Matzah ball soup from Pomella in Oakland (Photo/Courtesy Pomella) Jewish Life Food All the Passover food you need at local restaurants and markets Facebook Twitter Email SMS WhatsApp Share By Lea Loeb | March 16, 2023 Whether you’re looking for a traditional, unconventional, kosher or plant-based experience for your Passover seder, you can find the goods somewhere in the Bay Area. For those who love cooking at home, many Bay Area grocers offer kosher-for-Passover staples and prepared dishes, making it easy to get everything in one place. Some go above and beyond — Mollie Stone’s is known for its large kosher selection year-round, but on Passover it really goes all out. Kosher brisket, rendered chicken fat, candies, soup mixes, jarred horseradish, and a healthy selection of kosher wines are just a few examples of what’s in the store now. With nine Bay Area locations, Mollie’s also delivers. Nugget Markets is offering a chef-prepared meal of braised beef brisket, potato kugel, caramelized broccoli with roasted garlic, haroset and matzah ball soup. Piedmont Grocery in Oakland has Pesach pantry staples from popular brands such as Rokeach, Tulelake and Streit’s. Draeger’s has a whole host of deli and bakery items, including herb roasted lamb, chopped chicken liver, braised beef brisket, Jerusalem butternut squash, latkes, matzah balls, almond macaroons, different sponge cakes, chocolate cake and Passover fruit tart. Boxes of Yehuda-brand matzah crackers can be found at Lucky markets along with jarred gefilte fish, matzah meal, matzah ball and soup mix, Gefen-brand macaroons and Kedem kosher grape juice. RELATED: Community Passover seders around the Bay Area Other grocers with stock for the holiday include Scotty’s Market in San Rafael, Afikomen Judaica in Berkeley (a selection of kosher and parve treats and even a dark-chocolate seder plate) and Bi-Rite in San Francisco. And don’t forget the wine. Everything you need for those four cups (and maybe a little extra) can be found at kosher wine mainstays Covenant Wines in Berkeley and Hagafen Cellars in Napa Valley. If eating out is more your style, or you prefer the meal to come to you, below are some restaurants with Passover menus and caterers who prepare the essentials. This list is not exhaustive; consider it a starting point for your holiday planning. Make reservations early! First seder is Wednesday, April 5. Canela Bistro and Wine Bar is offering a four-course meal that includes a Passover plate starter with homemade matzah, dill egg salad, bubbe’s pecan haroset, roasted beet, parsley and horseradish salad, veggie crudité with salty “tears,” followed by matzah ball soup, house-pickled veggies, seasonal wild fish filet, fried artichokes with preserved lemon and olive aioli, sauteed chard, flourless chocolate mousse cake and roasted pineapple coulis. There are additional options that include a flight of paired wines, vegetarian dishes or another course of natural lamb chops with carrot-potato purée, green beans and salsa verde. Order by April 3 for pickup or delivery April 4-13; takeout is available April 4-15. 2272 Market St., S.F. Che Fico Alimentari, an Italian taverna by chef David Nayfeld with dishes from the Jewish-Roman heritage known as “Cucina Ebraica,” is sticking with its annual offerings of either tomato-braised brisket or stuffed peppers Pomodoro that are vegetarian. Both come with matzah ball soup, braised cabbage, roasted potatoes, chicory salad, citrus almond cake and a choice of red wine or nonalcoholic beverage. Order by April 2 and reserve a pickup time on April 5. 834 Divisadero St., S.F. Kvell Neighborhood Bakeshop has Passover-friendly desserts, such as flourless twice-baked chocolate cake, coconut macaroons, and almond chiffon cake with salted-coconut–brown sugar buttercream, berries and kumquats. 1023 53rd St., Oakland. Passover offerings at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco. (Photo/Courtesy One Market) One Market Restaurant, which recently celebrated 30 years in business, is offering a four-course Passover meal for dining in, pickup or delivery. The menu includes matzah ball soup, pickled king salmon, smoked brisket with onion jus and flourless chocolate cake. Individual dishes are available a la carte and the menu will be offered April 4 to 8. 1 Market St., S.F. Pizzeria Delfina has its traditional “Stoll family matzah ball soup,” made with chicken-bone broth, veggies, shredded chicken, dill and its signature walnut-stuffed matzah balls. Orders come frozen and are sold by the quart; available for pickup at Mission District, Pacific Heights, Burlingame and Palo Alto locations April 1-30, while supplies last. This 2019 J. article tells why the Stolls add nuts. Pomella and Israeli caterer Bishulim SF (Bay Area chef Aliza Grayevsky Somekh) are teaming up to host a community seder for the first time. The April 6 event will feature communal tables, a guided reading of the haggadah and a multi-course, family-style meal of matzah ball soup, lamb meatball tagine, potato kugel, spring salad, vegetarian stuffed artichoke bottoms, pistachio pavlova and kosher wine from Covenant. In addition, Pomella is offering its usual selection of Passover favorites for pre-order until March 30, for pickup April 4-5. 3770 Piedmont Ave., Unit B, Oakland. Saul’s Restaurant & Delicatessen is offering two Passover options this year: a la carte catered items or “Seder at Saul’s.” The menu includes a seder-plate kit, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, chopped liver (both chicken and vegan options), brisket tsimmes, rockfish in sauce, chicken with dukkah spices, and a selection of desserts that includes citrus almond cake, flourless chocolate cake, sweet matzah kugel, plain or chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, chocolate marshmallow candy, fruit slices and chocolate jelly rings. Saul’s is accepting first-come-first-served reservations for every night of Passover. Pickup for catered items is available April 5-13. 1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen has an extensive Passover menu that includes a full seder plate, chopped chicken liver, matzah balls in brine, brisket, roasted chicken, potato kugel, peas and carrots, mini coconut macaroons, and chocolate- and caramel-covered matzah. Items are available a la carte or in a meal kit that serves six to eight people. Delivery options available. Place orders at least two days in advance for pickup April 4-8 at three Wise Son’s Bay Area locations. 3150 24th St., S.F.; at Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., S.F.; Beauty’s Bagel Shop, 3838 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Lea Loeb Lea Loeb is J.'s editorial assistant. Also On J. Books NPR’s Ari Shapiro considers many things in new memoir Recipe This spiced chocolate cake ends spell of dry Passover desserts Tech After Silicon Valley Bank collapse, a bad week for Israeli tech Comedy What Adam Sandler's Mark Twain Prize says about American humor Subscribe to our Newsletter Enter Email Sign Up