A new high-end modern Israeli concept called Frena is coming to Hell’s Kitchen later this year.
A team of restaurateurs including Stephen and Aharon Vaknin, both of whom are of Israeli descent, will be spearheading the new restaurant. Aharon is also involved with the neighborhood Southwestern concept Santa Fe Restaurant on the Upper West Side. Their new upscale concept will be housed in the space formerly occupied by the popular Middle Eastern restaurant Taboon. Frena’s chef Efi Noam will continue to use its eponymous domed oven to make freshly baked breads, which its predecessor was widely-known for.
Its menu will include but is not limited to mezzes like tuna tartar, hummus platters and Iraqi kubbeh, and main courses like branzino, lamb kebabs and hangar steak. It is also slated to offer Mediterranean dishes like haloumi salad and a goat cheese & black Turkish fig salad, according to its liquor license.
The location boasts enough space to seat 58 guests inside, and the team is also looking to develop a sidewalk cafe that will seat an additional 24 guests.
The team is seeking a full liquor license for the space, and is proposing operating hours of noon to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Sunday.
