On Monday, December 17, Bala Cynwyd’s The Dairy Cafe (321 Montgomery Avenue) closed for a reimagining, on track to return across the street this April as Zagafen (370 Montgomery Avenue), an all-kosher version of popular Philadelphia pizzeria Zavino. Owner David Magerman and consultant Greg Dodge of Zavino Hospitality (ZHG) are proud to announce this exciting update to Bala Cynwyd, where The Dairy Cafe has proudly served the area’s largest Orthodox community casual, kosher dairy fare for the past three years.

“We are proud and excited to expand our offerings in beautiful Bala Cynwyd,” says Dodge, who also consults for Michael Salove Company (MSC) in their hospitality real estate division. “Ever since we debuted Enoteca Tredici in nearby Bryn Mawr, we’ve dreamed of bringing Zavino to the Main Line, and with the debut of Zagafen, our fans and friends here will have a terrific, all-kosher option for delicious pizzas and Italian-inspired fare.”

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Dodge debuted his first restaurant, Zavino, in Philadelphia’s thriving Midtown Village neighborhood less than a decade ago; he has since opened an outpost across the Schuylkill River in University City. Additional Zavino locations, including an especially family-friendly sister property known as Enza in Wyndmoor, PA and a flagship Zavino in Kansas City, MO’s forthcoming Ameristar Casino, are planned for the coming year. In addition, Dodge brought Tredici Enoteca to the space across the street from the original Zavino in 2015. Since then, he has added a second location in Washington, DC, followed by a third Bryn Mawr, PA, both of which considerably expanded on the jewel-box first restaurant’s footprint. Enoteca Tredici Downingtown, his largest and most ambitious project to date, will join the Zavino Hospitality Group family, along with Zagafen, in 2019.

About Zagafen and Zavino…Named one of Philadelphia magazine’s “50 Best Restaurants” in 2011 and widely acknowledged as one of the city’s top pizzerias, the original Zavino at 13^thand Sansom Streets in Philadelphia’s hot Midtown Village neighborhood is a local favorite and has earned a wealth of critical acclaim. Philadelphia magazine called their pizzas “admirably consistent,” with “spot-on” texture, while local food writer Drew Lazor has given numerous nods to the pies. Philadelphia Weekly praised the Midtown Village original as a “fine-tuned trattoria,” noting that “in this tiny, tobacco-toned room, with the windows embracing the street and Negroni-sipping sophisticates lining the bar and spilling onto the Sansom Street sidewalk, you could just as easily be in Trastevere.” The Philadelphia Inquirerhonored Zavino with a coveted “Two Bells: Very Good” review that called their pizza “better than 98 percent of the competition,” and raved over the restaurant’s nightly chalkboard specials: “I love the casual and youthful vibe of this corner space,” wrote reviewer Craig LaBan. Zagafen will expand on Zavino’s popular offerings while continuing to offer welcoming, kosher fare to residents of Bala Cynwyd.

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