The chef-owner of Candela Candela has returned to his roots with a new Israeli and Mediterranean restaurant, Local 92.

“I wanted to do the stuff that I know how to do the best,” explained Shai Zvibak. “I can do Italian and French, but why walk to the side when you can walk straight?”

Where Candela Candela once offered Italian fusion, the Israeli native now focuses on dishes based on traditional family recipes, such as shakshuka, falafel and baba ganoush. “It’s stuff from my childhood, stuff that my mom cooked — my grandma, my friends’ moms,” said Mr. Zvibak.

The menu, below, features “bissim,” or small bites, designed for sharing, as well as nine different varieties of hummus. Those not in a sharing mood can choose from a list of larger entrees, including a falafel-crusted salmon served with cucumber dill yogurt and Israeli meatballs served on a couscous nest, as well as a rotating roster of daily specials.

Like Mr. Zvibak’s Lower East Side outpost The Hummus Shop, the new restaurant will offer a menu chock-full of gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly options, with an emphasis on organic, fresh and locally sourced ingredients. The hummus is made every two hours with no chemicals or preservatives, said Mr. Zvibak.

The drinks menu will ultimately offer an extensive list of international, kosher and organic wines, as well as cocktails made with freshly squeezed juice.

The restaurant is open from 4 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and from brunch until 1 a.m. on weekends, with lunch service coming soon.

Local 92, 92 Second Avenue (between Fifth and Sixth Street), (646) 808-3379