Table set for Passover meal (Photo: Envato)
With less than two weeks until we gather around the seder table, it’s officially crunch time. Hopefully, you’ve started your Pesach prep—whether that means scrubbing the kitchen and stocking up on kosher for Passover essentials, or finalizing your travel plans for a Passover program.
If you’re staying home, you’re probably in the middle of cleaning and working your way through whatever chametz is still in the house—trying not to buy anything new that you’ll have to get rid of. Your kitchen might not be turned over yet, but it likely will be by next week. If you're going away, the fridge is slowly emptying out, and you're planning a few last meals out or relying on takeout until it's time to go.
Once the cleaning is done, it’s time to tackle the shopping. Everything you buy has to be kosher for Passover—no chametz allowed. Chametz (or hametz/chometz) includes any food made from the five grains—wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt—that’s come into contact with water and has risen. And let’s not forget the many food-related customs that come with Passover: kitniyot, gebrochts, levels of kashrut supervision—it’s a lot to keep track of!
While food is a big part of every Jewish holiday (except Yom Kippur, of course), Pesach takes things to the next level with all the rules and traditions around what we can and can’t eat.
What to eat before Pesach - days leading up to Pesach and Erev Chag
If you are staying home for Pesach, there is always the issue of what to feed the family on the day or two before Pesach. You have already moved all the chametz to the one room in the house (we always use the dining room table) that has what’s left of the chametz. You switch over to paper goods and everything is eaten in that room or outside, if the weather is nice.
Hot dogs and French fries
Many families, whether they are going away or staying home, go out or get take out on the night before Pesach. The restaurants are always packed on the day or two before Pesach. If you want to eat in the restaurant, make a reservation or try to go out early. I find it very crowded and we usually pick up food and eat outside. Not all restaurants will take orders on the day before Pesach because they are just too busy and there might be very long wait times if you use a food delivery service. These are a few things to consider when eating out or getting take out on the days leading up to Pesach. Try to be patient as the restaurants are doing their best to keep up with the demand. Keep in mind that restaurants opening on Pesach might be closed to turn over their kitchens and if they are open, they might be kosher for Passover already.
“What can I eat? I’m starving.” is the refrain heard multiple times on Erev Pesach in kosher homes around the world. Everyone is always starving on Erev Pesach. You can’t eat chametz and many don’t eat matzah products. Dinner is very late so you want to eat something. I always made hot dogs and french fries or potatoes for lunch on Erev Pesach. It’s easy and my boys loved it. My boys are all taller than I am now and they still enjoy hot dogs and french fries on Erev Chag. My daughter is a vegetarian and she is very happy with a salad. When the kids get hungry, cut up fruits and veggies are an easy and healthy snack. I also always have potato chips and marshmallows on hand.
Many years ago, I found an easy Pesach chocolate cake recipe with potato starch. Most recipes require separating eggs and using a mixer but for this recipe, you just throw everything in a bowl then put in a tin and bake. I bake a lot of these during the holiday. We usually eat a whole cake on Erev Pesach since it has no matzah meal, it’s a great treat for the kids and it’s surprisingly tasty. It is also gluten free and is not gebrochts. Unfortunately, I do not remember where I found the recipe but here it is.
Easy one-bowl Pesach chocolate cake
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup of oil
- ¾ cup potato starch
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup cocoa
- Pinch of salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix all the ingredients
- Pour into 9x13 pan
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips (because everything is better with chocolate chips)
- Bake for ½ an hour
Kosher for Passover restaurants for 2025
The Kosher restaurant landscape has grown exponentially over the past two decades, bringing mouthwatering options to cities all around the world. But not all of these restaurants stay open during the Passover holiday. During the week before Pesach, when many individuals are occupied with cleaning and preparing food at home, numerous restaurants opt to remain open until the last possible moment. This is because some people prefer to eat out during this period to avoid any chametz from entering their homes. It is beneficial for these restaurants to continue operating up until the start of Pesach and then take a break for the holiday.
Photo: Envato
Many restaurants choose to remain closed for Passover. Gaining kosher certification is already a detailed process, but obtaining kosher for Pesach certification is even more involved. It requires the kitchen to be thoroughly cleaned and kashered, and the restaurant must follow strict guidelines unique to Passover. That often means shutting down for several days just to prepare for the holiday.
Whether or not a restaurant decides to make the switch often depends on how the calendar falls and how many days of Chol Hamoed there are. In 2025, there’s a better chance of finding kosher for Passover restaurants open: outside of Israel, there are four full days of Chol Hamoed (Tuesday through Friday), and in Israel, there are five days (Monday through Friday). With more days when eating out is permitted, some restaurants may find it worthwhile to turn over their kitchens and open for Passover this year.
Some popular kosher foodies put together lists of kosher restaurants open for Passover. These lists are still being updated. Here are links to the Pesach restaurant lists for 2025:
- Great Kosher Restaurant Foodies (GKRF) Pesach restaurant list for 2025 was compiled by Elan Kornblum, aka “The Restaurant Guy”, founder of GKRF website, Facebook group, popular Instagram page and monthly newsletter.
- Yeah That’s Kosher (YTK) Pesach restaurant list for 2025 was compiled by Dani Klein, founder of YTK. Dani keeps on top of the kosher restaurant scene and broadcasts to his many followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
- eLuna Pesach restaurants in Israel list for 2025 was put together by Debbie Lampert, the founder of eLuna, an English language kosher restaurant website in Israel. Debbie has followed and reported on the kosher restaurant scene in Israel for many years.
- Debbest Israel's list of Pesach Restaurants in Israel 2025 was created by Debbie Kandel. She moved from London to Jerusalem 17 years ago and is passionate about helping others plan their adventures in Jerusalem and around Israel. She offers tailor-made tasting tours of Shuk Machane Yehuda.
Conclusion
The Passover holiday involves many food restrictions and customs. The days leading up to Passover can be challenging in terms of feeding the family, especially if you have already turned over your kitchen and have to rely on take-out or eating out. Many restaurants are open in the days leading up to Pesach, but it is advisable to make a reservation or order early to avoid long wait times. No matter where you will be celebrating Passover this year, there are many restaurants that have gone through the extra effort to ensure their kitchens meet kosher for Pesach standards and remain open during the holiday. Check out the Passover restaurant guides put together by GKRF, YTK and eLuna to find a Pesach restaurant near you.
If you plan to get pizza when Pesach ends then try to order in advance. Some restaurants, especially in Florida, are already taking orders for after Passover. If you can’t wait another day for your pizza then try to see if they are still taking orders.
Chag Kasher V’Sameach!