Shushkashvili

Type: Tapas Restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 50-60 NIS pp.
Address: Hatachana (Old Jaffa train station)
Tel. number: 03-5160008

Sushkashvili, though designed more as a bar, is a very good tapas restaurant in the beautiful compound of the old Jaffa train station, known as "Hatachana". There are dozens of tapas: salads, grilled vegetables, spreads and dips, meat and fish, all to make your meal tasteful and colorful!

We took at Sushkashvili an eggplant spread with a great fresh-out-of-the-oven bread, which was a great combination to start with. Then we went on eating red fish with burgul (quite good), beef chorizos (done very well), fish meatballs (was just OK) and beet salad with blue cheese (a bit disappointing).

And they are not stingy with the portions at Shushka shvili, the prices are also quite affordable. Only the meat and fish dishes are up to 40-50 NIS, but the other dishes are cheaper. There is also a beautiful terrace outside, perfect for gazing over the Hatachana area (remember to make reservation for these seats in advance).

How to get there
It will be a bit more convenient for you to take a taxi. From Tel Aviv center it should be around 30NIS.
To reach Hatachana by bus, you can take bus no. 25 and go down at the first stop of Sderot Yerushalaim (Jerusalem Boulevard), then go backwards for 500 meters. Hatachana should be on the right of the main road (Kaufmann st.), behind the parking lot. Or bus no.18, it stops a bit before Sderot Yerushalaim. Ask the driver where to go down for the last station in Kaufmann st. (or say the station before Sderot Yerushalaim).

Click here to see walking directions on the map

Manta Ray

Type: Seafood Restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 120 NIS
Address: Alma beach, Tel Aviv promenade
Tel. number: 03-5174773

You might have heard of Manta Ray from the Tel Avivians as either the best fish restaurant in town or as the restaurant 'where Madonna went to eat when she was here'. Nevertheless, the food here is very good. And so is the view; you look out to the sea and you are literally just one step away from the beach.

Although we like fish restaurants like Rauf et Atina in Jaffa, Manta Ray is of a different league. Manta Ray serves the fish gourmet style and you can tell by the flavor. We took a sea locus (Golliath Groupe) which was absolutely great, and a fish kebab, which disappointed us a bit (sorry but no pics for that).

People like this place so much because of its variety of mezes (18 NIS each), ranging from vegi dishes to fish salads. We tried the Tzatziki (Greek cucumber and yogurt salad) and the Mullet Ceviche - both were yum.

There's another reason to go to Manta Ray: their breakfast! Don't worry, it's not that you have to eat fish in the morning (although we did). Manta Ray's breakfast is enormously popular, to the extent that you have to make reservations way beforehand. Once you get there, you have a variety of breakfast meals on Manta Ray's menu: shakshuka, salads, French toast, pancakes and so on. We got the breakfast for two: 2 eggs (scrambled, omelet or sunny side up), chopped Israeli salad, unlimited bread, buns, scones and muffins, jam and cheese spreads and two freshly squeezed orange juice. We also added the Mullet Ceviche, which had a very special soury taste. It was more kind of a lunch than breakfast for us, we were so stuffed!

How to get there

You can either take bus no. 25 and go down on Charles Clore park, or just bike all the way south on the promenade (while the endless sea lies on your right). The restaurant is in a cement hut.

* Recommendation: Do some tummy rubbing afterwards on the beach next to it.

Sonia Getzel Shapira

Type: Cafe-Restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 40 NIS
Address: 1 Simta Almonit st.
Tel. number: 077-5261234

Behind the busy street of King George lies Sonia Getzel Shapira, which is a unique combination of a cafe, restaurant and a garden.

Sonia's menu has the normal cafe food - breakfast, sandwiches, salads and etc. We tried two salads which were quite OK. But their flag dish is probably the great Shakshuka - north African style fried eggs with tomato sauce and spices. They extend this one to the gourmet level and serve it with different toppings, among them you can find ground beef, mozarella and even spinach. We took the spicy Mexican one which was delicious. The shakshuka is served with a small salad and an amazing warm and fresh bun straight out of the oven (which can be ordered seperately - "Moroccan Bread").

How to get there
Simta Plonit connects to King George between Ha'Avoda and Rashi st. If you're coming from Allenby, walk on the right side and it should be on your right.

