Aba Gil

Type: Organic vegan food 
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 40 NIS
Address: 55 Yehuda Halevi st.
Tel. number.: 03-5663320

Even if you are not into organic vegan food, you should go to Aba Gil and try their dishes. The dishes are simple, pure and healthy, everything that a hungry body needs. Although Buddha Burger, the other organic competitor in Tel Aviv, has more sophisticated and bigger variety of choices on their menu,  Aba Gil's menu isn't inferior.

The flag dish of Aba Gil is the "full plate", which includes hummus, tehina, brown rice, red lentils, cooked green peas, cooked vegetables, and vegetable quiche or vegetable patties. It's hardcore organic and healthy food and no less tasty (maybe except the cooked veggies, but not everything have to be perfect). We especially liked the hummus (which is also served as a seperate dish), and the quiches.

How to get there
Take bus 5 and go down on the first stop after Rothschild Blvd., than go back to Yehuda Halevi st., then go a bit foward on Yehuda Halevi st. towards Allenby. Or you can take a bus which go through Allenby (24,25) and ask the driver to go down next to Yehuda Halevi.

Click here to view Aba Gil location on the map


* Detail: The take out boxes are environmental friendly.

Itzik and Ruti

Type: Sandwiches
English Menu: No
Average price: 18 NIS
Address: 53 Sheinkin st.

Itzik and Ruti sandwich place is one of the mythical places in Tel Aviv that everybody knows and probably ate there. This friendly couple report for duty everyday (Sun.-Fri) at 05:00 to fill the demand of the masses that swoop in, and they close around 12:00pm when most of the food is over.

Itzik and Ruti serve the best sandwiches in Tel Aviv. You choose the size and type of the bread (whole wheat, ciabatta etc.) and fill it with one of their magical fillings such as eggplants, egg salad, avocado, tuna salad etc., and some vegetables if you like. Simple, but so good!

How to get there

Turn to Sheinkin from King George and just go stright all the way to the other end of the street. It will be on your left.

Click here to see walking directions on the map (from King George).

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

Grillanda

Type: Chef Tapas Restaurant
English Menu: No
Average price: 40-70 NIS
Address: Hachava (from 74 Rokach st., Ramat Gan)
Opening hours: Sun. - Sat. 18:00-24:00
Tel. number: 03-5755162

Grillanda restaurant is the latest innovative and creative approach in the food business. Have you ever heard of a chef restaurant located on a farm and surrounded by fields and cattle? (in sheepfolds, don't worry). As you can see in the picture, you're surrounded by nature and there's an amazingly relaxing atmosphere.

The menu is basically tapas, mostly vegetarian. We started our meal with tehina with garlic (highly recommended!) and ate it with their freshly baked focaccia. Among the larger tapas dishes, we took the cauliflower salad (great!), eggplant prepared in ametal brick-oven (it's a bit spicy, but this is also great with the focaccia), and the vine leaves stuffed with rice - a common Middle Eastern delicacy, served with a pungent yogurt sauce. The only dish which disappointed us was the sous herring.

The price range of the dishes of Grillanda is 20-25 NIS per one tapas. They also have a bit more expensive dishes like a plate of cheeses or coldcuts - above 50 NIS. For the budget gastronoms it's better not to come too hungry (you need min. 4 plates to be really full).

Grilanda restaurant is indeed highly recommended, and the vast open area around the tables makes it a perfect place to come with family and kids (only if the latter appreciates gourmet :-)). It's not really in Tel Aviv, but it's a great excursion.

How to get there

To get to there place by car, you need to enter Ganey Yeoshua parks from Ramat Gan. You can go on Rokach st. in Ramat Gan (don't confuse with the one of Tel Aviv which intersects with Ibn Gvirol), which can be reached through Aba Hillel st. In front of 74 Rokach st., turn towards the path which leads to a parking lot (where you park free of charge). The entrance to the farm is near the orange guard house.

For those who wish to get to the place by public transportation, you can go on bus 20 (from Dizengoff center), and go down on Aba Hillel, Rokach station. Go up on Rokach st. and walk approximately 600 meters according to the directions as mentioned here above.

Sofia

Type: Bulgarian restaurant
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 40-70 NIS
Address: 16 Ha'Arbaa st.
Tel. number: 03-5614725

Sofia Restaurant is little Bulgaria in the heart of Tel Aviv, which provides the taste of the Bulgarian cuisine - salads, pastries, soups and (a lot) of meat. So, the menu of Sofia fits vegetarians and carnivores as well.

