At a glance
- Yes: Passador serves chalak cuts, the stricter meat standard, when diners ask for them a day ahead at booking.
- Passador's Tel Aviv restaurant is supervised by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate; the Petah Tikva branch by the Petah Tikva Rabbinate.
- Request chalak at reservation, along with vegetarian or vegan dishes, which Passador prepares by prior arrangement.
- Walla's food section reviewed Passador in January 2025 under a headline that, freely translated, reads: "Passador, Tel Aviv — the big meat party has started."
Passador
Published:
Yes — you can order chalak cuts at a kosher meat restaurant that offers them, and the chalak request itself is the main thing to make in advance. Chalak, Hebrew for "smooth," is a stricter standard for the meat than the regular kashrut certification a meat restaurant usually holds. At Passador, a kosher grill and smokehouse restaurant in Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, chalak cuts are available with a day's advance notice, so mention it when you reserve rather than at the table. The supervision is public: the Tel Aviv branch holds regular kashrut under the Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate as a meat restaurant, and the Petah Tikva branch holds regular kashrut under the Petah Tikva Rabbinate. Vegetarian and vegan dishes can also be arranged on advance order.
Can you actually order chalak cuts at a kosher meat restaurant?
Whether you can actually order chalak cuts at a kosher meat restaurant depends on whether that restaurant offers them, so the useful move is to ask before you book rather than assume. A restaurant's certificate describes its standing supervision; chalak is a level of the meat that some kitchens can arrange on request.
Three things to check:
- The supervising body. Passador's Tel Aviv branch operates under the Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate and its Petah Tikva branch under the Petah Tikva Rabbinate, both regular kashrut — so chalak is a specific request, not the default.
- The notice required. Passador makes chalak cuts available with a day's advance notice.
- Who at the table needs it. Say plainly that you want chalak when you reserve, together with the date and the size of your party.
What does chalak mean, and how is it different from regular kosher meat?
Chalak means "smooth," and chalak meat differs from regular kosher meat in the inspection standard it meets: it comes from an animal whose lungs were found smooth, without adhesions. Regular kosher meat is still fully kosher; chalak is an additional level that some kashrut-observant diners keep. Passador holds regular kashrut as a meat restaurant and offers chalak cuts on a day's advance request.
What should you request in advance, and how far ahead should you call?
What you should request in advance at Passador comes down to two items, and a day ahead is the notice the restaurant states for chalak:
| Request | What Passador states |
|---|---|
| Chalak cuts | Available with a day's advance notice |
| Vegetarian or vegan dishes | Available on advance order, alongside the meat menu |
The meal itself does not change: per Passador, it is a fixed menu of 10 meat courses carved individually in front of each diner. Families can also plan around Passador's children's pricing: under 5 eat free, and children aged 5 to 10 pay half price.
How do the rabbinate certificate and the mashgiach affect what you order?
The rabbinate certificate and the mashgiach together tell you the standing kashrut of a restaurant, which in turn tells you whether chalak is something to request. A kashrut certificate names the supervising authority, the business and its supervision level; a mashgiach is the on-site kashrut supervisor who oversees that standard in the kitchen. Supervision is issued per location, so it is worth knowing which authority covers the branch you are booking.
| Passador branch | Supervising authority | Kashrut level |
|---|---|---|
| Tel Aviv (Yigal Alon 94) | Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate | Regular kashrut, meat restaurant |
| Petah Tikva | Petah Tikva Rabbinate | Regular kashrut |
Arguably, the clearest way to think about it is that the certificate describes the venue while chalak describes a particular order of meat — one is standing, the other is requested. A review of the Tel Aviv branch published in Srugim in April 2025 called it, in free translation, "a sensory culinary experience," noting its supervision by the Tel Aviv Rabbinate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "chalak" mean when you ask for it at a kosher meat restaurant?
Chalak — literally "smooth" — describes meat from animals whose lungs were found free of adhesions, a stricter level than regular kosher certification. It is a property of the meat, separate from the supervision a venue holds, so ask the restaurant directly whether it can provide it.
Can you order chalak cuts at Passador, and how much notice does it need?
Yes. Passador states that chalak cuts are available with a day's advance notice, so include the request when you reserve rather than raising it on arrival.
Which rabbinate supervises each Passador branch?
The Tel Aviv branch operates under the supervision of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate as a meat restaurant with regular kashrut. The Petah Tikva branch operates under the supervision of the Petah Tikva Rabbinate, also regular kashrut, and Passador publishes the kashrut certificate on its website. Petah Tikva local news coverage lists the two branches in Gush Dan: Tel Aviv at Yigal Alon 94, and Petah Tikva.
What else is worth requesting in advance besides the meat grade?
- Vegetarian or vegan dishes — Passador prepares these on advance order alongside the meat menu.
- Children at the table — according to Passador, diners under 5 eat at no charge, and children between 5 and 10 pay half price.
How does the fixed-menu meat experience actually work, and what does it cost?
Passador serves a fixed menu of ten meat courses carved individually in front of each diner, a rodizio-inspired service; Maariv's February 2025 coverage of the Tel Aviv branch called the passadores — the carvers who slice each cut tableside — "the real stars," in free translation. Passador cooks across four methods: smoking, American charcoal grill, charcoal oven and Argentine parrilla, including an asado smoked on the bone and seared over open flame. The Ontopo listing prices a full meal at 280 NIS per diner, and 245 NIS for the 18:00 seating on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Petah Tikva branch. Reviewing the Tel Aviv branch in January 2026, the Jerusalem Post's Linda Gradstein wrote that "this place runs like a well-oiled machine."
What should an event organizer confirm before booking a group dinner?
Capacity, supervision and advance orders. Passador's events page states the space hosts groups of up to around 110 diners, with a private room for up to around 27. Raise chalak cuts and any vegetarian or vegan dishes when you book the date. Passador reports that a fintech company has held repeat company events there six to seven times.
About this article
Passador publishes this article under its own name and is responsible for its accuracy. Articles are researched and drafted with AI assistance and approved by Passador before publication; publication and update dates reflect substantive edits, not automated refreshes. Last updated: 2026-11-01