* Thanks for the tip N.!

Suzanna

Type: Restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 60-70 NIS
Address: 8 Shabazi st.
Tel. number: 03-5177580

Oh Suzanna! One of Tel Aviv's best restaurant in one of the most beautiful areas in Tel aviv, Neve Tzedek. Breathe in the architectural and artistic atmosphere in the narrow and beautiful alleyways. It's only a matter of time that before you will stumble upon Suzanna.

To make a long story short - all the dishes at Suzanna's look, smell and taste amazing. Start off with great hot and cold entrees (called "meze", many of them are vegetarian). We tried the fried cauliflower, grilled eggplant, bell pepper salad and the Jerusalem artichoke, all SO yummy! You can really eat a whole meal just of those.

Suzanna's menu has a couple of good vegetarian dishes, such as the salads and stuffed vegetables. As a main dish we ordered the filo pastry with eggplant and goat's cheese. Nice and delicate stuffing with a cripsy layer of the filo, what a combination! But the menu of Suzana also contains a couple of meat dishes, like lamb kebab, skewers, entrecote and also seafood such as sea bream, mullet, shrimps and calamari, which we kept for some other time. Highly recommended!

How to get there
Reaching Neve Tzedek by bus can be annoying, but anyway - Take bus no. 25 towards Jaffa, ask the driver to go down at Charles Clore park. Then, you have to go find your way east, away from the beach, to the inside neighborhoods. Ask around how to get to Shabazi st., they will probably know. Taxi from the center will cost approximately 30-35 NIS.

Orna and Ella

Type: Restaurant, International
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 40-60 NIS
Address: 33 Sheinkin st.
Tel. number: 03-5252085

The legendary Orna and Ella restaurant doesn't really need any recommendations. This place is running for years and became a symbol of Tel Aviv and Shenkin st. The food is amazingly good, these women know how to cook! The atmosphere inside is warm and serene - the space is divided into three relatively small parts (the balcony is at the back). The service is good, nice and friendly.

You definitely do not want to miss out on the most famous dish for years - the yam patties: Delicately sweet with a great cream and chives dip. We also chose from their weekly specials menu: the risotto balls (great!) and the shrimps salad (good but too small). And for the main dish we took the meat pie - a mix of minced beef and chicken liver, gently spiced with mint (wow!).
The Orna and Ella restaurant is known all over the country and maybe also beyond. And their food is so good, that you will have to get in line to be able to eat here. Or you just call before to be put on the waiting list beforehand. Don't miss out on this place!

How to get there
Sheinkin st. is located near the Carmel Market and Nachalat Binyamin. You can get to Sheinkin st. through the beginning of King George st. or Allenby, it's a side street on King George st.

Ha Nasih Hakatan

Type: Cafe Restaurant
Address: 3 Simta Plonit st. (Plonit alley)

"The Little Prince" cafe is was a cosy cafe-bookstore where you can sit and relax, read books, trade books, and basically do your things tranquilly.

Unfortunately, in Dec. 2010 The Little Prince cafe was closed. If you had the chance to visit there, you surely had a great time. We just hope that another cute spot like that will open in the future.

UPDATE: So HaNasaih Hakatan was closed down but now opened again on 18th Nachalat Binyamin st.! Good news!

New phone number of the place is 03-6299387
You can find the location here: http://g.co/maps/kat89

In the next opportunity we will check again the place. We left the picture above just to have a memory of the old place :)

Philippe Pizza

Type: French Pizza
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 47 NIS small pizza/ 76 NIS big pizza
Address: 20 Carlebach st. (next to Iben Gvirol)
Tel. number: 03-5100904

Philippe Pizzeria is a new concept of gourmet pizza parlour, beautifully designed and well located in the Carlebach, Laskov and Ibn Gvirol st. area, near the bars and night clubs. Philippe's pizza menu, which is labeled as "French" has 2 dozens kind of pizzas (including specials written on the chalkboard behind the counter) which are topped with different ingredients, ranging from vegs, cheeses, to pork, beef, mutton, goose and fish, including salmon. The innovative idea behind Philippe Pizza is - it's all charcoal grilled pizza (and as a an evidence you can see the stumps along the wall which are being used by guests for short reviews).

