Erez Yemen Quarter

Type: Local eatery, Yemenite 

English Menu: No 

Average price: 25 NIS 

Address: 24 Nahliel st., The Yemen Quarter 

Tel. number: 03-5102555

Yes, it's another local eatery post. We wouldn't mention it, if it wasn't worth eating there (really!). Most people don't know where to eat, when they're done strolling the Carmel market. That's why we want to open up this 'hidden world', the Yemen Quarter, for some outlanders.

Erez is not the only good place in this picturesque neighborhood, but they have a vast variety of food and it's all so good and cheap! They have the usual hummus dishes, skewers and Yemenite soup meals (but for the real soup experience, stop by at Rina and Zchariah).

But what we loved is the schnitzel dish and believe us, a good and affordable fresh schnitzel is hard to find. It's a simple dish: deep fried breadcrumb coated schnitzel and 3 side dishes. You can choose from: humnus, fries, white beans, green beans, rice, tehina or a chopped Israeli salad. Great value!

It's recommended to come either before 12pm or after 1.30pm, if you don't want to stand in line for a seat.

How to get there

To be honest most of the time we go there we lose our way, but still: You can reach the Yemen quarter by going through the narrow streets on Allenby st. on the right of the Carmel Market/ Nachalat Binyamin. See map for clearer instructions. (It's not recommended to go through the busy Carmel market.)

Click here to view walking direction to Erez on the map

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).

Elimelech

Type: Restaurant, Jewish East European
English Menu: No (Yiddish)
Average price: 50 NIS (main dish)
Address: 35 Wolfson st.

Among the famous Jewish East European restaurants in Tel Aviv - mainly Keton and Cafe Batia - Elimelech is one of the special ones, and certainly worth the longer tour to south Tel Aviv.

The uniqueness of this place is in its special style of cooking, which feels more local and less "mainstream", so to speak. We ordered the Brust, which is beef slices marinaded for 3 weeks before cooked in oven. Extremely good! The other dish we ordered was the beef and chicken balls (you can combine as your like) which also had good taste.

All dish are served with side dishes, which high quality and taste surprised us very much, and are one of the reasons we will come again to this place. 

How to get there

Wolfson st. is next to Florentin neighborhood. To get to Florentin neighborhood from the center you can take bus 25, and then go down at the first stop of HaAliya st. Go straight and the next street on your right is Wolfson st. The restaurant is couple of meters ahead.

Click here to see walking direction on the map.


* Tip: Take a look and snoop around at the great spices market on Levinsky st. 

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

Giraffe

Type: Asian-Fusion restaurant

English Menu: Yes

Average price: 50-60 NIS

Address: 49 Iben Gvirol st.; 21 Ha'Arbaa st. (Officers' club)

Tel. number: 03-6916294, 03-6851155

Giraffe was one of the first Asian noodle bar restaurants in Tel Aviv and its popularity hasn't changed since then. Combining the Asian flavors such as Japanese, Thai and Chinese on their menu, Giraffe is attracting a big crowd.

There's a lot to choose from on Giraffe's menu and can be time consuming... Among the appetizers, we liked the tofu salad with vegetables and peanut sauce. The shrimps egg roll had a very weird smell, so it's definitely not one of our favorites. Giraffe also has several types of sushi, but Giraffe is not the place for it. We rather eat sushi at a better sushi restaurant, like Sakura and Japanika.

Our favorite main dishes are the "Spicy Philippine noodles" and the "Lemon chicken". The Philippines dish is prepared with coconut milk mixed with a red curry paste and pieces of chicken. It's a little bit spicy for sensitive taste buds. The Lemon chicken is great! Slices of crispy chicken, served with fried white rice and a tangy-savoury lemon sauce.

Moadon HaKtzinim (Officers' Club) is a chic branch of Giraffe. The menu is a little bit different, but based on the same idea.

How to get there

To reach the Ibn Gvirol branch: if you're coming from Dizengoff, take left when you hit Ibn Gvirol st.

To reach the Officers' Club: Ha'Arba'a street is next the Cinemateque, on Carlebach st. You can reach Carlebach by going to the beginning of Ibn Gvirol (go south), where it connects to Yehuda Halevi st.

