The year that just ended closed on a hopeful note as far as the war is concerned, but a sour one for Israel’s culinary sector, as the country’s elite restaurants suddenly found themselves excluded from the region’s latest Top 50 restaurant rankings. Meanwhile, the following list of 10 restaurants, bars and eateries contains our highest proportion (40%) of kosher establishments ever.
This edition of our annual roundup of restaurants that opened during the secular year just ended is a bit different from our last two: our roundups of resilient restaurants of 2023, as well as of 5784, were marred by war and the toll protracted hostilities was taking on the country’s culinary sector. At the time of this writing, on the other hand, we are on the eve of a hopeful reset, as a cease-fire in Gaza is in effect, leading perhaps to an official end to the war, and a period of greater certainty for the nation’s businesses, food-related and otherwise.
In this spirit, therefore, and in contrast to our overlapping roundup of restaurants of 5784, we dispense with our mourning of the losses of beloved establishments and focus on the noteworthy restaurants and bars that are either new or have reinvented themselves in the process of overcoming the recent challenges. In this context, we note in particular the trend (reflected below) of more and more chefs and restaurants transitioning to kosher, in order to appeal to a border segment of the population.
In addition to serving delicious food, all the restaurants in the following list have bilingual menus and staff that speak English. As always, the entries are not ranked; rather, they appear in alphabetical order.
Of course, this list is far from exhaustive, especially concentrating as it does on the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area. For restaurant recommendations in the North, see our recent article on the Galilee coming back to life – and stay tuned in a few months for our picks of new restaurants in Jerusalem.
Benjamin
About: A fledgling restaurateur invited television contestant chef Daniel Shavit to helm the kitchen of his new restaurant in a suburban shopping center, and gave him free hand to create “Land of Israel” cuisine.
The premises are modern and intimate, with comfortable indoor seating, a few seats at the bar, and al fresco dining in the courtyard of the mall. Benjamin offers some interesting financial enticements: the entire menu is modestly discounted daily (except Fridays) between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.; with more substantial discounts on weekday evenings between 5 p.m.-7 p.m. (the restaurant is closed Sundays). In addition, most evenings there are “happy hour” unlimited wine deals.
Drinks: The full bar serves eight specialty cocktails, and there is a more than adequate and diversified international wine list, with a reasonable selection available by the glass. Three Israeli craft beers are on tap.
Menu: The bilingual menu comprises six sections: Vegetables (cold and hot), [Savory] Pastries and More (including pasta), Surf (fish but no seafood), Turf (meat and poultry), Sides and Kids. There are plenty of vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options. A separate dessert menu lists six sweet dishes that rotate.
Recommended: Shana tova (cocktail); house focaccia with arak tomato dip; roasted beets, mushroom skewer; gnocchi with asparagus; sea fish crudo (raw), beef filet tartare; milk cake (dessert)
Benjamin. Not kosher. 46 Sokolov St., Hod Hasharon. Tel. (073) 322-8080.
Cafe Taizu Kosher
About: The kosher iteration of Cafe Taizu is situated at the southeast corner of Sarona market, in place of its predecessor Miazaki, another eatery brought to us by acclaimed chef Yuval Ben Neria. It is decidedly a self-service operation, where clientele order from electronic screens, with menus in Hebrew and English (staff are on hand to help those having difficulty with the digital menus). There is Indoor seating in the market area, as well as outdoor seating at entrance to market. Long tables with swings. High and picnic.
Drinks: There is a very limited selection of alcoholic drinks – wine in airline-sized bottles, pre-mixed cocktails, and three kinds of bottled beer (craft and imported).
Menu: Like its non-kosher sister on HaHahasmona’im Street, (a.k.a. Taizu Town, reviewed on these pages here), the extensive menu comprises dishes representing all the major Asian cuisines – Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese – with the food prepared by Asian chefs. No MSG is used in the ingredients, with the exception of a few Chinese entrees. There is a plethora of vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free and even lactose-free options. Interestingly, there is also a kids’ menu featuring Asian dishes. There are only two desserts, one of which is Asian.
Recommended: Sticky beef (Thai); chicken masala (Indian); crispy chicken (Chinese); papaya salad (Vietnamese); Koji burger (Japanese).
Cafe Taizu Kosher. Kosher. Sarona Market, 3 Aluf Kalman Magen St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (077) 938-6244.
George and John
About: This is not the first time this award-winning fine dining restaurant has appeared on these pages – but it is the first time without its long-time chef Tomer Tal at the helm. Instead, this marks the debut of the new team of talented chefs who now run the kitchen: Tal Suhami and Elad Dagan, who permanently closed their nearby Mansura Noga restaurant in order to assume stewardship of this elegant restaurant in a historic hotel. George and John boasts comfortable seating and white tablecloths, plus bar seating and a few small alfresco tables in a meticulously landscaped side patio (although outdoor service may not be available at all hours). A pleasant instrumental soundtrack plays at just the right decibel level.
