Most restaurants fall fairly easily into one category. As in, if somebody asked you what type of place Restaurant X was, your answer is usually three words or less. Examples would be “burger joint,” “steakhouse,” “Israeli grill,” or even “dairy pasta place.”

But on rare occasions, you get a restaurant where the answer isn’t so clear. I listed Crave! as a sandwich shop in the info box for this article. I also considered options like “elevated fast food,” “new American cuisine,” or even just leaving that part blank. I guess “sandwich shop” makes the most sense as roughly half the menu comes on bread in some way. But Crave! is more than that.

With their first location being in Jerusalem on the outskirts of Machane Yehuda, Crave! is somewhat of a known quantity to a percentage of the kosher keeping community. With the immense popularity of the original, another iteration was a no-brainer. While the indoor space in Woodmere, New York is somewhat limited, the backyard is spacious and offers plenty of seating in months where the weather is hospitable.

When I was invited to Crave!, I started with one of their signature dishes. The Duck Frites are a classic example of why this isn’t just some fast food joint. Sure, these are loaded fries, a staple of our time. But not many loaded fries are loaded with duck. These are loaded (and I mean loaded) with a duck and chicken confit, vegan parmesan, tobacco onions, and garlic mayo. The fries are made in-house and are super crispy, the meat is plentiful and tasty, the parm and onions contribute to the interesting mixture of elements, and the garlic mayo pulls everything together.

The other appetizer that you shouldn’t skip is the Popping Crave. These are crunchy chicken bites that are tossed in a maple sriracha sauce. They are like the upgraded cousin of your standard chicken poppers. The coating is thin, but crispy, and the sauce is sweet, yet spicy. The balance is perfect and you could eat the whole order without even noticing if you aren’t careful.

Getting to our main course, I’d suggest the Rodeo burger. Staying faithful to their Israeli origins, the burgers are 200 grams (that’s just over 7 ounces stateside) and are delightfully juicy. This one comes with vegan cheddar, maple sriracha candied lamb bacon, pickled jalapeños, a large onion ring, lettuce, tomato, barbecue sauce, and garlic mayo. If that seems like a handful, it’s actually more like two. As far as fake cheeses go, this is definitely some of the best I’ve had and the onion ring brings a real crunch that works well with the gooeyness of that cheese. The pickled jalapeños add some nice acidity that offsets the fattiness of the bacon and the two sauces combine for a sweet and creamy mixture that works brilliantly to contribute to both the flavor and texture.

If you are into the recent fad of smash burgers, or if you just want to be able to customize your burger to specific parameters, Crave! does that too. With the option to add any number of patties (up to four) and toppings (a bunch for free, 10 optional paid add-ons), feel free to make your own invention instead of sticking to one of the more curated menu options.

But if you want to stick to those curated menu options and aren’t in the mood for a burger, maybe the Pollo Loco is for you. A little bit on the healthier side, this is a cajun grilled chicken sandwich on toasted sourdough. Don’t worry, there’s still lettuce, tomato, onion, guacamole, lamb bacon, and chipotle mayo. This sandwich has a nice kick to go along with a classic “crunch and mush” texture. The guacamole is a great way to alter the potential dryness that could have resulted from the combination of toasted bread, grilled chicken and bacon.

One of the more interesting things you’ll find on any restaurant menu can be found here at Crave! There’s an item called “For a Soldier” that costs $18 and is exactly what it sounds like. It allows you to make a donation that results in a sandwich being delivered to a soldier in the Israeli army. This takes advantage of their original location and is a great way to connect the Jewish communities of America and Israel to each other.

On rare occasions, I will try a pareve milkshake. Usually, these milkshakes are not very noteworthy. The Chocolate Milkshake at Crave! is not one of those. Perhaps it’s the fact that the milkshake is so packed with chocolate flavor that allows it to not taste pareve. Maybe it’s the texture that’s a little bit creamier than your average pareve shake that is doing the heavy lifting. Either way, the result is fantastic and you can actually get a milkshake to go with your burger and feel like you are living the dream of the all American diner experience.

If you are looking for something a little stronger than a milkshake, you should know that Crave! actually has a liquor license and has everything from cocktails to hard liquor and from beer to wine. There are plenty of choices to choose from and pair with whatever you chose from the menu.

Last but not least is dessert. Obviously, this isn’t exactly the type of restaurant that usually makes you think that you should order dessert. But don’t fall for that trap. Not only are there a few options, but the S’Mores is totally worth it. This is a brownie with marshmallow melted to the top, drizzled with caramel, with graham crackers for you to use as you see fit. If you have room, don’t skip this. All the flavors are exactly what you think they will be and this goes right along with the very recent trend of adding either caramel or peanut butter to the standard s’mores profile. It’s become popular for good reason … it’s great.

Crave! has certainly made a name for itself in both Israel and America. And whichever location you decide to visit, the experience will likely live up to the hype. You just have to figure out what to order when you walk in.

In other words … What do you Crave!?