New Downtown Brooklyn Cafe

A new kosher café, Olga’s on Smith, opened its doors serving Jews and non-Jews alike in downtown Brooklyn.

Located at 407 Smith Street, the café with dairy and parve takeout dishes is under the strict supervision of OK Kosher Certification.

Its modern minimalistic décor provides a sense of tranquility and serenity. With the night view of the F train descending into the tunnel, it is quintessentially urban.

The café links the observant world with the secular/gentile world in a way that few Manhattan kosher restaurants manage to do – you can often see Lubavitchers sitting next to trendy local artists. It reflects the new Brooklyn – a fusion of all backgrounds.

Just like the customers, the food is also a fusion of different culinary influences. Dishes have Italian roots, Mexican flavors, Asian spices and Middle Eastern ingredients.

All of the food is light and wholesome, prepared with fresh herbs and olive oil. Some customer favorites are the lox, arugula, goat cheese panini and roasted mint tomatoes.

Olga Shraer, the owner, is a self-taught chef who moved from Moscow to New York in 1981. She lives in Park Slope with her husband, David, and their three children.

Shraer says she was inspired to open a kosher café so she could invite her observant friends over for dinner. Having been a local caterer, this is her first café.

Tucked away between Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens is a home to many Jews of differing backgrounds and levels of observancy.

Rabbi Dovber Pinson and his congregants daven at IYYUN Institute, a center for Jewish enrichment on Union Street. Other points of interest in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood are the Carroll Street playground and the Painted Pot.

Olga’s on Smith is conveniently located near the Carroll Street F train station. A COLlive fan referred us to it after visiting there.