We took the Moussaka pizza, which is topped with a great beef and mutton layer, and served with an eggplant and rocket salad on it (inspired by the Moussaka from the Balkan). The second one we took was the Oriental pizza, which is supposed to have a spicy flavor, with Merguez sausages. This one was a bit disappointing and too regular, but still good.

How to get there
To reach Philippe Pizza you'll have to walk to the beginning of Iben Gvirol st., where it intersects with Carlebach and Laskov.

Click here to view location on the map and walking directions from Dizengoff st. 

Cantina

Type: Italian Restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 60-70 NIS
Address: 71 Rothschild st.
Tel. number: 03-6205051

Cantina ('winery' in Italian) blends in perfectly with the liveliness of Rothschild Boulevard. The balcony of the restaurant is by far more crowded and laid back than the indoor more pretentious atmosphere. But who want to miss all the action on Rothschild and sit inside?! Anyway, it's very much recommended to make reservations beforehand because is popular as hell.

Cantina restaurant's menu offers mainly pasta, but they also have a couple of pizzas. Some meat and seafood dishes. They also have some small salads side dishes.

In general, the food is good but it was absolutely NOT what we expected considering the popularity, price and design of the place. Anyway, we did enjoy the spicey spaghetti with mullet filet - Delizioso! A second runner up would be the tagliatelle with asparagus and shrimps. We also tried the portobello with penne, but it didn't rock our world. In short, Cantina is a great one time experience especially if you are in the neighbourhood or if you want to impress your date. But for the better and more affordable Italian food, we are sticking to Pappa's.

How to get there
Go on Rothschild towards south. It is next to Mazeh st.

Shine

Type: Cafe Restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 35-50 NIS
Address: 38 Shlomo Hamelekh st.

Young, hip, single and artistic Tel Avivians love to come to Shine to hang out, meet new interesting people or to have brainstorm sessions for work. It's tucked away in a quiet street, just perfect if you want to escape the bustling streets near the center but don't want to wander off too far away from it.

Except for the usual coffee, alcohol and other beverages, Shine also has a really good and healthy menu. The vegetarians enjoy the salads very much, but also the tofu curry with vegetables and wild rice. The curry has a delicate creamy flavor and they use a special version of tofu, named tempeh. Also the risotto with seafood is quite tasty. The risotto isn't the creamy version, instead it's savoury and made with a great broth of seafood and it has small shrimps and calamari mixed through it. The portions of each dish are quite big and can be easily shared, if you're both not big eaters.

How to get there
Walk on Dizengoff and turn right (facing north) to Frishman st. Go straight till the corner with Shlomo Hamelekh st.

Chadar Ha Ochel

Type: Fusion
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 60 NIS
Address: 23 Shaul Hamelech Blvd.
Tel. number: 03-6966188

Chef Omer Miller came up with the concept of having a restaurant with an Israeli multi-cultural cuisine. The restaurant is set up like an army dining hall, with all of the utensils on the long tables where you sit right next to each other. It does create a cosy atmosphere and it's easier to socialize with the one sitting next to you.

The main idea is - Sharing. The dishes are a like medium size tapas, which are shared with your table mates. It's recommended to order 1-3 dishes per person, depending on how hungry you are. We definitely recommend you to take the fried cauliflower served with tehina,. the veal kubeh, the chopped liver and the great bread.

Chadar Haochel also serves pots and grills, mostly meat stews. We tried the beef stew, which was disappointing. Its flavor cannot be compared to the dozens of tasty tapas which we liked much more. .

Unfortunately, in 2010 Chadar Ha ochel raised the prices, and removed some of the better tapas dishes, which were also very affordable. Still, it's a great place for lunch or dinner.

How to get there
Shaul HaMelekh starts at London Ministore on Ibn Gvirol. Go straight until you see a long staircase taking you to a big square. Cross the square diagonally to reach the place.

Click here to view location and walking directions from Dizengoff Center on the map.

* Detail: This place is always packed before and right after the performance hours of the theater and opera house and theatre nearby. Avoid these peak hours if you want to have a quiet dinner - after 20:30hrs the perimeter is clear :-)

Emilia

Type: Cafe-Restaurant, International food
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 45 NIS
Address: 88 Dizengoff st.