We tried the Shopska salad, which is a normal Middle Eastern salad with amazing Bulgarian cheese (tastes like Feta chesse), and also the fries is topped with this cheese. What can we say, this cheese really does the trick for these two! No wonder it's a main ingredient in this cuisine. The eggplant with garlic spread (Kiopolo) is also great, but too bad the bun which is served with it, is not that fresh.

As for the main dishes, we took the Moussaka, which rocks! This Bulgarian version of this oven dish uses a yogurt layer on top instead of bechamel, and has less eggplant than the Greek moussaka - Quite a good one! We also took the Kebab, which was quite OK and is served with rice and salad. Also, we ordered the chicken meatballs, which are braised with a yummy sweet and sour tomato sauce (served with rice).

One thing to note about Sofia - it's relatively cheap. All the main dishes noted above cost less than 40 NIS. Although you can find some better meat restaurants in Tel Aviv (not to say the meat in Sofia is bad), the combination of the special flavors of the salads, appetizers and sauces makes Sofia an affordable place which is worth a visit very much - and the flock of people is an evidence for that (make reservations for lunch times).

To end the meal perfectly, you should definitely order the sugarless apple pie. It's unbelievable how sweet and good it can be without sugar (note: for apple pie lovers only!).

How to get there

Ha'Arbaa st. is located next to the Cinemateque, on Carlebach st. You can reach Carlebach by going to the beginning of Ibn Gvirol (go south), where it intersects with Yehuda Halevi st.

*Detail: If you really liked the meat, Sofia sells some of meat dishes as raw meat for home grilling (at a lower price).

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.

Pu'ah

Type: International
English Menu: Yes
Average price: 50 NIS
Address: 8 Rabbi Yohanan st. in Jaffa
Tel. number: 03-6823821

In the midst of the Yafo Flea market, you will find this cute bohemian cafe called Pu'ah (named after the owner), attracting all walks of life and tourists. Even when passing by Pu'ah, it will catch your attention by the environmental, grungy look and feel of the place. All the items from dishes to chairs and tables at Pu'ah are for sale. Pu'ah has a very nice and unique atmosphere, which makes it a great place take end your flea market tour and grab something to eat or drink.

The menu at Pu'ah has a lot of vegetarian options. We tried the veggie burger, which was OK but (a bit dry from the inside), and so is the pumpkin dumplings. Better dishes were the the fried cauliflower which is served with a delicious yoghurt dip, and also the gnocchi with chestnuts in a creamy cheese sauce, which is voloptuously tasteful.

If you don't feel like eating anything, it's of course also a great place to have a coffee of cold drink. The service isn't fantastic, but this uniqueness of Pu'ah will make you overlook this.

How to get there

Take bus 25 to Jaffa/ Yafo and go down at the second station of Sderot Yerushaliam. Go a bit straight, turn right at Olei Zion st. Go straight about 200 meters, then turn left at Yehuda Margoza st. Go straight and then take right at the second st., this is Rabbi Yohanan st. Taxi from TA center should be about 35-40NIS

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 :)

Abu Marwan

Type: Hummus, Middle Eastern
English Menu: No
Average price: 25 NIS
Address: 129 Yeffet st, Jaffa

What a fine local Hummus place this Abu Marwan, which can be noticed by its  constant smoke coming from the grill/ bbq making skewers and eggplants.

Abu Marwan has an "all included" deal - you pay 25 NIS and get a yummy hummus plate, great fries, mini falafel balls and a (mediocre) salad. The result is a fine lunch which leaves you with a great taste.
But we couldn't stop just here. It is a must (!) to take the specialty - grilled eggplant with tehina and lemon (20 NIS), which adds a pungent flavor. In addition you can also order chicken skewers (around 15 NIS per skewer), which aren't fantastic, but just OK.
Finish the Hummus tour sweetly with the nearby Mutran.

How to get there
It's a bit messy, but you'll make it:
Take bus 25 towards Jaffa/ Yafo, go down at the fifth station on Sderot Yerushalaim (at no. 134). Go a bit backwards and take left at Bat Ayin st. Go up straight until you hit a main street, Yefet. Go straight until you see the smoke.

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.

Sabbich of Oved

Type: Sabbich
English Menu: No
Average price: 18 NIS
Address: 6 Sirkin st., Givataim

Well it's not really in Tel Aviv, but most of the Tel Avivians ate at this legendary place. So, Oved is just selling sabbich. More than the taste which is considered by many to be the best sabbich, the preparation of the sabbich is accompanied by a precise repeating football game ritual: Every action (adding salad, eggplants, parsley and etc.) is described with a unique verb Oved developed by himself.

