Timna
“Great addition to the area, new middle eastern fusion restaurant by my favorite chef Nir Mesika.”
“kubaneh bread was baked in a legit clay flower pot and came with jalepeno/labne spread.”
“Pita tasted very fresh and the sauces were great – starters were def the favorite part of the meal which caught us all by surprise.”
Timna
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Drawing influences from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa, Timna serves unique and creative modern Israeli cuisine in the intersection of East Village and Alphabet City. Chef Nir Mesika – an Israeli native with Moroccan heritage – fuses intense flavors by incorporating fresh ingredients and key items that are all made in house, such as cheeses, breads, condiments, and sauces.
The menu is divided into shareable plates, appetizers, and plates/entrees. They recommend about 2-3 dishes per person. My friend and I wanted to try a bit of everything, so together we ordered 6 dishes and shared them all.
To start, we got the Kubaneh Bread ($12). Freshly baked in a clay flower pot, kubaneh bread reminded me of soft French bread with crusty exterior and topped with sesame seeds. The bread is served with crushed tomato and yogurt with jalapeno salsa. I never thought of yogurt as a dip for bread, but it worked so well. I loved the cool, refreshing taste of the yogurt with warm, soft bread.
We also got the Farmer's Burrata ($17). The dish was plated with white eggplant mousse, crushed tomato, charred onion powder, baby leek, and za'atar oil with a dollop of creamy, chewy burrata. I wished the dish was served with bread on the side to soak up all the delicious sauce.
The next dish in the "appetizer" section we had was the Mediterranean Sashimi ($16). I love the fusion of Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines. The dish included cured tuna on a bed of quinoa with green tabouli, tzatziki, and crispy beet leather. The tuna tasted fresh, but the portion was too small. The crispy beet leather tasted like candy – quite sweet! I also enjoyed the minty green tabouli with tzatziki.
Scallops ($27), while technically an "appetizer," can definitely be an entree. This was probably my favorite dish of the evening. Two huge, plump scallops that are perfectly seared on the outside with juicy inside are served with vanilla braised enoki, wild mushroom, and Jerusalem artichoke puree. I wanted to lick the plate to get all the puree in my mouth – so delicious!
For main, we tried the Moroccan Linguine ($26) and Drunken Lobster ($39). The Moroccan Linguine was somewhat of a misnomer, as the pasta they used was definitely MUCH wider – more of pappardelle. It had chickpeas and root vegetables with savory green pea puree (love it) and topped with fried poached egg. The rich egg yolk elevated the dish to a whole new level. The pasta was a bit overcooked though.
The most expensive dish of the night, Drunken Lobster ($39), was also my least favorite. I love the creativeness of the dish, but it just had a bit too much going on. It had two pieces of lobster (tail and claw) on top of black couscous risotto, leek confit, and grilled ramps with a side of goat cheese mousse wrapped with thinly sliced eggplant. The dish overall was really salty, especially with the lobster bisque underneath.
I came here on a Friday night. The atmosphere is super cute with open windows and a chic vibe! we came around 7 and it was quiet but got loud fast.
Appetizers: tuna tar tar, cauliflower, and that fluffy amazing bread that comes in a pot. The unique presentation and flavors of the tuna tar tar made the dish a real stand out for me! The cauliflower was a delicious vegetable option that was packed with flavor. Obviously the bread was good.
For my entree I got the vegetable pasta. The flavors worked together really well and it was definitely a tasted dish. That being said, it wasn't the type of dish you ever really crave – just one that you can tell was made with quality ingredients and done well.
As for drinks, I noticed that they didn't offer any hard liquor; they just have wine cocktails and beer.
Overall the meal was tasty, and I can't complain about the service, but it's not something that you're like OMG I'M CRAVING!
Really good food and cool scene. Loved the octopus main and the cauliflower app. Note that I took off a star cause our waitress asked us at the end why we tipped the way we did – which is mad weird and awkward.
If you're looking for high quality and great value middle eastern/Mediterranean food, definitely give this place a try. It's slightly more expensive than most places, but it more than makes up for it in quality.
Start off with the Kubaneh Bread- so fresh and the yogurt/jalapeño salsa is great.
We also got the Burrata, and the Mediterranean Sashimi- both were amazingly well done and light.
Also highly recommend the Octopus- too often it's either rubbery or soaked in a sauce, but theirs was cooked perfectly and dressed with just the right amount of seasoning.
