Legend has it that Jack’s Wife Freda has stolen New York City’s natives’ hearts since 2011. Starting up at their first location in Soho, where owners Dean and Maya Jankelowitz have opened another in Greenwich Village, both share their expectations for the restaurant experience they aim to create for New York City.
“It still feels like day one sometimes. We were hoping to find that true New York quintessential cafe, a place that thrives from breakfast to dinner, that’s accessible, open, giving, and reliable,” Dean Jankelowitz says.
With its open-vibe menu spanning breakfast to dinner, Jack’s Wife Freda continually brings diversity and advancement to its cuisine, offering dishes inspired by childhood memories and New York’s culinary culture with an emphasis on bright, fresh ingredients and beautiful presentation.
“We took this combination of childhood favorites and city staples and revised it to reflect our culinary palate,” Maya Jankelowitz says.
The restaurant, rooted in childhood, is named after Dean Jankelowitz’s grandmother, Freda, in her spirit! Her generosity and the warmth of her legacy and lineage are how the couple aspire to live today.
Freda Jankelowitz always made sure there was lots of food—a typical Jewish grandmother. Like her, “Nothing gives us more pleasure than happy and well-fed guests.”
Jack’s Wife Freda’s story is described as an “immigrant love story, times two.”
Maya and Dean Jankelowitz came here as dreamers, as all immigrants have.
In the heart of New York City, they found love, family, and community in downtown passion. With a passion for hospitality and great food, they both worked separately and together in many downtown establishments before opening Jack’s Wife Freda, evoking memories of being welcomed home again by loved ones.
The menu at Jack’s Wife Freda tells the story of the dishes we know and love from our childhoods in South Africa and Israel, as well as New York’s Jewish food and culture, emphasizing bright, fresh ingredients and beautiful presentations. They took this combination of childhood favorites and city staples and reimagined it for their culinary plate.
The Green Shakshuka and Rosewater Waffle have become cult favorites among guests.
Dean Jankelowitz explains, “We were truly astounded by how people took to the Shakshuka. Seeing diners clean their plates for the green sauce has been such a meaningful experience.”
This week, March 19th’s dinner snacks menu features a variety of take-one-down, pass-it-around items. From fried zucchini chips with smoked paprika aioli, mixed-grill skewer, Prego roll, chicken Prego, Durban mussels, rigatoni bolognese, fish and chips, to steak au poivre. Can’t forget to pair the snacks with drinks—The Bianca, a unique twist on a cosmopolitan with vodka, raspberry, lemon, and mint, and my personal favorite, The Green Dean with gin, cucumber, lemon, and mint.
With this new menu launching, Dean and Maya Jankelowitz hope guests feel as excited to try their mixed grill platter for two. With the new menu, the pair hopes guests will try the mixed grill platter for two—a signature Jack’s Wife Freda dish to share.
Durban mussels are available as an appetizer or entrée. These dishes offer a joyful return to the vibrant flavors and aromas of the African coast. In such an intimate and welcoming atmosphere, the brand grows. Dean and Maya Jankelowitz often return to the Zen proverb, “chop wood, carry water.”
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. It speaks to the discipline of showing up—doing the simple, necessary work every single day.
We often return to the Zen proverb, “chop wood, carry water.” It speaks to the discipline of showing up — doing the simple, necessary work every single day. Repetition becomes ritual. Ritual becomes practice. “And this became ours,” Maya Jankelowitz says.
What began over 15 years ago with a small team—welcoming each guest one by one—grew from a deep-rooted passion for hospitality. Over time, those early routines became the building blocks of strong work habits and eventually the foundation for what are now five restaurants across New York City.
The staff at Jack’s Wife Freda strives to make diners feel like they are being welcomed into someone’s home. Each employee is trained as part of a collaborative team to create that level of warmth and hospitality. The interview process begins with how they treat each other—it’s the magic, energy, and aspiration of Jack’s Wife Freda.
As the 15th anniversary of the restaurant’s 2011 opening approaches, Dean and Maya Jankelowitz share unforgettable memories while reflecting on their journey.
“When we celebrated our second anniversary, we took our first night off together and went out to dinner at Del Posto. While we were having dinner on a busy Friday night, the manager called us frantically, saying the front security gate had fallen, locking all the guests inside while a plumber was removing a broken toilet. At that moment, we decided not to panic and instead, share our thoughts in a poem that we wrote on the restaurant napkin,”
Dean and Maya are not just successful business owners; they are also incredibly talented poets.
Sunday Thoughts, poem by Maya & Dean —
As soon as we all accept that things will constantly go wrong, we can focus on making everything else right.
Not to panic is the first step — not only a step, but a way to embrace the day ahead:
Burgers are going to be undercooked, computers will crash, items will be 86’d, customers will be rude, toilets will break, servers will not show up to work (or will show up late and/or drunk), ex-boyfriends will show up at the restaurant, broken kegs will be delivered, bums will make themselves at home, fridges will break down, people will dine and dash, waiters will chop off their fingers, it’s too hot/it’s too cold, reservations will show up incomplete, people will have undisclosed allergies, and occasionally someone will be passed out on the banquette when you get to work in the morning.
How we deal with all of this is the magic of Jack’s Wife Freda.