Unfortunately, Oved cannot do the whole ceremony in English but he will be very welcoming and happy to explain in detail. And don't worry, he will not let you miss out the final stage in the sabbich making - how many teaspoons of hot sauce (red) and Amba (yellow mango-based hot sauce) to put in the Pita - according to the scores of a football match. (For instance, if you're from the UK, he'll make it Arsenal vs. Man Utd.)

How to get there

You can take bus no. 63 from Tel Aviv Ben Zion corner with King George (facing upwards). Ask the driver to tell you where to go down. You should find bus 63 on the other side of the street when you go back to Tel Aviv.

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 :-)

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.

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.

Sabbich Frishman

Type: Filling pita, Middle Eastern food

English menu: no need
Average price: 17 NIS per meal
Address: On the corner of Dizengoff and Frishman
Open: every day until midnight, Friday until afternoon and on Saturday night

This local eatery is very popular among locals and always packed. You start with a pita (white or whole wheat), which is going to be stuffed with yummy ingredients. The basis is fried eggplans, egg and potato. Beyond that, you can add hummus, tehina, egg, parsley, onion, chopped cucumber and tomatoes and spicey sauces (like amba: a spicy sauce based on mango) - and no meat. we recommend to take all of it, as everybody does. You can take some pickles from the counter (refill is free).

The sabbich is such a hit in Israel that almost every hundred meter in the city you can find one (look for Hipo Organic Food on this blog for another tasty sabbich). As an Iraqi dish which was brought by Iraqi Jews to Israel, some still argue on the authentic meal and what it should contain - the potato, for example, belongs to the new version. Anyway, we believe the one on Frishman is the top notch sabbich and combine the ingredients in the best way.

Just for you to know, after eating one sabbich, you are full for hours. It's good if you don't feel like cooking dinner or you are planning a long day trip. If you mind calories - sabbich is around 800 calories, so fight the temptation to take another one right after.

If you think you won't like the sabbich, try the crispy fresh falafel of Frishman. This falafel stand is located right next to the sabbich. The delicious taste of the fried potato roll which they add to the falafel which will seduce you to come again soon.

How to get there
Go on Dizengoff till the crossroad with Frishman, which is next to the Dizengoff square.

Hamitbachon

Type: Restaurant, Multi-Cultural food
English menu: Yes
Average price: 30-40 NIS
Address: 18 Rabi Akiva st.
Tel. Number: 03-5163689

Hamitbachon ("kitchenette" in Hebrew) is a nice and cozy restaurant that has a typical eclectic Israeli home made food: from Austrian Schnitzel, to the Balkanic Mousakka (eggplants and beef) to north African couscous, to Middle Eastern Mujaddara (rice and lentils), and finally to European quiches, lasagna and salads. But try the beef goulash or the chicken in tomato sauce. The Givech (rice with vegetables) is very much recommended, and so are the meatballs. There are many options for vegetarians too.

This place is located in a quiet place between the bustling Carmel market and Allenby street, and became a hang out place for native Tel Aviv people. Pick one of the starters and a main dish and enjoy watching bohemian Tel Aviv people having lunch or dinner, and then see them coming back to this area to one of the bars in the neighborhood at night.

How to get there
When you walk on Allenby on the right side of the market, try to find the place by going through the small streets on the left (you can go through Gedera st.).

Sabbich Deluxe

Type: Local eatery, Sandwiches, Middle Eastern food
English menu: No
Average price: 15 NIS (pita); 25 NIS (plate)
Address: 67 Iben Gvirol

Eating a sabbich might seem very uncharming, because it's thick pita bread heavily stuffed with delicious vegetables and condiments. You might have thought that it would be easier to eat the ingredients on a plate. Well, Sabbich Deluxe is exactly the place to be then, as they in an unprecedented way gives you the option to eat the sabbich on a plate. Not only that, you can also add add rice and some other stuff. Oh, and the taste is great! (even if you eat it in a pita).

Imagine that you stuff all of this in a pita and try to eat it, now that is a mouthful! Besides the sabbich on plate, they also serve great sandwiches with chicken schnitzel or grilled beef or vegetarian sandwiches. They have bar-like seats outside, but note that these seats are always taken during lunch hours. It's a very popular place for people working in the area and having lunch there.

How to get there
Iben Gvirol 67 - It's on the intersection with Rabin square. If you come from north, go stright on Iben Gvirol and cross the square. You'll hit the place after couple of meters.