Biarritz Restaurant Switches to a Mehadrin Certification

By COLlive reporter

Biarritz Pizza and Wine Bar in Crown Heights has announced that they will now be under a new kosher certification starting on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

“We have recently changed our kashrut certification to be under the auspices of Vaad Kashrus Mehadrin (VKM), guided by Rabbi Tzvi Altusky,” they announced in a statement.

The change in certification comes less than 2 weeks after a previous switch to a different hashgacha from the CHK. A source at Biarritz explained that the decision stemmed from limitations in sourcing specialty ingredients under CHK’s standards.

Although all ingredients were strictly Cholov Yisroel, certain products—such as Tnuva Goat Cheese, Cholov Yisroel Mozzarella, and a specific kosher truffle oil available in Crown Heights—did not meet CHK’s approval, they said.

The restaurant owners said that they have decided to retain the new hashgocha after hearing feedback from their customers that they preferred a more stringent certification than the one previously chosen.

VKM, a member of the Association of Kashrus Organizations (AKO), is based in Lakewood, New Jersey. It certifies well-known establishments throughout the Tri-State area, such as Chef Koz and Crunch Time in Lakewood, NJ, events by Greenwald Caterers, and others.

They have also provided certification for various events such as the International Kinus Hashluchim, Torah Umesorah National Convention, and the JLI National Jewish Retreat.

“Our commitment remains unwavering to the highest standards of kashrut at Biarritz,” the owners told COLlive. “We continue to maintain Cholov Yisrael, Pat Yisrael, and employ full-time mashgichim who supervise continuously.”

The transition to a new certification allows them to “offer a more diverse menu, enabling our chef to craft even more delicious and creative dishes for our guests,” they said.