Sukkot 2026: What's Open, What's Not, and Where to Eat

Sukkot 2026 runs September 26 - October 2, 2026, beginning with candle lighting on Friday, September 25. Unlike Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which close kosher life down entirely, Sukkot has a split personality: two closed Yom Tov days, then five intermediate days (Chol HaMoed) that are the single busiest kosher restaurant stretch of the fall. Families are off school, everyone eats out, and the question shifts from "what's open" to "where can we sit in a sukkah."

Here is the week, day by day.

The Calendar Map

• Erev Sukkot: Friday, September 25. Restaurants close early, as on any Friday. Last-minute sukkah decoration and grocery runs peak in the morning.
• Yom Tov, days 1-2: Shabbat September 26 and Sunday September 27. Everything is closed. Meals are eaten in the sukkah at home or as guests.
• Chol HaMoed: Monday September 28 through Friday October 2. The intermediate days. Restaurants, groceries, and bakeries are open and busy. Friday, October 2 is also Hoshana Rabbah, and closures begin again that afternoon.
• Shemini Atzeret: Shabbat, October 3. Closed. This is its own holiday; many still eat in the sukkah.
• Simchat Torah: Sunday, October 4. Closed through nightfall, when the fall holiday season ends.

The practical shape: closed Friday night to Sunday night, open Monday to Friday afternoon, closed Friday night to Sunday night again.

Chol HaMoed: The Big Week Out

Chol HaMoed is when kosher restaurants earn their year. Expect:

• Crowds and waits. Family outings concentrate into five days. Lunchtime in kosher neighborhoods will be packed, and popular spots take reservations days ahead.
• Holiday hours. Many restaurants extend evening hours; some open earlier. Others shorten Friday, October 2 drastically because it is both erev Shabbat and erev Yom Tov.
• Sukkah seating, where it exists. Many observant diners will only eat certain foods in a sukkah during the holiday. Restaurants in kosher hubs often put one up on a patio or sidewalk, but not every restaurant has one, seats are limited, and rain closes them. Call ahead and ask two questions: is there a sukkah, and can you reserve a table in it.
• Takeout for the sukkah at home. Restaurants that never had a takeout rush suddenly do, because families order in and eat under their own schach.

What About Groceries?

Kosher markets are open all of Chol HaMoed with holiday stock: lulav and etrog stands nearby, hoshanos, and prepared foods for the second Yom Tov. The rush peaks Thursday, October 1 and Friday morning, October 2, before the closing days. Shop early that week.

Find Sukkot Dining by City

Where the community is, the sukkahs are. Start with your city:

• Sukkot dining in New York
• Sukkot dining in Los Angeles
• Sukkot dining in Miami
• Sukkot dining in Chicago
• Sukkot dining in Lakewood
• Sukkot dining in Teaneck

Or browse kosher restaurants near you and call about sukkah seating before you go.

Closing Out the Season

Sukkot flows into Shemini Atzeret on October 3 and Simchat Torah on October 4, and then the long holiday season is over: the next major holiday is Hanukkah in December. For the full picture of the fall, see the Sukkot holiday guide and the Jewish holidays 2026 calendar.

Bringing a gift to someone's sukkah? The Kosher Connect shop keeps a short list of Judaica and table pieces picked by the team.

Chag sameach. May your schach hold and your Chol HaMoed reservations come through.