Rothchilds Coffee & Kitchen opens in Great Neck

Rothchilds Coffee & Kitchen is a new Great Neck cafe whose menu subtly encapsulates a half century of the town’s culinary history.

For old-timers, the roster of refined sandwiches and salads will call to mind Millie’s (1976-2001), which catered to the ladies and gentlemen who lunched and dined. The breakfast menu and case full of pastries bring back memories of Bruce’s Bakery (1973-2012), while the menu’s Middle Eastern offerings have more in common with such newer local establishments as Colbeh (1987) and Grill Time (2012).  

The room is a stylish blend of white tile, honeyed wood tones and bright green accents, and the menu is the work of two young brothers, Daniel and Shir Nahum, whose grandparents Walter and Lois Roth were longtime Great Neck business owners. “Rothchilds” refers not to the fabulously wealthy German-Jewish banking family (who spell their name “Rothschild"), but to the status of Daniel, executive chef, and Shir, general manager, as “children of Roth.”

The brothers grew up in Israel, and they have brought with them such Levantine specialties as shakshuka (eggs poached in a mixture of tomatoes and red peppers), borekas (cheese pies), pita “sliders” stuffed with beef kebab and amba (pickled mango), fattoush (Middle Eastern bread salad) and fried chicken schnitzel.  

Breakfast items include eggs and omelets, croissant “de lox” and avocado toast. The lunch menu features polenta with mushroom ragout, ceviche, grilled chicken sandwich, the Rothchilds burger with grilled onions and garlic mayonnaise, salmon and tabbouleh salad, quinoa and lentil salad and the Rothchilds Caesar, with turkey bacon. (Rothchilds is not kosher, but the kitchen eschews pork and shellfish.)

The drink menu is extensive, with every iteration of brewed and pulled coffee (featuring the beans of cult Oregon-based brewer Stumptown), hot and iced teas and a brief but well chosen list of beers and wines.

For now, Rothchilds is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner should start by summer’s end.

Rothchilds Coffee & Kitchen is at 76 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck, 516-482-0434, rothchildskitchen.com.