The beloved burger restaurant opens a branch near Kiryat Shmona

Precisely now, when the north suffers on a daily basis, Kvish 90, the beloved burger restaurant from Mahanaim Junction, is expanding and opening another branch at Goma Junction, just minutes away from Kiryat Shmona.

On the face of it, a challenging business decision, in practice – planning over several months, renovations under fire, and starting a week ago – the realization of a dream by the four partners, residents of the north who grew up together, and together fulfilled a dream.

"We had options to open in Karkur, in the center, and in Haifa, but we always knew that this is our place," says Boaz Biderman, one of the owners. "This has been the reality in recent years, and despite the challenges, the gut feeling was to go for it."

Weren't you afraid of the security tensions and the absence of tourists and hikers? "It is impossible to ignore the situation, and we see that many businesses here are closing, but we decided precisely to move closer to Kiryat Shmona in order to allow our people, people who are like us – love the north and want to live here – to hang out, enjoy, drink, and eat good food. This is a very big challenge, especially now, and it is amazing to see people who arrive here and tell us how much they waited for such a place, a kind of breath of fresh air."

Kvishtish is the little brother of Kvish 90, and that is also how it is branded – smaller, more rebellious, and extra excellent for families and children. The design is truly beautiful, urban with an affinity for cars, humorous posters featuring the heroes of the Galilee, and colorful neon signs.

Instead of waiters, there are ordering screens, and at the heart of the venue operates "The Little Brother", a small kiosk inside the restaurant with merchandise, gummy candies, nostalgic rooster lollipops, slushies for children, and also alcoholic slushies for adults.

"We treated Kvishtish as a community entertainment experience, not just a restaurant," says Biderman. "Alongside our burgers and northern beer, a private label we created with the Malka Brewery, there are games for children, basketball with a 90 clock instead of a 30 or 24 clock, and screenings of football matches that we love."

As part of the entertainment experience, an old Subaru car stands at the heart of the venue, functioning as a free beverage station, surrounded by bar stools for comfortable dining and the option for photogenic documentation on Instagram.

The indulgent 200-gram burgers from the parent branch will be there (starting from NIS 57), and alongside them, dishes created specifically for the new location, for example – "The Chicken Route", the venue's indulgent version of crispy chicken in a soft bun with pickled onions (NIS 64).

The flagship dessert "When You Grow Up You'll Be Dubi Gal" will also star here in an exaggerated version that includes fudgy brownies, salted caramel, mascarpone cream, American ice cream, chocolate hazelnut sauce, white chocolate, Chinese pecans, and an Oreo-Lotus mix (NIS 54), and of course, an American ice cream and milkshake station because it is impossible without it.

In line with the family-loving agenda, there are also children's meals, a vegan dish, and countless indulgent toppings that will delight adults and children alike if only loaded onto the right patty.

The place opened this week for a running-in period, and out of necessity, there is of course a protected space. Now, they are waiting at Kvishtish for travelers to discover the beauty and flavors of the region, and to spread a little optimism that is so deeply needed by all of us these days.