldie locations. The surviving shop is at 1911 Sansom Street.
Boycott campaigners claimed credit for the closures. Cook rejected that claim and called the decision economic, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
Taim: A First Franchise Deal, Then Tax Seizures
Taim is a falafel and Mediterranean fast-casual chain that Israeli chef Einat Admony founded in New York's West Village in 2005, and it is now owned by Craveworthy Brands. Craveworthy acquired Taim's parent company, Untamed Brands, in May 2024, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
Craveworthy announced Taim's first New York franchise agreement on April 28, 2026, with operator Jose Tabor taking over the Park Slope restaurant, according to a PR Newswire release.
On August 11, 2026, Nation's Restaurant News reported that several Taim restaurants in New York had been closed and marked as seized by New York State over about $632,000 in unpaid taxes. The same report said the Dupont Circle location in Washington, D.C. closed in July 2026. A lawsuit between Phil Petrilli, the former Chipotle executive who invested in Taim in 2018, and Craveworthy founder Gregg Majewski over the debts was ongoing, and Craveworthy had not commented.
The franchise announcement shows the growth plan, and the seizures show how exposed a franchise push can be when the finances behind it are strained.
Max Brenner: A Chocolate Brand's 2026 Bankruptcy
Max Brenner is a chocolate restaurant and retail brand that Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner founded in 1996 in Ra'anana, Israel. Its first U.S. location opened in New York in 2006.
In February 2026, the entity that operates its Union Square restaurant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York, according to CB Insights. Ownership has also changed over the years, including a period under Israel's Strauss Group, so the brand's Israeli origin does not mean founder ownership.
How do the 12 Israeli restaurant brands compare?
The 12 brands range from a 50-plus-location café chain to single restaurants, and their 2026 status splits into growing, holding steady and contracting.
| Brand | Israeli connection | U.S. footprint | Status as of October 31, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pura Vida Miami | Co-founded by Omer Horev | Five states by April 2026 | 50th location in April 2026 |
| Tatte Bakery & Café | Founded by Tzurit Or | Massachusetts, D.C. area, New York, New Jersey | Dozens of locations, per Axios |
| Miznon | Founded by Eyal Shani in Tel Aviv | New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas | Second Los Angeles restaurant in 2026 |
| Café Landwer | Israeli café chain led in the U.S. by Nir Caspi | Boston area, Florida, Los Angeles | Adding Florida locations |
| Anita Gelato | Avital family, Netanya | New York, Los Angeles, Miami | Las Vegas reported as planned |
| Motek | Israeli-inspired, founded by Charlie and Tessa Levy | South Florida | New York plans announced in April 2025 |
| Laser Wolf | CookNSolo, Michael Solomonov | Philadelphia, Brooklyn | Two restaurants |
| Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen | Horev Hospitality | Miami | Single concept |
| Breads Bakery | Uri Scheft, culinary founder | New York City | Multiple city branches |
| Goldie | CookNSolo, Michael Solomonov | Philadelphia | Cut from four shops to one in July 2026 |
| Taim | Founded by Einat Admony | New York and other cities | Franchise deal in April 2026, tax seizures reported in August |
| Max Brenner | Founded in Ra'anana, Israel | New York area | Union Square operator filed Chapter 11 in February 2026 |
The 12 brands belong to 10 operators, not 12. CookNSolo runs both Goldie and Laser Wolf, and Horev Hospitality runs both Pura Vida and Abbalé.
What business models do Israeli restaurant brands use in America?
Israeli restaurant brands in America use four models: fast casual, all-day cafés, specialty food retail and premium full-service dining.
Fast-casual brands Miznon, Taim and Goldie sell a focused menu at speed, and the Inquirer's Goldie reporting shows how exposed that format was to weak 2026 lunch traffic. Café brands Pura Vida, Café Landwer and Tatte sell coffee, breakfast and all-day meals to repeat customers.
Specialty retail brands Anita Gelato, Breads Bakery and Max Brenner depend on a signature product, whether gelato, babka or chocolate. Premium brands Laser Wolf, Abbalé and Motek need larger staffs and build-outs, which is why Laser Wolf entered New York through a local operating partner.
Are these Israeli restaurant brands still Israeli-owned?
Most of the 12 brands are Israeli-founded but not Israeli-owned today. Tatte is majority-backed by Ron Shaich's Act III Holdings, Taim belongs to Craveworthy Brands, and Max Brenner's ownership has changed hands, including a period under Strauss Group.
Others remain in founder or founder-group hands, including Pura Vida under the Horevs, Anita Gelato under the Avital family and Goldie and Laser Wolf under CookNSolo. Olam's guide to famous Israeli brands tracks the same question for 20 consumer brands, and seven Israeli brands with foreign owners shows how common the pattern is. Brands sold inside Israel face a similar ownership question, mapped in who owns Israel's supermarket chains.
What does the 2026 record show about Israeli restaurants in America?
The two brands with the largest documented U.S. footprints, Pura Vida and Tatte, are the two that market themselves least as Israeli restaurants. Pura Vida sells a wellness café menu, and Tatte sells pastries and café food shaped by Mediterranean and European cooking.
Three of the brands most tied to Israeli food and identity contracted or hit financial trouble in 2026. Readers tracking the sector should therefore count open, verified locations and current owners, not announced plans or founder biographies. Broader context on Israel's business sectors is in Olam's reference on the Israeli economy.
Editorial note: current locations, ownership and announced plans are different measures. This article does not treat planned restaurants as open, founder involvement as current ownership, or two brands in one restaurant group as independent companies.
Frequently asked questions
Which Israeli restaurant brand is largest in the U.S.?
Pura Vida Miami has the largest documented U.S. footprint among these brands, with its 50th location opening in April 2026 and a 53rd reported in June 2026. Tatte is comparable, with dozens of locations reported by Axios Boston in May 2026.
Who founded Pura Vida Miami?
Omer Horev and his wife Jennifer Horev founded Pura Vida Miami in 2012. Omer Horev serves as co-founder and CEO.
Was Tatte Bakery founded by an Israeli?
Yes, Israeli-born baker Tzurit Or founded Tatte in Boston, starting at a farmers market in 2007. Ron Shaich bought a majority stake in 2016, so the chain is not Israeli-owned.
Does Miznon have restaurants in the United States?
Yes, Miznon operates in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Dallas, according to Miznon USA. The first U.S. restaurant opened in New York's Chelsea Market in 2018.
Why did Goldie close locations in 2026?
CookNSolo said weak lunch demand and changing consumer spending led it to close three of Goldie's four Philadelphia shops, per The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 14, 2026. Boycott campaigners claimed credit, and co-owner Steve Cook rejected that explanation.
What happened to Taim in 2026?
Taim signed its first New York franchise deal in April 2026, then Nation's Restaurant News reported in August that several New York restaurants were closed and seized over about $632,000 in unpaid taxes. A lawsuit between Taim's former owner and Craveworthy's founder over the debts was ongoing.
Are all 12 brands still Israeli-owned?
No, the list covers Israeli-founded, Israeli-origin and Israeli-connected brands, and several have American investors, franchise structures or changed owners. Tatte, Taim and Max Brenner are the clearest examples.
How we report: Olam stories draw on public filings, company disclosures and named sources, checked by our editors. Read our methodology · Corrections
