At the new Jaffa Bar, Mike Solomonov, Steve Cook, and associates showcase a raw bar in a former firehouse

For all of the signature dishes on Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook’s menus over the last 16 years — the pomegranate lamb shoulder at Zahav, the hummus at Dizengoff, the fried chicken and doughnuts at Federal Donuts & Chicken — none have included shellfish.

CookNSolo’s specialty is Jewish cooking. Although its food is not kosher, CookNSolo has avoided shellfish. But a recent foray into creating a raw bar in Brooklyn (also named Jaffa) with the Boka Restaurant Group “got us all excited about it and taking our own approach,” said Andrew Henshaw, the chef who oversees Laser Wolf, CookNSolo’s skewer houses in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

That approach has culminated in the new Jaffa Bar in Kensington — opening today in a former city firehouse — which clearly has the mark of the CookNSolo culinary canon, especially the spice rack. The menu includes raw dishes like yellowtail pastrami with grilled cucumber ($16); raw scallops with shipka pepper powder and citrus salt ($15); and pickled mussels with pine nut tarator. There’s a seafood tower ($72), whose two levels are filled with oysters, clams, and shrimp cocktail. On the hot side: a combo of scallops with lamb merguez, potatoes, and harissa ($24); tuna in brik with avocado and esme salad ($26); and whole sea bream in chraime, a seasoned tomato sauce ($24).

There‘s also a cheeseburger ($16), a double patty with green chiles, grilled onions, American cheese, and shabazi mayo on a potato roll, and fries and tehina ketchup ($8), which made their way over from Laser Wolf, four blocks away. The house bread ($8) is hearth-baked, focaccia-like frena, served with matbucha, a tomato spread. Two desserts ($8 each): chocolate mousse with coffee-chocolate crunch, and funnel cake with passionfruit caramel.

“Some of the stuff is heartier with high spice levels, but we’re trying to balance that by keeping everything light and fresh so you can still taste the seafood itself,” said Henshaw, who is a partner in Jaffa Bar, as are Kailey Jenkins, a longtime manager, and Ryan Mulholland, CookNSolo’s director of operations.

The cocktail menu is influenced by the Mediterranean coast. The Israeli port city of Jaffa inspired the Frozen Jaffa Orange, a creamy, orange blossom-scented riff on the Orange Julius. Cocktails include the Green Eyed Lady, with blanco tequila, green chile, cucumber, coriander and lime; the No Call, No Show, with Askur gin, Melleti amaro, and Fernet Branca; and a spritz called Sketches of Spain, with Massaya arak and sparkling wine. Most drinks are $15 or $16. The wine list hails from the Levant and Eastern Europe regions, plus local selections such as Kensington’s Pray Tell Wines and Mural City Cellars.

Jaffa Bar’s Romanesque revival-style brick building, which housed Engine 15 until 1964, is two blocks from CookNSolo’s Goldie and Lilah, amid the Fishtown-Kensington dining cluster that includes Suraya, Kalaya, LMNO, and the International Bar. The fire tower, now painted with the word “Jaffa,” can be seen from the Market-Frankford El a block away. (The tower bears a strong resemblance to the landmark Clock Tower in Jaffa, constructed at the turn of the 20th century.) Though the address of the triangular property is 1625 N. Howard St., Jaffa Bar’s entrance is on the opposite side, where Hope and Turner Streets meet Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

Boxwood Architects, CookNSolo’s designated designer working with 5,000 square feet on two floors, set up 120 seats, including a 10-seat oyster bar and 15-seat bar on the first floor, and an 11-seat second-floor bar with dining tables for 60. The first floor is designated for walk-ins. With light from three sides, the second floor goes from bright and airy in daylight to sultry and cozy when the globe lighting kicks in at dusk.

Jaffa Bar’s Instagram page has been dotted with pro-Palestine comments in recent weeks, including calls of “Free Palestine” and references to “Yaffa” or “Yafa,” the Arabic translations of the name that is rendered “Yaffo” or “Yafo” in Hebrew. CookNSolo has been a focal point for activists, who contend that Solomonov is appropriating Palestinian cuisine in his menus and through his advocacy for Israeli food.

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, with raw bar and bar until 11 p.m.; and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with raw bar and bar until midnight.