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For the practicing Orthodox Jew, finding a good kosher meal at a restaurant can be tough. Kosher is a term used to describe appropriate foods according to traditional Jewish law. The rules are many, including the type of preparation and what's on the menu. So we put on our yarmulkes and went hunting for kosher cuisine. Although the list isn't geographically diverse — most kosher joints are close to synagogues — here are a handful that supply tasty meals by the book.

– Jon Waterhouse

Rich Addicks/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
At Pita Palace on Lavista Road, manager Tal Gavrielov hands a pita dish to Scott Harrell.
Phil Skinner/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
In Sandy Springs, Bagel Break owner Mel Meyer chats with Harvey Linder (left) and Steve Filreis.
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Chai Peking

Searching for kosher Chinese grub? Then venture inside the Kroger grocery store located at Toco Hill Shopping Plaza. Once inside, take a right toward the deli section, and you'll find Chai Peking, a glatt kosher stand. The exhaustive menu proclaims more than 150 dishes. Cooks with hair nets covering their beards scoop chop suey, egg foo young, Hunan chicken, Mongolian beef and other Americanized Chinese standards. Among the wealth of entrees are steamed dishes for the diet-conscious and kiddie fare like burgers and hot dogs. Next to Chai Peking is a kosher deli that sells sandwiches and kosher sushi.

• 2205 Lavista Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-327-7810, www.chaipeking.com | • Map & Plan.

Pita Palace

Walk into this tiny storefront and the warm, wafting aroma of shwarma tickles the nose. Akin to gyro meat, the shwarma — mostly turkey with a smidgen of lamb — sits upright behind the counter as cooks slice off slivers and stuff them into pitas, arrange them on plates or wrap them in laffas, hefty burrito-like concoctions. Ours gets piled in a pita with hummus, baba ganoush, hot sauce, cucumber salad, onions and a drizzle of tahini sauce. You can also grab a kabob, schnitzel, burger or grilled chicken. Or go meatless with a falafel, a veggie pita or laffa, or a trip to the salad bar.

• 1658 Lavista Road, Atlanta. 404-781-7482.

Broadway Cafe

Like kosher restaurants, vegetarian eateries are hard to come by, too. And Broadway Cafe does both. A cartoony mural of Manhattan's famed theater district brightens up the a wall as do painted canvases of the cast of "Grease" and a caricature of Joel Grey. Jumbo falafel wraps arrive on top of a bed of lettuce with banana peppers on the side. A variety of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and veggie quesadillas make up the rest of the menu. But if you're hankering for kosher meat infusions, step next door to its sister restaurant, Off Broadway, for steaks, barbecued beef, fajitas and grilled salmon.

• 2168 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-329-0888. | • Map & Plan

Bagel Break

Bagel Break looks like your typical breakfast/bagel stop. But for orthodox Jews, it carries a key credential. That's because it's cholov yisorel, which means all of its dairy products adhere to traditional Jewish standards. Any products that use milk must come from a kosher animal like a cow, goat or sheep. This goes for everything on the Bagel Break menu, including omelets, French toast, waffles and, of course, bagels.

• 6333 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 404-255-6055.

Cafe Ofi

Cafe Ofi describes itself as "kosher food with character." Located inside the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, it gets bonus points for location with the center's indoor pool, art galleries and more. Guests nosh on casual vegetarian and seafood fare like Greek pizza, tuna salad sandwiches, Southwestern salmon wraps and taco salads with veggie chili. And the staff pours fruit smoothies and chocolate-tinged frappes to boot.

• 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 770-395-2663, www.cafeofi.net.

READERS SAY

What's your favorite new restaurant?

Went to JCT Kitchen a few weeks ago for lunch. Wasn't terribly busy, but that made for extra attention from the waitstaff. Food is delicis. The setting is nice, too. :) Will be going back, soon! – itsmorenamorena

The best new restaurant in town is Fox Bros. BBQ on DeKalb Avenue. Great food, good setting, courteous service and an atmostphere that perfectly blends the ITP mentality with OTP cooking. Get the Mac & Cheese with whatever you order! – Tyler Durden

New restaurants are usually too trendy to be worth their price. Too many yuppies who think they're foodies and winos go there. Go to the oldies who have made it in the cut-throat restaurant business. – CBL

The best, newest restaurant I've found in the last two years is Wildfire in the Perimeter Mall parking lot. The martini bar is a great place to meet before the table is set, the entrees are always good and perfectly prepared and, you don't have to valet park with the ample parking available. – Charles

WE WANT TO KNOW: Where do you go for the best Thai food?