Welcome.
Queen E was founded by Niko and Liron - partners in life and in business. Born and raised in Israel, they made the move to Australia together with a shared vision: to create more than just a restaurant. Queen Ester was built as a community grounded in love, respect, and genuine connection through food.
The food is a simple concept that appeals to everyone, from vegans to meat-lovers to chicken enthusiasts. At queen Ester, we believe that food is the perfect tool for bringing people together, regardless of language or nationality. Our cuisine is a combination of our heritage, the local produce of Israel, and the influences of neighbouring countries, creating unique flavours and textures that we are excited to share with you
What’s Israeli food anyway?
Israel (and the Middle East in general) has amazing food. Arguably, the best in the world (we think so at least). There is one integral secret to its majestic status - diversity. Our grandparents came to Israel from all corners of the world - Yaman, Morocco, Algeria, Poland, Romania, Argentina, South Africa, England, Turkey, India, and the list goes on and on. They each brought with them the flavours, spices and recipes from their respective countries, along with traditional food that was prevalent in their Jewish communities.
Our grandparents were integral part of our upbringing. They are the bridge between our past and our future. We grew up listening to stories about lands far away, topped with languages we couldn’t understand, spices we couldn’t pronounce, and smells… the smells of cooking taking over every corner of the house, especially on Fridays, as big pots were steered in tiny kitchens, enough to feed the whole family or a small village. Food is our grandparents’ love language (and they won’t take no for an answer. Seriously). It is a direct portal of endless love and support, manifested through Friday night Moroccan Fish, Saturday morning Malawach, and after school ptitim & schnitzel.
With time, love stories brought families from different backgrounds together, creating new traditions and cuisines, connecting the old with the new. Recipes were amended to fit the local climate and availability of produce, flavours were adjusted, spices were reinvented. The evolution of Israeli food has begun, but its essence remains the same, capturing in it the history of people from all over the world,
Israelis cook big, they cook loud and generously and unapologetically. Everyone has a room in the table. Everyone is welcome. Our dream was to bring the essence of Israeli street food to Australia - to create an island of peace, where our food tells stories and creates memories that can be shared across cultures.
.
