Philly's Laser Wolf is opening a Brooklyn outpost

Acclaimed Israeli chef Michael Solomonov is returning to NYC with his first-ever Brooklyn restaurant

Aside from being an anglicized take on the name of a “Fiddler On the Roof” character (and a fantastic thing to call your next nu metal band), Laser Wolf has been one of the country’s most buzzed-about restaurants since it started serving charcoal grill-blasted Israeli fare in Philadelphia in 2020.

Now the buzz is moving to Brooklyn: a new Laser Wolf location is opening in the upscale Hoxton hotel in Williamsburg on May 1, and reservations are already filling up. The first several days were reportedly booked within minutes on Thursday.

The eatery is the brainchild of chef Michael Solomonov, who is seen as a modern authority on Israeli food and runs with his business partner Steve Cook an acclaimed dynasty of Philly restaurants, including Zahav, which won the James Beard Award for best restaurant in 2019.

The Laser Wolf concept is modeled off of a shipudiya, or Israeli skewer shop—meat kebabs are held up to 600-plus degree heat, according to Eater, and served with an array of sides called salatim, such as hummus and pita, pickles, and other dips and snacks. Opening menu prices revealed by Eater show a cost of at least $50 per person, but the vibe is supposedly casual and bustling. Customers will be able to peek at the grills, and from Thursday through Saturday it will stay open until 1 a.m.

Condé Nast Traveler included Laser Wolf on its list of the “best new restaurants in the world” last year, and The New York Times deemed it one of the most “exciting” restaurants in the United States in October.

This is Solomonov’s second foray into the New York market, but his first in Brooklyn. His beloved Dizengoff hummus restaurant opened an outpost in the Chelsea Market in 2016 but closed in 2018.

If you feel like trying your luck at getting a reservation, look here.