A Moroccan-Israeli restaurant serving up vibrant Mediterranean food has opened its newest Queens location. Claudette’s, a family-owned restaurant focused on health-conscious, hearty offerings, is now operating its third location, at 157-02 Crossbay Blvd. in Howard Beach.
Opened in mid-July, the Howard Beach restaurant mirrors Claudette’s other locations, offering Shabbat-inspired dinners that make diners feel at home.
Co-owner Yarden Flatow explained that the menu draws much of its inspiration from his mother, Claudette, who is also the restaurant’s namesake. “Most of our dishes are inspired by the Shabbat dinners we had every Friday night growing up with our mother. She works with us every single day in the stores. She still does all the pastry work,” he said. Shabbat is a Jewish day of rest and worship that takes place every week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
Flatow said Claudette’s sources the highest quality organic and seed-oil-free ingredients, a dedication to the health and wellness of their customer base. One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes is a wild-caught spicy roasted salmon bowl topped with a dijon mustard glaze and paired with matbucha, a spicy Moroccan tomato sauce. “We basically take a bunch of fresh tomatoes, a bunch of jalapenos and a bunch of garlic, and we just cook it over a fire until it reduces by four or five times, so it’s super thick and jammy,” Flatow said.
Another popular menu offering is shakshuka, poached cage-free organic eggs cooked in a less spicy version of matbucha and served up with pita on the side. “It’s my favorite breakfast ever,” said Flatow. “I grew up having it every single Saturday as a kid.”
For customers with a sweet tooth, the restaurant has an array of freshly baked goods made daily by Claudette. Flatow said his mother’s baklava, a layered pastry dessert made of filo dough, chopped nuts and a sweet syrup or honey, and disco biscuits, which are completely vegan, are super popular.
“It’s basically like a big oatmeal cookie, and we don’t add any sugar to it, as it’s sweetened entirely with bananas. It’s got walnuts, coconut, almonds and it’s dipped in a dark chocolate,” Flatow said.
Claudette’s also offers acai bowls with a Mediterranean spin. Their Kalimi bowl is filled with organic acai, drizzled with date syrup and topped with coconut and pistachios.
Most of Claudette’s menu offerings are gluten-free and vegan, falling in line with their health-conscious approach to food. Flatow said almost every item on the menu except for their meat-based main dishes are vegan. “We have our seasonal roasted vegetables, falafel, lots of salads, lots of great spreads,” he said. The restaurant also offers a variety of seasonal grains, such as bulgar, basmati rice and lentil dishes.
Claudette’s was founded in 2012 when the family opened their flagship location on Beach 69th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard. Flatow, who grew up in the Rockaways, said Caludette’s mirrors how his mother’s Shabbat dinners brought together friends, family and neighbors. “We still host them every Friday night at our parents’ house. Even though we gathered around the food, it was never just about the food. It was always about the connection, the joy, the shared sense of belonging that we all had sitting down,” he said.
Claudette’s is open Sunday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. In addition to its new Howard Beach location, Claudette’s also operates in Arverne at 190 Beach 69th St., Unit 117 (“C”) and at The Rockaway Hotel, located at 108-10 Rockaway Beach Dr. in Rockaway Park.