This modern-chique cafe bistro is named after Amelia Earhart, the first woman who flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean and her photos can be seen inside the cafe. They have a great terras which is always packed with bohemian Tel Avivians sipping on their cafe latte and eating a salad.

Emilia has the basic cafe food, like salads (Caesar, chicken, Israeli and roquefort); sandwiches (tuna, egg, chicken, salmon and etc.) served with a salad. Most people order the pasta special of the day, which is quite good. If you feel like eating something more substantial, order one of the main dishes. The grilled chicken breast with herbs is recommended - you get a good portion of succulent chicken breast with crispy fries. Between 12:00pm-5.00pm there's a business menu offer. You pay only for the main course and you get a salad or soup and a drink aside.

How to get there
Emilia is on Dizengoff a bit norther to the Dizengoff center. It's on the corner before the Dizengoff Square.

* Detail: every Friday there's a live band inside the cafe playing jazz music from 5:00pm-7:00pm.

Martha

Type: Restaurant, International food
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 70 NIS
Address: 26 Iben Gvirol st.

This restaurant is beautifully designed and has a clean and quiet atmosphere which makes it great to go out there. The menu has good meat dishes, like hamburger, kebabs, entrecote, chicken and also some seafood dishes like baked salmon, shrimps and fish fillet. The place also serves pastas but we won't recommend on those as they're not special at all. We took so far the spring chicken and hamburger, which are really good. Yet, except for the burger, dishes are a bit smaller than other places we've been to.

Besides main dishes they have a variety of appetizers, which we think are a bit expensive. We tried a vegetarian appetizer which contained roasted eggplant, lentils and tehina. It was quite OK.

Martha has a beautiful spacious terras in a garden outside which is great to sit in when it's not too hot.

How to get there
Martha is located on Iben Gvirol next to the London Ministore. You enter the place through a path in the restaurant's garden which is located at the white gate on the street (easy to miss but it's there).

Odelia

Type: Local eatery, Middle Eastern Food
English Menu: Yes

Average price: 20 NIS
Address: 89 Ben Yehuda st.; 1 Daniel Frisch st.
Tel: 03-5224222

The food at this small local eatery is cheap with a local taste. Odelia's main dish is a medium size plate with rice, couscous or burghul, served with stewed beef, lamb, chicken or meatballs, and some potatoes on the side. They also have a variety of hummus (with masabcha, eggplants, lamb meat, ful, and also grilled meat.

First - it's amazingly cheap. Most of the cooked dishes are  20 NIS. The second - it's very local. That is, the meat is certainly not the fillet nor tenderloin. It's not the best of Tel Aviv restaurants, but for a tourist looking for a cheap filling meal with a local atmosphere, this is the place to go to. The grilled dishes are a bit more expensive - 25/35 NIS for small/big meal.

How to get there
Odelia is located next to the intersection of Ben Yehuda with Gordon street. You can go on Dizengoff and turn left (if you face north) on Gordon. Go up until you hit Ben Yehuda, cross the street and then take right (the building above Odelia has a big '89' number on it). For the Daniel Frisch st. - The street is connected to Ibn Gvirol, a bit north of  the London Ministore. From Dizengoff center,  go to Dizengoff-Ibn Gvirol crossroad, cross to the other side and  take left. The street will be on you right.

Walking directions from Dizengoff Center:
Ben Yehuda branch
Daniel Frisch branch

* Note: Odelia accepts cash only.

Sakura

Sakura has closed down after 8 years of business. Truly, the ups and downs in the recent years must have to do with it. Anyway, Sakura will still be operating in Jerusalem, where it started.

For other sushi places, you can try Japanika.

Buddha Burgers

Type: Organic, Vegan

English menu: Yes
Average price: 30 NIS
Address: 21 Yehuda Halevi st. (restaurant), 86 Iben Gvirol (eatery)

Buddha Burgers is unique concept leading a new vegan eating culture in Tel Aviv. Their menu has ingredients that you probably have never heard of, such as seitan (wheat gluten), okara (soy beans, side product of soy milk), and all the other vegan ingredients like tofu and the myriad sprouts, vegetables, nuts and legumes. All organic.

