A Hell’s Kitchen Corner Is Hot Again—Frena Celebrates First Year

She's back. The oven that burned bright in Taboon for 17 years has been re-incarnated for Frena.
No matter how you try to describe Hell’s Kitchen, amidst its gritty walk-ups and blurry neighborhood boundaries, or even the origin of its moniker, the flames of a once popular restaurant on Tenth Avenue are burning bright again. When Taboon closed in 2021 after nearly two decades in business, Chef Efi Naon thought his chapter on the corner there was over, but, by the power of community and food people just couldn’t live without--the “Middleterranean” fare he’s become known for and the oven that brought it all to life--has been back for a year in a new form, Frena.
Known as a fluffier form of pita, frena, originated in Morocco. Frena the restaurant still marries some of Naon’s favorites from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, but with a reinvigorated interest in the Moroccan side of his ancestry. So, although he wouldn’t call it a Moroccan restaurant per se, some influences from flavors or style of service clearly touch the menu and ambiance.
When asked about how this first year has been, especially to be in the same location but under an updated concept and menu, he couldn’t help but see it as an opportunity to reflect on it all as a full-circle moment.
Chef Efi Naon of today's Frena; yesterday's Taboon.