Bahadonas

Type: Hummus
English Menu: No
Average price: 25-30 NIS
Address: 150 Ibn Gbirol st.

Yeah, it's another great hummus place in Tel aviv, and actually one of the good ones. Bahadonas hummus is quite special, it's tangy in a way which reminds us of Abu Hassan's hummus a bit, although the texture is a bit different (and the plate of Bahadonas is much bigger). Bahadonas also has great crunchy-non-greasy fries.


Bahadonas is a nation wide chain so you might stumble upon them outside Tel Aviv. In Tel Aviv Bahadonas has two branches, one on Dizengoff, and one on Ibn Gvirol. For an unknown reason, the one on Ibn Gvirol is far much better than the other one.

How to get there
You can take bus no. 25 and go down at Pinkas station. Walk a bit back and you'll find it. You can also take bus 5 and go down at Bazel station. Go all the way down towards Ibn Gvirol and the place will be in front of you.

Abdu Hadayag

Type: Fish restaurant
English Menu: No
Average price: 70-80 NIS
Address: 37 Yefet st., Jaffa
Tel. number: 03-5182595

It seems almost impossible that among dozens fish restaurants in Jaffa you will still be able to find uniqueness and difference. Well, Abdu Hadayag ("Abdu the Fisherman") is one of them, as it stands out with their fresh home made mezes appetizers and good quality fresh fish. Actually, before Abdu established the restaurant, he was a fishmonger for restaurants, so let's say he knows good fish.

Like at other fish restaurants in Jaffa, the mezes are included in a main dish set - fish, seafood or chicken (yes, we know...., but some people want to eat chicken at a fish place!) - and can be refilled all the time. If you don't order a main dish, you pay 30 NIS for the mezes.

We took a Barramundi and Sea Bream (each 80 NIS), fried and grilled, as the waitress recommended. Both were great choices, but the Barramundi was tastier.

You can also choose just fried or grilled (although the latter is less recommended). The salads as we noted above were extremely tasty and fresh, we also liked the grilled pita with zaatar which came with it.

Some people will like Abdu Hadayag more than other fish restaurants in Jaffa (although others like Rauf et Atina aren't less good). It's totally air conditioned, cleaner and more friendly. It's recommended to make reservations during lunch time and always make reservations for the evenings (weekends especially).

How to get there

Take bus 25 and go down at Jerusalem Blvd. ("Shderot Yerushalayim") at "Yehuda Hayamit" station. Walk back couple of meters and take left to Yehuda Hayamit. Go straight and take right on Yefet st., keep on going straight, it will be on your right.

Click here to view location and walking directions from bus no. 25 station. 

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.

Shmaya

Type: Local eatery, Jewish
English Menu: No
Average price: 35 NIS
Address: 2 Vital st.
Tel. number: 03-6829217
(Closed on Friday night and Saturdays)

In the Florentine area, the local eatery Shmaya is legendary. It's a hole in the wall and indeed a fantastic discovery. Shamaya, the lovely owner, prepares the food by himself, which is  characterized by its Jewish and Middle Eastern influences.

Basically you choose a main course, which is served with some side dishes, such as stewed vegetables, rice, different types of beans and etc. We took the stuffed eggplant with minced beef and herbs and stuffed yams (the latter also known as "batata"), which were delicate and tasted very homy, so to speak. Though usually after eating in local eateries food coma is inevitable, Shmaya's food is relatively light and "sits" well, as Israelis like to say. Shmaya also has good vegetarian dishes and other stuffed vegetables.

The place doesn't have an English menu. But the people working here are so warm and friendly, they will be more than happy to explain it to you.

How to get there

To get to Florentin neighborhood from the center you can take bus no. 1 or no. 2 (both drive on dizengoff until Frishman st., where they turn to Pinsker under the fountain). Go down on the second station on the Ha'Alia st.(or ask to go down at Florentin st.). Then go on Florentin st. until you see Vital st. on your right (around 500 meters walk).

*Detail: We've been told by Shmaya's fans that he feeds the homeless people for free.

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).