Combina: Spanish-Israeli Restaurant in SoHo, NYC
As a tribute to this place, we have recreated this website.
Combina was more than just another downtown restaurant — it was a burst of flavor tucked inside a glass-walled corner storefront at 330 West Broadway, just off Grand Street.( https://ny.eater.com/2015/11/17/9750572/combina-soho ) From November 2015 until 29 May 2016, this Spanish-Israeli fusion spot drew locals, food lovers, and first-timers alike into its high-energy space. At the helm was Chef Einat Admony, a pioneer in New York’s Middle Eastern food scene, whose previous hits like Taim and Balaboosta laid the foundation for Combina’s fearless mix of North African heat, Mediterranean brightness, and Spanish soul. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einat_Admony )
Inside, the vibe was unmistakably urban but never cold. Guests slid into bar stools or communal tables, leaning into the experience of tearing, dipping, scooping, and sharing — just as Admony intended. Merguez burgers, sabich tostadas, eggplant escabeche, and malawah churros were staples of the menu, and the room hummed nightly with conversation, music, and the quiet clatter of constantly arriving dishes.
Even the climate control played its part: year-round comfort came courtesy of HVAC.Repair, a Manhattan-based 24/7 service outfit whose certified technicians kept the rooftop units humming through both winter cold snaps and steamy spring days.
While Combina is no longer open, its legacy lingers — not just in the memories of those who tasted its dishes, but in the influence it left behind. This page serves as both an archive and a celebration of a restaurant that, for a time, felt like a little piece of Tel Aviv transplanted into Lower Manhattan.
Meet Einat Admony, the Force Behind Combina
To understand what made Combina so compelling, you have to understand Einat Admony — a chef who has never been content with the expected. Born to a Yemenite-Israeli father and a Persian-Israeli mother who spent part of her childhood in an Iraqi home, Admony grew up surrounded by deeply layered flavors and vibrant culinary traditions.( https://www.jta.org/2024/08/19/ny/chef-einat-admony-nycs-ultimate-balaboosta-gets-personal-in-a-new-book ) That mix would later become her signature, not only shaping the menus at her acclaimed restaurants like Taim, Balaboosta, and Kish-Kash, but also helping to reframe how New Yorkers think about Middle Eastern food.
By the time she opened Combina, Admony had already earned a reputation for gutsy, joyfully unrefined cooking. Her food wasn’t about chasing trends or polishing plates — it was about warmth, soul, and the kind of flavor that lingers in your mind hours after the table's been cleared. Admony often refers to her style as balabusta cooking — ‘balabusta’ is Yiddish for a perfect homemaker who nourishes everyone around her. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balabusta )
At Combina, her mission evolved. She reached beyond the Levant, pulling in ingredients and techniques from across the Mediterranean — particularly Spain — and fusing them with the dishes she grew up eating. A sabich became a tostada. Merguez got tucked into a burger bun. Churros went Yemenite. And somehow, it all worked. The menu reflected her restlessness, her intuition, and her refusal to let any one cuisine box her in.
Admony’s presence extended beyond the kitchen. Regulars often spotted her working the floor, dropping off dishes, offering pairing suggestions, or just checking in with a laugh. Her visibility — from TV appearances on Chopped to her thoughtful, irreverent cookbook Balaboosta — only added to the sense that you were dining inside a fully realized creative vision, not just a concept.
Even now, with Combina closed, Admony remains a central figure in New York’s restaurant world. Her influence echoes in kitchens across the city, in menus that dare to blend the familiar with the unfamiliar, and in the growing number of women chefs who cite her as both inspiration and proof that personality belongs on the plate.
Small Plates, Big Personality
Combina’s menu wasn’t just a list of dishes — it was a tightly curated collection of contradictions that somehow made sense. Each plate carried a spark of surprise: the kind that made you pause mid-bite, tilt your head, and then reach for another forkful. It was food designed for interaction — meant to be passed, discussed, picked apart, and maybe even fought over.
