Heading to theater and do not want to break the budget, yet, at the same time, crave a delicious meal?

Allow me to introduce you to Frena, a newish addition to Hell’s Kitchen.

Taboon morphed into Frena, an attractive Mediterranean restaurant with a facelift, but kept the amazing pizza oven.

Imagine walking into a room where minimalist chic meets smoky clay-oven warmth.

We love sitting at the bar, enjoying very cold, well shaken martinis ($23).

We ordered appetizers.

The Hummus was too spicy for me, yet creamy. The other dips looked appealing ($12).

The accompanying fresh baked bread was wonderful ($9 without dips).

The satisfying Chopped Salad was highlighted by the tasty, well grilled Halloumi ($22).

Chef Efi Naon opened the restaurant to pay homage to his Moroccan-Israeli upbringing. Naon was notably executive chef at the ever-popular Taboon, which tragically shut down after a fire in 2021.

He brought back the signature clay oven to Frena, which is integral in baking their fluffy homemade Frena Bread, brushed with olive oil, Maldon salt, and wild dry za’atar.

Vegetarian or vegetarian-curious? While the meat dishes shine, they have cauliflower steaks, falafel duos and plenty of dips that don’t discriminate.

If you’re tired of the same old pasta/burger loop and you want to dive into something that is fun, flavor-forward, and a little stylishly sassy, Frena delivers and the bread is all that.

Frena 773 10th Avenue New York City. Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday 5-9pm, Thursday-Saturday 5-10pm. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 11am-2:45pm. Reservations on Resy.