I'm sure everything else on the menu is great and will definitely go back. One side note is that they don't have a liquor license, so you can only get beer or wine.
We were initially drawn to Timna after reading rave reviews and seeing the countless photos of their infamous flower-pot bread. So it was no surprise that it was the first thing we ordered. It's warm and satisfying..although it really is just fresh bread baked in a clay pot after all 🙂
The meal was pretty good, albeit a bit pricey for what we ordered. Our favorite dish was the octopus, which came with two dramatic tentacles charred to perfection and served with a few globs of different dips that kept each bite exciting. We weren't as enthusiastic about the burrata dish or the herby salad, but they balanced out the meal and we ate most of it.
I cannot say enough about this lovely intimate restaurant. I'm not usual one for ambiance because I'm just here for the food, but here it's not the case. Every bit of the space and location plays a role in the enjoyment of each dish that comes out of their kitchen.
Chef Nir came out to our table before service got real nutty and spoke with us a bit and we learned that he was the executive chef of one of my beloved brunch spots in Williamsburg, Zizi Limona, so we knew we were in for an amazing treat!
We decided to share the 4 appetizer choices, 2 entrees and a dessert that our handsome server chose for us.
I have to say every dish we ordered, not one had similar flavor components or textures.
Kitchen sent out an amuse bouche of a chilled tomato soup. Surprisingly naturally sweet and not tart in the least bit and creamy as well. The Kubaneh bread…I wish we could make every bread this way! The texture being a decadent marriage between a croissant and brioche…I had to stop myself from ordering 3 more! The roasted cauliflower florets and artichoke hearts were again full of flavor and spices but not so much that it hid the neutral flavor palates of each vegetable. The beet and lentil was again nicely spiced and the beets were roasted and had almost like a lovely candied brulee like texture on the outside and creamy center. Paired beautifully with the French lentils. Creamy farmers burrata presented on top of freshly pan toasted piece of toast, accompanied by fresh smashed tomatoes, eggplant puree and Broiled tender stalks of baby leeks, everything was seasoned simply with salt and so nothing overpowered the amazingly luxurious milky flavor of the cheese. The Moroccan linguine was on par with the countless varieties of fresh pasta I've had in Italy. Nice al dente chewy bite that the sauce clung to gloriously accompanied by a heavenly sous vide egg that was then coated in tempura battered and fried. The Lamb T-bone, perfectly cooked to medium and truly was the right protein to balance out the incredible meal we have had thus far. Our server surprised us with the Yuzu creme brulee…the crust was outstanding, the Yuzu flavor takes some getting used to because it almost has an off putting bitter citrus aftertaste. But ask in all still light and refreshing.
Cannot wait to cone back when the season change is here and the menu is changed to reflect that!
Bestie & I had the loveliest dinner date at Timna last Friday night. The atmosphere is warm, cozy, & sexy.
We each enjoyed a glass of the rioja blanc – its spicy notes and full-bodied flavor were very unique for a white wine. I'll definitely be on the lookout for this one!
We chose four dishes to share:
the cauliflower – curried yogurt, pickled sumac onion, dried grapes, puffed quinoa & artichoke (A MUST!)
beet & lentil – roasted beet, parsnip confit, beluga lentil salad, raw tahini & date molasses
mediterranean sashimi – cured tuna, green tabbouleh, tzatziki & crispy beet leather
bedouin octopus – grilled pickled cabbage, black eggplant puree, hummus & tomato salsa (A MUST!)
All four dishes were fantastic- so many perfect flavors without being overpowering or salty. We loved how many purees, dips, and spreads there were on each dish. Unfortunately, we were trying to have dinner sans puffy carbs… but bread to mop up all the deliciousness is highly recommended.
I look forward to coming back for brunch!
I had a dinner here on a Saturday. Very nice decor. I felt a bit nostalgic thinking about the time I eat at one of the former tenants (I believe it was a Hummus Place). The ceiling is not high and I believe it could be pretty loud when it's busy.
The sashimi appetizer was phenomenal. The minty sauce, quinoa and everything was perfect. One of the best appetizers I ever had in every aspect. Cauliflower was also very nice; a staple dish elevated with unexpected textures and flavors. The excitement did not requite carry through the main course however. We had the scallops and octopus. Scallops were over salted and not memorable. Octopus came with tahini, hummus?, etc which were not very interesting together and lacked in texture and flavor.
All(?) cocktails are wine based but they were all refreshing albeit a bit sweet.