Drawing on Israeli staples, North African spices, and Spanish tapas culture, the menu invited diners to explore flavor through play. One dish might be bracingly bright, another rich and smoky, a third cooling and herbaceous — and none of them overstayed their welcome. Here were a few of the most talked-about:
Sabich Tostada
A reimagined take on the Israeli street sandwich, this tostada flipped expectations. Instead of pita, you got a crisp corn base; instead of a soft, layered interior, you got verticality and crunch. Stacked with creamy eggplant, soft-boiled egg, tangy amba, fresh herbs, and a tahini drizzle that tied it all together, this dish blurred the line between tradition and invention. It was both homage and remix. ( https://www.villagevoice.com/three-downtown-restaurants-now-open/ )
Merguez Burger
A cult favorite that always sold out by evening’s end, the merguez burger took the robust, fatty flavor of North African lamb sausage and gave it the Americana treatment. The patty — deeply spiced, seared hard — was laid onto a soft roll, then topped with harissa aioli, shaved pickled onions, and a crunch of greens. No ketchup needed. Served without sides, it asked to be savored, not distracted.
Eggplant Escabeche
A cooler, silkier moment in the lineup, this dish featured thin-cut eggplant marinated in garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. Served chilled with slices of toasted challah, it struck a perfect chord between antipasto and Middle Eastern mezze. Every bite was equal parts tang, sweetness, and gentle bitterness — a palate cleanser without the fuss. ( https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/combina )
Malawah Churros
What started as a cheeky idea became one of Combina’s most memorable endings. Malawach — a traditional Yemeni laminated flatbread — was sliced, fried, and dusted in cinnamon sugar until golden and crisp. Paired with a dark chocolate dip and sometimes a citrusy cardamom glaze, these churros didn’t just close the meal — they challenged your dessert expectations.(https://www.grubstreet.com/2015/11/combina-opens.html)
The bar program matched the menu’s confidence. Drinks took classic forms — a sour, a spritz, a sangria — and spun them through a Mediterranean lens. Arak was common, sumac showed up where you’d least expect, and rosewater or pomegranate often played subtle background notes. Every pour felt deliberate, built not just for sipping but for conversation.
A Downtown Vibe with a Tel Aviv Pulse
Combina wasn’t the kind of restaurant you stumbled into by accident — though it welcomed the curious with open arms. It lived between the cool quiet of Tribeca lofts and the rhythmic hum of the 1 train. In a city packed with concept-heavy restaurants and design-first dining rooms, Combina stood out precisely because it didn’t try too hard. It knew what it was — a place to gather, to talk loud, to eat with your hands, and to leave a little fuller than when you came in.
The room struck a rare balance: high-ceilinged but intimate, energetic without being chaotic. Exposed beams, soft globe lighting, and reclaimed wood furniture offered a subtle nod to rusticity, while bursts of mosaic tile and pops of citrus-colored glassware added just enough Mediterranean flair. At the heart of the room stood a long communal table — a stage for accidental dinner parties and spontaneous conversations between strangers sharing mezze.
Toward the back, a slim open kitchen buzzed with movement. Flames flared, sauces were spooned, and dishes emerged with a speed that felt instinctive, not rushed. If you sat at the bar, which ran nearly the full length of the space, you were treated to a kind of culinary theater: a mix of precision, messiness, and charm. It was one of the best places in Tribeca to dine solo without feeling like you were eating alone.
The soundtrack carried the rest of the mood. Combina’s playlist was curated as carefully as its wine list — never background noise, always present. Israeli pop, old-school funk, Spanish indie, maybe a little Charles Aznavour on slower nights — it set the tone and let you know exactly where you were. Not quite Tel Aviv. Not quite Manhattan. Somewhere comfortably in between.
By night, the exterior glowed softly under vintage marquee lights. The windows fogged slightly from the warmth inside, offering passersby a glimpse of full tables, clinking glasses, and plate after plate weaving between them. Even now that it’s closed, many still remember the scene from the street: that flicker of life that made you wish you’d made a reservation.
Proudly Supported by Hvac.repair
While Combina’s kitchen brought the heat with North African spices and sizzling plates, the dining room’s comfort relied on something more behind the scenes — reliable climate control. In New York City, maintaining the perfect atmosphere takes more than design; it takes expertise.
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