Mesiba: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Mesiba, located at the Moxy hotel in Williamsburg, is an Israeli restaurant that’s serving up delicious food inspired by the flavors of Tel Aviv. Mesiba translates to party, and that’s beyond fitting for the lively, energetic ambiance that the restaurant exudes. Between the service, attention to detail, and perfectly executed dishes, Mesiba is getting 4.5/5 flowers from The Flour Child. Let’s get into it:

Starting off strong with our drinks of choice, we all chose to get the Arak Service. This was served as Arak straight up, a side of grapefruit and honeydew juice, along with another shot of Arak. This cocktail was an experience, allowing the customer to mix the alcohol with the juice or just to enjoy it as an aperitif. I’d expect it to be more expensive than it was for how high end it felt and for how much alcohol there actually was, but at Mesiba it goes for $17. If you love Arak, I can’t recommend this enough; it truly brought me back to my summer in Tel Aviv.

Next we moved on to the Yalla portion of the menu which was shared plates, and decided on the Mushroom Shawarma and Charred Octopus. These dishes were both extremely flavorful, authentic, and well executed. The mushroom shawarma was paired with classic warm spices, Jerusalem artichoke, and pickles, and the octopus was paired with smoked onion, herbs, jalapeño, and sour cream. I usually enjoy shawarma spices on meat so the mushrooms were a really nice change up. We all agreed that we’d definitely order these dishes again.

For the main event, from the Mesiba section of the menu, we ordered the crispy whole fish with carrot zhoug, tabila sauce, and lettuce cups. This fish was incredibly crisp while light at the same time, with the most flavorful, vinegary, spicy sauces that truly lifted the fish. The lettuce cups were a beautiful accompaniment too, though not essential to the dish as a whole. I’m still thinking about the flavor of the carrots on top of the fish, it was seriously incredible.

For a fun shabbat dinner, a lively date night, or if you’re just looking for a really great spot in Williamsburg, I highly recommend checking out Mesiba! You won’t be disappointed by the food, the drinks will blow you away, and the energy of the restaurant will make you feel like you’re ready to dance the night away at Shalvata (if you know, you know). Yalla!