The kosher restaurant Shouk announced that it will close its final two locations, in Rockville and Washington, D.C., in part due to boycotts related to the Israel-Hamas war.
“After nearly a decade of cooking, sharing, and gathering with you, we’ve reached the bittersweet moment of saying goodbye,” a Sept. 30 statement by Shouk read. “Shouk has officially closed its doors.”
The restaurant, known for plant-based street food, served fast, casual Middle Eastern cuisine.
Cooked from fresh vegetables, beans, grains and spices, Shouk’s menu offerings have gained national recognition. The Shouk Burger was featured on Food Network and voted best burger by The Washington Post. The restaurant was voted Best Fast Casual in D.C. for three years by the Post and DC Eater.
An Oct. 3 statement from Shouk’s management to its subscribers partially attributed the restaurant’s closures to a dip in revenue, citing boycotts due to its ties to Israel. Shouk’s founder, Ran Nussbacher, was born in Israel and served in the Israeli army before moving to the United States.
“One factor was that we found ourselves caught in the crosscurrents of a toxic political climate surrounding the Israel/Gaza war,” the statement read. “More and more, customers have chosen to avoid businesses connected to Israel. We heard from long-time regulars who stopped visiting us for these reasons.”
Shouk was one of the “main targets” of DC for Palestine’s “Apartheid? I Don’t Buy It” consumer boycott initiative, listed under “restaurants that culturally appropriate or sell Israeli settlement products,” according to the Instagram account DC for Palestine.
The original Shouk location opened on K Street in Northwest D.C. in 2016, according to PoPville, then expanded to Union Market in D.C. and Rockville, with a pop-up in Bethesda.
Why didn’t the Jewish community in Washington DC rally around this establishment and support them? The DC area Jewish community could have brought them more business.
Shouk has long been a K Street favorite and one of my top choices for a healthy lunch. I’m really sorry to see them close.
I miss Shouk. I visited their Rockville location and would stop and get food after shopping at MOMs or run down and get lunch. Their food was fresh and delicious and being vegan/vegetarian, I didn’t have to worry about the ingredients and nothing was overcooked. The hummus was fabulous. The pitas were light and fluffy. The pitas and the bowls were as close as I was going to get to fried chicken.
The atmosphere was pleasant and quiet. They did a brisk business over there. I often saw people pulling up and picking up their food. Customers would eat outside. I wished that they stayed open later. The people were friendly. I just knew it good, fresh Middle Eastern food. It was no more expensive that other restaurants in the area. I just knew it offered some variety in choices that MOMs Naked Lunch didn’t offer. I loved them both.
I knew nothing about a boycott. I am not Jewish. I’m not kosher. I just like and know good food. I had to find out what happened to them location because it has been dark over there for a few weeks. Thank you for the information. Bye Shouk. Good luck!