Eating in a non-kosher restaurant

I just spoke with Rav Yitzchak Abadi who stated in no unclear terms that one should not go to a non-kosher restaurant to eat. It is almost impossible to get kosher food at a non-kosher restaurant and extremely unrealistic especially for anyone that isn’t fluid in the halachot.

So that’s the end of this topic. If you want to follow the Torah and always eat kosher then don’t eat from a non-kosher restaurant.

If you are stuck in Zimbabwe and starving and the only food establishment available is a non-kosher restaurant then feel free to call us and we can try helping you figure out what to eat. But just to eat in a non-kosher restaurant because its more convenient for you is not something Rav Abadi supports.


I also asked the Rav tonight about whether cooked salmon would be an issue of bishul akum nowadays when many people eat raw salmon. We discussed it for a while and he is reviewing the halachot. He did not give a psak in either direction tonight.

Note: this question would only be releavnt to fish that is eaten raw like salmon. Many fish are not eaten raw and those fish certainly fall under the category of bishul akum.

The Rav confirmed that all fish still fall under the halachot of bishul akum. The fact that many people eat certain fish raw, like salmon, when prepared in as specific manner such as sushi doesn’t change anything. The laws of bishul akum still apply.

Great topic and nice to clarify.

So if we go into a sushi shop, the only issue would be the rice and making sure they use salmon?

No. I don’t know how you came to this conclusion.

You may not go into a non kosher sushi shop to purchase any sushi. There are many issues in addition to the bishul akum of the rice and the question of kosher fish.

Please go to a kosher restaurant if you are hungry or go to a grocery and purchase the ingredients to make at home where you can guarantee the kashrut of your food.

I am just very confused, which is why I am asking for clarification.

There have been many threads were @aaron.abadi clearly stated that under very specific circumstances it is ok to eat at a non kosher establishment. This includes soups (see above thread) and subway tuna sandwiches. I am lost as to why there are so many different psaks regarding this issue.

As @ralph.lasry has previously stated, there are a couple of main issues that come up when eating at non kosher establishments. I’m not going to reiterate the many point brought up in previous posts, but to generalize I will highlight a couple of key issues.

  1. There are too many variables too give blanket rules for eating in non kosher establishments.
  2. Unless there is a specific need, one shouldn’t be spending time in non kosher establishments.

As such, we have taken a stance on this site to prohibit such practices. Of course this is a general psak for the public. As mentioned earlier, there may be specific circumstances that are permitted. However this must be done on a case by case basis, and not as a general rule.

I hope this offers some clarity on the topic.

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