They offer an alternative for meat dishes like burgers, tortilla and sushi, and also have pastas, DIY salads, pizzas and sandwiches and dozens of healthy drinks. The food there is good and worth a try, especially if you haven't eaten sophisticated vegan food in your life before. We recommend on the Classic Buddha Burger dish, Portobello burrito and the DIY salads which can be topped with many kinds of special dressings.

Needless to say that the employees there are all friendly hippie new-age health freaks - Which influences the service speed a little bit, especially during peek hours. Try to avoid going there on Fridays if you are short on time.

How to get there
Iben Gvirol branch is in front of the Rabin square.
To the restaurant on Yehuda Halevi st., you need to turn from Rothschild blvd left to Hertzel st. (when facing south), and then the second street you cross is Yehuda Halevi and the restaurant is there. You can take bus no. 5 and go down at Mikve Yisrael, then go back and the big street you see is Yehuda Halevi. From there it's about 5-10 minutes walk.

Keton

Type: Restaurant, Jewish East European

English menu: Yes
Average price: 50 NIS
Address: 145 Dizengoff st.

Keton is an East-European Jewish food restaurant that started business in the 40's and kept on being busy all these years until now. It's well known for the poets, writers actors and other old Tel Aviv celebrities who used to eat in this place in the past, and some still do today. And yeah, also known for the good food.

In Keton almost everything tastes yummy. You can have a great lunch or dinner by ordering a main dish that comes with two side dishes, or you can start with one of the appetizing starters or soups. The roasted beef is great and also the chicken/fish schnitzel. For dessert you can take a Kigel (some say Kugel) which is a sweet version of a noodles pie which was made by Jews in Europe for Sabbath.

How to get there
It's on Dizengoff st., on the block that's between Gordon and Ben Gurion st.

Click here to view location of Keton on the map

Cafe Birnbaum

Type: Restaurant, Vegetarian
English menu: No
Average price: 45 NIS
Address: 31 Nachalat Binyamin
Open: Sunday to Friday, from early in the morning until afternoon

Cafe Birnbaum is heaven on earth for vegetarians. The concept of this place, which is running for around 40 years now, is a salad buffet - not normal salad of green leaves - but special home made salads made from countless ingredients like tabouleh, noodles, whole grain rice, leek, quinoa, soy, beans, wakame and a lot more. Some of them are warm and some are cold, you can also add sweet pastries or a slice of quiche to the meal. Everyday there are dozens of fresh salads and they are all fantastic!

Only a small number of salads has fish, so you can ask the friendly ladies to help you out if you want to avoid it.

You pay fixed price for a plate which can be refilled for free. There's one basic rule which says that you cannot share your meal with anyone else, otherwise you will have to pay double.

How to get there
To get to Nachalat Binyamin street, you can go all the way the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian street, which is located on the intersection of Allenby with King George. The continuation of the pedestrian street in Nachalat Binyamin st.

* Tip: it's 10 NIS cheaper to do a take out than to eat there. You can scoop as much as you want, as long as everything fits into the aluminium container. And then of course you can share it with no problem.

Cafe Tamar

Type: Cafe-Restaurant, Snack, Sweets
English Menu: No menu at all
Average price: 18-25 NIS
Address: 57 Sheinken st.

Although it's not really a restaurant, the legendary Cafe Tamar can't be left unmentioned amongst all the others. Situated in the poshy and bustling Sheinken street, Cafe Tamar is runned by an old excentric lady called Sarah Stern, since the British Mandate. It used to attract all Tel Aviv celebrities here and today some still come.

Sarah will serve you her specialty: a bagel with cheese with olives and mashed tomatoes on the side. They also serve a good medium sized plate of Israeli salad (chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and parsley) and sweet pastries, like popseed cake, croissants and different kind of cookies.

How to get there
It's on Sheinken street on the intersection with Ahad Ha'am (on the side of the street which is closer to Rothschild blvd).

* Detail: on the wall behind the counter you will find caricatures of Sarah, made by the famous caricaturist Yaakov Zeev Farkash, who made caricatures and cartoons for 40 years in the Israeli Ha'Aretz newspaper. The fabulous drawings of "Sarah gone on vacation" were made every year at Passover holiday.