Drinks: The full bar serves seven specialty cocktails and all the classics, while center stage goes to the extensive international wine list curated by a dedicated sommelier who is happy to advise patrons in choosing one of the many fine vintages – with some bearing a price tag in four figures. Fortunately, there is still a reasonable selection by the glass. There are only two brands of beer, both Israeli (one craft) and in bottles
Menu: The bilingual one-page menu is printed fresh daily, while the menu as a whole is revised seasonally. The menu revised by the tandem chefs comprises only two sections (besides the house bread basket), first courses and main courses. The bilingual food menu is updated and printed daily. There are hardly any vegan options to speak of, and just a very few vegetarian dishes. The separate dessert menu lists six tempting options.
Recommended: Passion and orange (cocktail); freshly baked focaccia and breads (with dips); sea fish tartare, artichoke hearts in a whipped cheese sauce; crab spaghettini; yellowtail fillet; blood orange tiramisu, pink lady tatin (desserts).
George and John. Not kosher. The Drisco Hotel, 6 Auerbach St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (03) 726-9309.
Greco Kosher
About: The popular Greco group of Greek restaurants is constantly expanding and innovating, but 2024 marks the first time in its long history that one of its branches is certified kosher. Still, Greco Kosher – the latest iteration of the premises that until recently had been the Greco Ouzeri tavern and deli – retains the blue-and-white decor and lively Greek music soundtrack that are the hallmarks of all the chain’s eateries. There are three seating areas – one of which is al fresco – furnished with wood and straw chairs, and tables covered with Greco’s signature paper tablecloths.
Drinks: The bar serves six specialty cocktails based on Greek spirits, plus ouzo and Greek beer, alongside Israeli craft beers and one brand on tap. There is a very limited international kosher wine list, with two whites, one red and one rosé available by the glass.
Menu: Greco Kosher took the strategic decision to offer a dairy menu, in order to keep the many Greek dishes and pastries that feature feta cheese; in the process, therefore, it has replaced meat entrées – including the iconic gyros and souvlaki – with an enhanced selection of fish dishes. The lunch and dinner food menu comprises no fewer than seven sections: Breads, Dakos (bruschettas on thick grilled Greek bread), Cold Mezze, Salads, Hot Mezze, Hot Greek (main courses) and Sides. There are plenty of vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options. A separate dessert menu lists four sweet final courses – further justification for the decision in principle to go with a halavi menu,
Recommended: Tuna tartare; fish gyros, zucchini fritters, Kremlni calzone, 12 gods pastry; kaimaki (a Greek yogurt ice cream sundae)
Greco Kosher. 25 Grinberg St. Tel Aviv. Tel. (03) 613-6132.
Omnia Brasserie
About: Omnia is the rebranding of the well-known Angus Steakhouse, which has been a fixture of Givon Square for years. The Tel Aviv brasserie is a little sister to the fine dining Omnia restaurant in the Galilee, and the concept is to bring authentic Arab dishes from northern Israel to the big city, as additional enticements alongside the traditional quality Angus meat and steak main courses that are still on the menu.
The premises are unchanged physically, boasting the same comfortable seating in four configurations – bar, indoors, enclosed patio, and al fresco in the plaza (with white tablecloths) – as before. A pleasant soundtrack of classic popular music plays in the background. The brasserie offers several attractive money-saving deals, including value lunches, weekday happy hour discounts on the entire menu (5 p.m.-7:30 p,m,), and 1+1 on hamburgers on Sunday evenings.
Drinks: The full bar serves four specialty cocktails, as well as two imported beers on tap. There is a limited but adequate international wine list, with just a few vintages available by the glass.
Menu: The one-page comprises six sections: Starters (including bread and salads), Sharing Plates, Main Courses, Special Cuts (steaks), Burgers (only two, neither with cheese), Children’s meal. The brasserie menu has more vegetarian/vegan options than the previous Angus steakhouse one, but the premium beef and lamb are from the same acclaimed supplier. The separate dessert menu (currently in Hebrew only) lists five final course options.
Recommended: Frena bread with dips, house tabbouleh; kubbeh nayyeh, lamb shishbarak, katayef with pulled veal; steak (pre-portioned or by weight); Basque cheesecake (dessert)
Omnia Galilee Brasserie. Not kosher. 20 Ha’Arba’a St., Tel Aviv. Tel. *3617.
Onami (Hilton Tel Aviv)
About: Onami is the new fine-dining Japanese restaurant located in the Hilton Hotel, replacing Yakimono, the previous renowned sushi restaurant that had been at the hotel since 2018.
This kosher Onami is the newer sister to the veteran Onami in downtown Tel Aviv, and the Hilton can be counted on to recruit only the best to add it to its on-site dining options – and to convince ownership to make the necessary adjustments in order to transition to kosher, while the original restaurant retains its more comprehensive menu. As befits its location in a world-class five-star hotel, Onami’s Hilton premises, just off the lobby at the main entrance, are elegant and refined (and actually little changed from its predecessor’s): an intimate space with comfortable chairs, and a few seats at the sushi counter.
Drinks: The limited bar doesn’t serve cocktails, but there is a nice selection of premium sakes, by the glass and bottle. Similarly, there is an adequate international kosher wine list, with vintages by the glass and bottles. There is one brand of bottled Japanese beer.
Menu: The food menu was created by the experienced and talented Chef Roy Soffer, who has helmed top Japanese kitchens in Tel Aviv for years. It comprises five sections: Cold Appetizers (including salads), Hot Appetizers (including tempura), Kushiyaki (small bamboo skewers), Sushai (main courses, including noodles and Yakitori – grilled dishes prepared in a Josper oven), and Sushi. There are also daily specials based on the fresh [fish] catch of the day. Vegetarian (usually vegan) and gluten-free options are indicated by symbols on the menu. The three desserts are explained by the wait staff. Onami also offers two value lunch menus, served Sunday through Thursday between 12 p.m.-4 p.m. The restaurants will validate your parking ticket for two free hours.
Recommended: Yasai gyoza; tataki salad, hamachi sashimi maki; tare mushrooms and sake skewer; shiroguchi sogatayaki; spicy tuna temaki (cone), white palamida sashimi; yuzu cream (dessert).
Onami. Kosher, Hilton Tel Aviv, 205 HaYarkon St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (03) 520-2222.
Petra
About: Everything about Petra is huge – the sprawling premises on Ashdod’s Arches Beach, the extensive menu bound as a book, and the portions that overload diners’ plates. And this is not to mention its expansive hours of operation: open seven days a week from 9 a.m. until the last customer leaves, with orders taken until 1 a.m.
Petra did not open in 2024, but it earned its place on this list by virtue of a welcome innovation last year: the introduction of a new value lunch menu, launched with great fanfare in November. This “business lunch” menu – actually multiple options, priced incrementally – is served Sunday through Thursday between 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Petra boasts both indoor and outdoor seating – in private rooms, on patios and on the beach itself – that can accommodate 350 people. Georgian music plays on the soundtrack.
Drinks: The specialty and classic cocktails are listed together on the four-page beverage menu, which also includes a selection of Georgian wines that you will not find anywhere else. There are 10 kinds of beer on tap, and even more in bottles. Soft drinks imported from Georgia and natural fruit juices round out the beverage offerings.
Menu: The English menu is not printed but rather digital (via QR code). Fortunately, the Hebrew menu is well illustrated with photos of the dishes, and some waiters speak reasonable English. The seemingly endless meu comprises no fewer than 10 sections: Breakfast, Starters/mezze, Soups, Salads, Georgian specialties, Meats (including poultry and hamburgers), Fish, Seafood, Pizza/pasta, Desserts. The kitchen – which is staffed by as many as 12 chefs at one time, on weekends – turns out not only Georgian delicacies but also juicy meats and bounty from the nearby sea. There are plenty of vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options. The dessert section consists of as many as eight sweet dishes.
Recommended: Relish and mezze platters; khinkali (Georgian mushroom and/or meat dumplings), khatchapouri (Georgian filled savory pastries, alongside differently named meat or cheese-filled pies); fish carpaccio; skewers of entrecote and/or mallard; shrimp in garlic and cream (or wine) sauce; ponchi (fried doughnut filled with cream)
Petra. Not kosher. 1 Mafkura St., Ashdod. Tel. (08) 865-1610
Shishko (Drunken Brunch)
About: Similar to the reason Petra is on this list, Shishko earned its spot on this list by relaunching in the fall its famous “drunken brunch,” which had been put on hold because of staff shortages caused by call-ups to military reserve duty (see our previous review of the Mediterranean/Balkan tapas bar/restaurant here).
There is a small indoor area (only three tables and limited bar seating), and most patrons prefer to sit on the Nehemia Street sidewalk area (enclosed in winter), which enjoys cooling sea breezes. There is additional seating on HaKovshim Street, and the two intersecting outdoor areas are divided into smoking and non-smoking sections. The pleasant classic rock music soundtrack is less audible outside, and is even paused on Shabbat, out of respect for the neighbors.
Drinks: The brunch drinks menu (one section of the one-page overall brunch menu, which is separate from the daily menu) highlights some morning cocktail favorites, such as Bloody Mary and mimosas. Other alcoholic drinks may be ordered from the regular menu, including five imported and domestic beers on tap, and a limited choice of wine. And of course, the very name “drunken brunch” derives from Shishko’s beloved custom of periodically making the rounds with trays of shots (chasers). Note to morning coffee drinkers: even though the restaurant is clearly not kosher, there is no milk – and therefore, no lattes or cappuccinos.
Menu: The dedicated one-page brunch menu was in Hebrew only a the time of this writing, but an English-language version is expected, and most of the wait staff speak reasonable English. ree sections from regular menu and three from brunch menu. The food menu comprises five sections (not counting the entire mini-loaf of fresh challah listed as a starter): Starters, Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian, From the Sea (fish/seafood), Sweet and Decadent (three desserts). There are ample gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan options. The brunch menu is served Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and thankfully, Shishko continues to offer its terrific weekday happy hour (4 p.m.-7 p.m.), with 30% discounted off the price of everything, food and drinks.
Recommended: Mini-loaf of challah; smoked fish platter; merguez sausage with egg, decadent potatoes with egg and truffle cream, pancakes with maple corned beef bacon; apple crumble (dessert). [Note: Some of these dishes rotate with newer ones.]
Shishko. Not kosher. 48 HaKovshim St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (073) 759-0001.
Tipsy Tuna
About: This weeks-old informal culinary bar is one of the line of eateries and bars lining both sides of the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall between Montefiore and Ahad Ha’Am Streets, and specifically at the strategic corner with the latter. It has a small indoor seating area (with mostly slightly cramped bar seating), and mostly an al fresco seating area, equipped with efficient heaters in the winter. The soundtrack is audible primarily indoors.
Drinks: The full bar serves six specialty cocktails, as well as domestic and imported beers on tap and in bottles or cans (including craft beers and IPAs). There is a carefully curated international wine list, with an emphasis on Israeli boutique wineries; the selection of vintages available by the glass is rather limited.
Menu: The food menu comes with an impressive pedigree – it was conceived by Eugene Koval, formerly of Tel Aviv’s short-lived but highly rated fine dining restaurant associated with French superstar chef Joel Robuchon. The half-page of dishes are listed without headings, but fall roughly into categories of appetizers and intermediate plates. There are only two desserts, as explained by the waiter. The abbreviated menu means relatively few vegetarian/vegan options. Tipsy Tuna makes a special effort to keep prices reasonable and touts a weekday “happy hour” (25% off) that runs later than most places: weekdays between 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Recommended: Jerusalem bagel with dip; grilled kohlrabi, whitefish carpaccio, spaghettini with soy butter and shrimp, sirloin tataki; panna cotta with fresh strawberries (dessert).
Tipsy Tuna. Not kosher. 59 Nahalat Binyamin St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (073) 237-7011
Vin and Viande
About: The elegantly modern premises of the new fine dining kosher restaurant Vin and Viande (French for “meat and wine”) encompass spacious premises above a large and well-stocked wine store. Handsome dark furnishings are complemented by comfortably upholstered chairs at tables for two and larger parties. Equally appealing al fresco seating is on a large terrace overlooking a plaza surrounded by the stores of an upscale commercial shopping mall. The musical soundtrack is pleasantly low-key.
Drinks: As one may surmise from the name – and the restaurant’s tagline: “at the nexus of fine wine and premium beef” – the alcoholic beverage of choice here is wine, whether from the restaurant’s wine list or the massive store on the floor below, which boasts some 400 vintages of kosher wine from all over the world. The wine list comprises 20 vintages, with an emphasis on reds, with each and every one available either by the bottle or glass. Alternatively, one may purchase a bottle of wine from the store and pay only the regular retail price, plus a nominal corkage fee. Finally, one may opt for a flight of wine tastings: four half-glasses built around a theme described in more detail by the sommelier.
Menu: The food menu – brought to you by the same people who own the unique Whiskey Bar ans Museum in Sarona (reviewed on these pages here) – comprises three sections (excluding bread): Starters, Cuts from the butcher shop of Lagziel Farms, and Main Courses. The few vegetarian/vegan (and more gluten-free) dishes are identified by appropriate icons. The separate dessert menu (currently in Hebrew only) lists six tempting sweet choices.
Recommended: The house sourdough bread with dip; liver pâté, sea fish ceviche, beef carpaccio; entrecôte, gnocchi with artichoke and mushrooms; almond financier (dessert)
Vin and Viande. Kosher. BSR City Towers, 1 Shaham St., Petah Tikvah. Tel. (03) 698-9824.
- The writer was a guest of the restaurants. However, all opinions are his own.