WEST ROGERS PARK — The Hamachi Sushi Bar, the city's only kosher sushi joint, is closed this week in observance of Passover.
The restaurant wished a happy holiday to its customers with a post on its Facebook page and website, and said it'd be closed until April 3.
Amie Zander, the director of the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce, said other kosher restaurants in the neighborhood, such as Tel-Aviv Kosher Pizza and Tel-Aviv Kosher Bakery, also would be closed.
The popular kosher section in the Jewel supermarket on Howard Street is also closed for the week.
"Basically, it comes to a standstill," Zander said of heavily Orthodox Jewish West Rogers Park, as the community of 25,000 Orthodox Jews feast with their families and abstain from work.
Hamachi, at 2801 W. Howard St., opened late last year to the glee of residents, some of whom hadn't eaten in a kosher sushi restaurant before.
In observance of Sabbath, the restaurant is also closed from Friday nights to sundown on Saturdays.
No shellfish is allowed, so faux crab and shrimp are used in rolls. All fish delivered to the restaurant must have the skin attached, too.
According to Jewish law, a restaurant can't serve both dairy and meat. So forget about those deep-fried cream cheese rolls.
