At Zagafen, a kosher approach to pizza and Italian food in Bala Cynwyd

Zagafen?

It’s not a wonder drug. It’s a stylish, new Main Line kosher Italian restaurant with a wine focus and a full bar, at 370 Montgomery Ave. in Bala Cynwyd, developed by philanthropist David Magerman and consultant Greg Dodge in the space that long ago was Citron + Rose before its move down the street.

Zagafen melds the approach of Dodge’s Zavino and Tredici. The name is a play on hagafen (literally “the vine,” the end of the Hebrew prayer over wine), while it also borrows the Z from Zavino. (Zavino itself is a portmanteau of 'za, short for “pizza,” plus “vino.”)

The meatless menu is a mix of Zavino dishes (particularly the pizza) as well as some inspired by Tredici, and is heavy on fish.

Pizzas are $12 to $18. Entrees run in the $20s with occasional gusts into the $30s (poached cod in coconut curry is $24, for example, while the whole pan-roasted branzino with garlic spinach is $32). There also is a cholov Yisroel menu of dishes derived from milk that has been milked under the supervision of a religiously observant Jew.

Design is reminiscent of Zavino and Tredici: whitewashed brick walls, wooden slats on the ceilings and walls, and framed photos.

Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday.