RESTAURANT GUIDE 2012/13 Dear Friends, I am pleased to present the anual edition of the Diplomatic Club Restaurants Guide as a service to the diplomatic corps. The aim of the Guide is to assist foreigners who come often to Israel or are living in Israel without knowledge of Hebrew to have proven information in English, French and Russian. We are greatly indebted to the restaurants that have agreed to be listed in the Diplomatic Club Restaurants Guide. :HWRRXQGHUVWDQGWKHGLIÀFXOWLHVRIOLYLQJLQDIRUHLJQFRXQWU\DQGKRSHWKDWWKLVVHUYLFH will prove helpful to diplomatic staff and their families. Sincerely yours Julia Verdel General Manager IMPORTANT NOTE Any entry in the Diplomatic Club Restaurants Guide is a public information service only and is not intended to serve any other purpose. Information in the directory will be updated and re-published once a year. While it is intended to be as accurate as possible, the publishers are not responsible for inevitable changes that occur with time. CONTENTS: Tel Aviv and Jaffa .........................................................................................3 Jerusalem and Area ....................................................................................30 Herzliya & the Coastal Plain....................................................................36 Haifa and the North ....................................................................................40 Eilat and the South .....................................................................................44 Publisher: The Diplomatic Club ltd 10 Karlibah St., Tel-Aviv P.O.Box 20344, Tel Aviv 61200, Israel General Manager: Julia Verdel Special Project Coordinator: Zvi Goncharov Advertising: Tel: 972-3-562.20.61/2 [email protected] Layout: Egor Kutikov Photo: Zohar Ron Tel: 972-3-562.20.61/2 [email protected] Fax: 972-3-562.02.12 www.diplomacy-club.com Restaurant Guide Tel Aviv and Jaffa 3 WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ISRAEL... WhenWhat is you the think first aboutthing thatIsrael, comes food to is mindprobably when ISRAELIISr BREAKFASTAElI cUISIn EFOODS you hear the words “Israeli Dining?” While there is a tremendous variety of cuisines and food not the first thing to come to mind. Amazing These dishes are universally popular in Israel. We often available in Israel, certain dishes are considered standard holyIf you places, are like mostworld people, class imagesmuseums, of chick beautiful peas eat them at home because they’re easy to make and Israeli fare. These dishes are served practically everywhere beaches...and pita bread are probably the first – and last very filling. A chopped Israeli salad is often served on – images that pop into your head. Beyond that, – restaurants, cafes, pubs, street corner vendors and of course,the side. in the home. mostBut food? people Aside simply from hummus couldn’t and tell falafel, you what many the people av- draw a blank when it comes to Israeli food. What do NoBorekas matter if– they these are pastriestenth generation can be Jerusalemites filled with cheese, or new erage Israeli has for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Israelis eat? What kind of foods and cuisines are there immigrantspotatoes, or from vegetables Addis Ababa, a common bond that Israelis However, over the last ten years or so, Israel share is the food they eat every day. Debating who has the in Israel? Israeli breakfast – features fresh vegetables, eggs, and has experienced that same revolution in con- best hummus or the best shakshouka can be a livelier dis- cheeses sumerThe short tastes answer that is…in has Israel, taken food placeis global. in the U.S. cussion than you might expect! andAt Israel Europe. Food JustGuide, like we their think American that learning and about Eu- BreakfastIsraeli salad – a popular way to enjoy vegetables ropeanfood of country contemporaries, is one of the the best Israeli (and tastiest!) public seesways EveryJachnun country – a hasfilling basic dish staplesmade fromthat aredough served and atcooked home theto understand world as theits dinnercountry’s table culture and and wants people, to andexpe to- andovernight in restaurants. Here are the standards that you will find appreciate its incredible diversity. across Israel: rience all dishes our planet has to offer. IsraeliLabane breakfast – a tangy – typically yogurt featuresspread tofresh be vegetableenjoyed at salad, any Diverse Communities with Delicious Cuisines. The food in Israel is a mélange of east and west, hardboiledmeal eggs, a variety of both hard and soft cheeses ofThe traditional majority of andIsraelis nouveau, hail from of all healthy four corners and of a thelit- andShakshooka bread. – an easy way to enjoy eggs in the morning tleworld bit – ofand decadence! they brought their countries’ food traditions Borekas(or anytime!) – these flaky pastries are typically filled with either Wewith wouldthem. Solike in to a helpcountry you roughly find the sizeperfect of New res- cheese, potatoes, spinach, mushrooms or even spicy tuna! taurantJersey, you for can your find next a wide meal. range Whether of cuisines, it isincluding: taking Israeli salad – fresh vegetables are so plentiful in Israel that the• Middle staff Easternout for dishes a well-deserved from Iraq, Iran, break Egypt from and the this saladISRAELI accompanies LUNCH practically / DINNER every meal. FOODS Finely diced office,Lebanon entertaining dignitaries from home or sim- tomatoes and cucumbers with a light olive oil dressing may soundPopular ordinary, Israeli butfood is isdelicious, characteristically healthy and simple. in many A restautypical- •ply North exploring African foodsthe country, from Morocco there and is Libyaa restaurant rantslunch served in Israel gratis! is shnitzel with different side salads, •that Mediterranean will meet your fare needs.from Greece We hopeand Turkey you find this Jachnunincluding –hummus a filling, andpastry tahini, like dishand brought served to withIsrael rice by theor guide useful and of course, bon appétit! Yemenitemashed potatoes, Jews. It isand made vegetables. from dough and cooked over- • Balkan dishes from Bulgaria and Romania nightFor a quick meal on the go, it’s easy to grab a falafel or • European cooking from Germany, Russia, Poland lshwarmaabneh – ona strainedthe street, yogurt, usually usually stuffed served in pita with with olive French oil, and HungaryOnE Nation, MAny PAlates herbsfries (“chips”) and fresh and bread. salad. Most Israelis have a parent or a grandparent who origi- Shakshouka – originating in North Africa, this is a hearty • Yemenite, Indian, Ethiopian, Druze, Arab Israeli, and Baba Ganoush – a tangy eggplant spread nallyBedouin hailed foods from somewhere else – practically all four dish consisting of eggs poached in a chili tomato sauce with corners of the world – making Israel a gastronomic melt- onions,Falafel and– deep spiced fried with chickpea cumin and/or balls, paprika.often served in pita ing• Asian pot. Soand in American a country dishes roughly can the also size be of enjoyed New Jersey, in bread Israel! you can find a wide range of cuisines, including: Hummus – a mashedlUnc chickpeaH Or D spread,InnEr hummus can be •The Middle Restaurant Eastern: Guide a cuisine is a thatlabor is oftenof love used to toshare cover a Ifserved you are in onmany the waysgo, running and is to a yourstaple next in Israelimeeting households or ferrying parteverything of this country from Morocco that warms to Persia, both heartsbut in andIsrael bellies: you’ll the kids from one activity to the next, a falafel is cheap, nutri- itslearn great that food! there are differences both small and large in tiousMalawach and filling. – this flakyThey roundcan also pastry be found can beanywhere. enjoyed If with you the cuisine that originates from across the Middle East. sweet or savory toppings POPULAR ISRAELI FOOD are not in hurry, it is worthwhile to find a small bistro, café or • Mediterranean: a cooking style originating from any of restaurantPita bread and – the sample “national the fare bread” at a ofmore Israel leisurely pace. Whilethe countriesthere is a thattremendous border the variety Mediterranean of cuisines andSea, food but Baba Ganoush –flavorful eggplant salad with olive oil that Sabih – a sandwich of fried eggplant, hard boiled egg, eatenis most in stronglyIsrael, certain associated dishes with are Israeli, considered Lebanese typical and is typically “homemade,” that is, the recipe is unique to each tahini in pita IsraeliGreek food. cooking These in its traditional use of olive foods oil, freshof Israel and canpickled be establishment. foundvegetables throughout and fish.the country... FalafelShnitzel – ground– chicken chickpeas cutlets and breaded herbs that and are fried, formed Israeli into • Eastern European: a cuisine that typically refers to tra- supermarkets also offer many varieties of frozen ...in restaurants and cafés... balls and deep fried. Served in pita (pocket bread) with a ditional dishes served in Jewish communities from Po- variety“shnitzelim” of salads to be and enjoyed spreads. easily at home ...foodland, stands...Russia, Hungary and Romania. HummusShwarma – – ground grilled chickpeaslamb or other in a formmeat of that a smooth is then spread sliced • Asian: as the world’s largest continent this category cov- ...and of course, in many Israeli homes. withor “shaved”, various oftentoppings. enjoyed The indebates pita or laffaregarding bread “the best ers a lot of ground (both literally and figuratively). For Is- hummus” are very common in Israel. In big cities and small towns,