Deli 613 is Dublin’s first kosher eatery in over 50 years

“Tradition, tradition!” is a song everyone seems to know from Fiddler on the Roof, and indeed it was those traditions, whether culinary or religious, which the founders of the Dublin Community brought with them from the shtetls of Eastern Europe as they escaped the pogroms, hoping to start a new life in new land.

Naturally, the kitchen and the traditional foods prepared there were a major part of Jewish life here — chicken soup with kneidlach, cholent, salt-beef and brisket, chopped herring, gefilte fish, tsimmess and delicious cakes and pastries. Definitely not a low-fat diet — but delicious nonetheless.

Kosher shops serving the Jewish community have been a feature of Dublin for many years. Clanbrassil Street in the 1950s and 60s was even known as ‘Little Jerusalem’ due to the large number of kosher establishments at the time. Yiddish, English (and the occasional Irish expletives) were the common languages, food often being the main topic of conversation. Sadly, as the Jewish community dwindled over time, the kosher facilities did too. That is all changing now, with a new, vibrant kosher shop and deli in Rathmines, South Dublin. At Deli 613 we are re-creating and presenting to the public some of those wonderful traditional foods; the essential salt-beef sandwich, chopped liver, chopped herring, chicken soup with kneidlach… and much more.

So if you are Jewish and missing the old favourites, or not Jewish and looking for some delicious food in a warm and friendly setting, head on over to Rathmines for some delectable dining. As many a Bubbe used to say “it will be geshmak!”