Kibbutz-born entrepreneur Zwika Pres recently made a dramatic career change: to selling hummus from trading diamonds. Although he switched from working with one of the world’s most valuable raw materials to a humble, pennies-a-pound legume, the move may prove lucrative nonetheless.

Mr. Pres’s Nanoosh Mediterranean Hummus Bar, a stylish yet inexpensive organic restaurant that opened recently near Lincoln Center, has tapped into one of Manhattan’s latest culinary trends: hip hummus hangouts. While Israeli food, along with all kinds of Middle Eastern fare, has long been available in Manhattan, a new brand of establishment is increasingly cropping up, different from the cramped and greasy falafel shacks of yore. Call it the chic-ification of the chickpea. While remaining palatable to the budget gourmet, new joints such as Nanoosh complement their food with pleasant décor, attractive menu design, and a fresh, health-conscious approach.

So what has spurred Manhattan’s latest garbanzification?

One of the coordinators of the annual Israel Non-Stop culture festival, Isaac Zablocki, said Israelis have come to realize that “hummus is marketable.” The week-long festival, which will be held at the JCC in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, begins February 28 — and includes a hummus tasting on March 2.

Until then, New Yorkers can get their chickpea fix at any number of hummuscentric spots in the city — and the offerings of many of those eateries are detailed below.

TAÏM

Hebrew for “tasty,” Taïm serves up delicately seasoned falafel fried to order — as well as fresh salads, hand-cut fries, and creamy hummus to about 400 people a day. While the location is literally no larger than a modest studio apartment and seating is counter-only, the atmosphere is surprisingly soothing, with chalk menus that complement the lime green walls.

Owner Einat Admony, a veteran of such upscale New York restaurants as Tabla and the now-shuttered Patria, is a constant presence in the microscopic kitchen; that’s where all the food, except for the Brooklyn-baked pita (which is toasted and slathered with olive oil and za’atar, immediately before serving), is prepared. “The hummus is made twice a day,” she said. “It’s very fresh.”

A native of B’nei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Ms. Admony, now 36, said she hopes to expand Taïm, and possibly open a larger location in TriBeCa.

(222 Waverly Place at Seventh Avenue, 212-691-1287, sandwiches $5–$6, platters $8.50–$9.50, fries $4, salads $4–$8.50)

HUMMUS PLACE

The Middle Eastern tiles and decorations and soothing cream-colored walls inside Hummus Place evoke Jerusalem. Since the summer of 2004, Hummus Place has been dishing up large plates of hummus (four varieties ranging from $5.95–$7.95), with just the right amount of olive oil drizzled artfully atop. Other specialties include shakshuka ($6.95), a spicy tomato and vegetable stew served over eggs; lebane, a tangy cross between cream cheese and sour cream ($2.95 for a small plate), and kadaif, a dessert with halva and ricotta cheese ($3.95). It also serves Gold Star, a popular beer brewed in the Jewish state.

(99 Macdougal St., between Bleecker and Third streets, 212-533-3089; 109 St. Marks Place at First Avenue, 212-529-9198, and 305 Amsterdam Ave., between 74th and 75th streets, 212-799-3335)

NANOOSH

If Hummus Place evokes Jerusalem, Nanoosh — whose glam décor includes a custom-made glass light fixture filled with raw chickpeas — conjures up the more modern and secular Tel Aviv. Mr. Pres, the ambitious owner, said he hopes ultimately to launch a national chain. While the hummus (in eight varieties, ranging from $6.95–$11.95) is as delicious as Hummus Place’s, healthy and organic — not Jewish or Middle Eastern — is the priority here. Falafel is conspicuously absent from the menu and sandwiches ($6.95–$9.25) are served in a rice-paper-thin lavash rather than in pita. Quinoa salad ($3.50 side dish) and a feta-filled Greek salad ($8.95) replace the cucumber-and-tomato salads and cumin-laced carrot salads common to other Israeli spots. Wine and beer are also available.

(2012 Broadway at 69th Street, 212-362-7922)

MAOZ VEGETARIAN

This outlet is the second venture into the American market (the first was in Philadelphia) for Maoz, an international chain launched in Amsterdam 16 years ago by brothers Dov and Nachum Milo. With metallic green wallpaper, techno music, and virtually no seating, the Union Square outlet, which opened last March, can be a bit claustrophobic. Nonetheless, it serves up cheap ($4.50–$6.95), tasty falafel on par with any Tel Aviv kiosk, Belgian fries ($3), and a respectable salad and fixings bar. A West Village location is slated to open in February. (38 Union Square East, between 16th and 17th streets, 212-260-1988)

ASHKARA

Hebrew slang for “original,” Ashkara — a bright and airy spot that opened in December 2006 — makes a large selection of fresh salads, grilled meat, veggie burgers, a variety of dipping sauces for Belgian fries, and, of course, falafel, hummus, and fried eggplant. White and whole-wheat pitas are made on site in a custom-designed oven.

(189 E. Houston St. at Orchard Street, 212-260-8302, sandwiches $3.90–$8.50, platters $8.50–$12.50, fries $3.90–$5.90)

CHICKPEA

One of the pioneers in the Manhattan garbanzo craze, this East Village and Union Square mini-chain generated a great deal of buzz when real estate entrepreneur Erez Itzhaki opened it with a highly publicized “Name Our Restaurant” contest back in 2004. However, while the décor is still pleasant and the menu and Web site boast first-rate graphic design, the once-praised falafel, hummus, kebabs, “chickplant” (eggplant sandwich), and salads have deteriorated to a fast-food level. Service is often surly, and much to the chagrin of many food bloggers, Chickpea now sells baked falafel only, which tends to be drier and crumblier than the fried version.

(23 Third Ave. at St. Marks Place, 210 E. 14th St. at Third Avenue, both locations 212-254-9500, sandwiches $4.45–$6.95, platters $7.95–$10.95)