Esti’s Besty’s Vegetarian Restaurant

ESTI’S BESTY’S VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
2442 Route 38
Cherry Hill
856-755-1116

Hours: Mon–Thurs, 11 am–8 pm; Fri, 11 am–2 pm; Sat (Nov-April opens two hours after sunset); Sun, 9 am–8 pm.

Price: $

Style: Order at the counter, take a seat and your food will be brought to you by David Shatz, the yarmulke-wearing co-owner, or his wife, Esti, who covers herself from neck to ankle in accordance with strict Jewish law. A strip-mall storefront, Esti’s is spotlessly clean but somewhat haphazard in décor, which is fine for a place with paper napkins, plastic cutlery and food served in wicker baskets.

Don’t Miss: Excellent falafel platters ($9.95) arrive on several plates and bowls because the fried-to-order chickpea balls, hummus, tahini, lemony-peppery Israeli vegetable salad, garlicky sour pickle slices and hot pitas can’t fit on one. Stuffed grape leaves ($5.95) and falafel sandwiches ($6.95) are terrific, too. The Shatzes make almost everything from scratch, including pizzas topped with things like falafel, jalapeños or fried onions ($8.95-$19.95), soups ($4.95), fettuccini Alfredo ($9.95), potato latkes (two for $5.95) and kasha with bow-tie pasta ($7.95).

Head’s Up: Because Esti’s Besty’s has earned the very stringent “Star K” kosher designation, its customers include many Hasidic and Orthodox Jews and Hebrew speakers who go out of their way to eat there.

The Scoop: One of just two kosher dairy pizza restaurants in South Jersey, Esti’s offers a diverse menu that includes Israeli specialties, pasta and Eastern European comfort food. It’s entirely vegetarian. And it delivers. What’s not to like?