Gilley’s Kitchen Brings Kosher Food Back to Ormond Beach | Nazer local news

Until last year, Ormond Beach and its strong Jewish community could enjoy three different kosher restaurants in town.

Then, they all closed.

That’s when restaurant owner Ricky Ben Simon called. He and his wife’s cousin, Chef Gilly Ben Simon, have been running a kosher restaurant in Jacksonville since 2017.

“In the Jewish community, if you have a restaurant, it means you’re settled,” said Ricky Ben-Simon. “So it was very important to the community to bring the restaurant back. They’re an amazing community.”

A local contacted Ben Simon and asked him to bring his restaurant to Ormond Beach. He opened a second Gilly’s Kitchen location in the former Eden Fresh Cafe location at 188 E. Granada Blvd. In July. Since then, she said, community support from both kosher and non-kosher eaters has been overwhelming.

“We thought that here, like in Jacksonville, we could do both,” Ben Simon said. “… We knew it was going to be a good fit for us and that was it. We came to Ormond Beach and I really like this restaurant.”

As a kosher restaurant, Gilly’s Kitchen is dairy-free, does not serve pork, and only serves food made with certified kosher ingredients.

Chef Gili Ben-Simon began his culinary training over two decades ago, after training in Israel. He studied at cooking schools in various countries including France, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The restaurant’s menu offers a modern twist on some traditional Israeli dishes, Mediterranean options and daily Asian specials. The menu includes New York-style corned beef sandwiches, matzo ball soup, shawarma, and Ricky Ben Simon’s favorite, hummus with mushrooms.

Ricky Ben-Simon said customers love their burgers, which are made with in-house ground beef.

“It’s the most complimentary product we have, and I take that as a huge compliment because the hamburger is an American product and Gilly is an Israeli product,” he said. A lot of American customers come in and say, “Wow, this is the best burger ever.”

Gilly’s Kitchen is open from Monday to Thursday from 11am to 8pm and on Sundays from 12pm to 8pm. The restaurant is closed on Fridays and Saturdays.