Check back as this will always be updated. Here's my favs. Photos by me.
There are so many fabulous restaurants in Tel Aviv and Jaffa now. My list below includes just the ones I go to regularly. Trust me, there are new, world-class restaurants opening all the time. Check out some of these websites and publications for the word on the Tel Aviv Food Scene: Telavivian.com, Secrettelaviv.com, and the Instagram page for @telavivcityladies (they find the coolest places!) This list is evolving with every trip to Tel Aviv, but here's where I go when I'm hanging out these days.
Coffeeshops, WiFi Work and/or Hang Out and People Watch
Vibrant neighborhood corner café. A block in from the beach and a block from the Carmel Market, it's an essential spot for residents who live nearby. Great food, including vegan. I love the schnitzel and pureé or just the simple Israeli breakfast. Sit and work on your computer and have a cappuccino or wine. The same great staff has been working there for years.
(Carmel Market/Yemenite Qtr)
I love Yom Tov Café adjacet to the Carmel Market in the Yemenite Quarter. Great place for morning work but ALSO a rockin' scene for drinks just before Shabbat.
Hanasich Katan (King George St)
Charming bookshop and coffeeshop. Very hard to spot on King George. The decor is retro and kitschy, packed with interesting Israeli used books and photos. Sit in the hidden garden café in the back. Terrific baristas, nice casual Israeli cuisine and WiFi. Great place to work on your computer or to have coffee.
Coffee or Wine on the Beach
(Here is a MAP of beaches south of the Marina)
After a long walk on the beach in the morning, I love to sit at the Banana Beach (south end of Tel Aviv beaches, south of Allenby) concession and have a cappuccino and watch the interesting Tel Avivians walk on the beach. I've been seeing the same quirky people (and dogs) on this beach for the last five years, and we even say "Hi" to each other now. The chairs and tables are right on the sand, and yes, it's a a bit touristy, but I love it. There are other concessions up and down the beach that are very similar, so anyone of these will do. These are also great places to watch the sunset and have a beer. Drinks are overpriced, but the view makes up for it!
Casual, Bar Food and
Pre-Shabbat (Friday late afternoon) Drinks
HaMinzar Bar (Find it near Carmel Market Entrance and King George Sq)
Unbelievably great food!!! They offer lots of weird imported beers on tap (you can tell I'm not a beer drinker). Super busy at night, especially pre-Shabbat (3 - 6 p.m. on Fridays).
(Carmel Market/Yemenite Qtr)
Vibrant pre-Shabbat party scene fills the cobblestone walkway in front from 3-6 p.m. on Fridays. But also a nice quiet place on other nights to sit have a bite to eat.
Carmel Market (Map here) - Always fun on any night, but Friday afternoon is the most exciting. Pick a place! There are so many bars and restaurants packed with locals ready to wind down (or wind up!) for Shabbat, there's too many to mention. Around 2 p.m., dive into the crowded aisles packed with locals shopping for Shabbat, and just start wandering around. Every few meters there is a small cafe or bar, brimming with happy people, drinking and noshing. Check out the side streets leading into to the market as well, like Nachalot Binyamin area and the Yemenite Quarter (see Yom Tov). On Rambam St, one block east of the market, jazz cafe Beit Haamudim may have jazz music from 3 - 6 p.m. (all ages). Remember, everything begins to close up around 5:30 p.m.
The Jaffa Flea Market Best time to go: either Thursday Nights or Pre-Shabbat (Fridays, 2 - 6 p.m.) Like the Carmel Market, the Jaffa Flea marketing is a happening place! Go down on Friday afternoons before Shabbat starts, peruse the flea market square, the sale racks in the hip stores and fight the mobs for a drink at any of the cafes. Whoopah! The music booms from the bars and the atmosphere is "party before Shabbat". Then around 5:30 p.m., things quickly slow down and suddenly the market is a ghost town by 6 p.m. While there are many cool restaurants with great food, I like to go to Shaffa (see next listing). No matter when you visit the Jaffa Flea market area, make sure to stop by Golda's gelato, it's fantastic!
Here is a pretty good LIST by Haartez of other great restaurants, including Onza, in the Jaffa Flea Market.
(Hummus only, Kerem Hateimanim)
My favorite hummus place in Yemenite Qtr. Closes when they run out of hummus, around 2 - 3 p.m. Very busy at lunch. Best time to go is around 10:30-11 a.m. My favorite is the shakshuka with hummus and a glass of strong Turkish coffee.
Abu Hassan (Hummus only, Jaffa Port)
This is probably THE top hummus place in TLV. It's not easy to find and closes early, between 2 - 3 p.m. It's worth the hike. They only serve one thing, hummus, so it's easy to order. The staff is super nice and fun. Very inexpensive, as well. There are longs lines of local workers grabbing hummus to-go for lunch, but it moves quickly
A la Rampa (Vegeterian/Vegan) $-$$
Ha'Amal Street 21 (over parking ramp) between Florentin & Shapira neighborhoods
Sit outside and take in this very hip vegan/veg restaurant. Inexpensive easy-to-share dishes and cocktails (get the deep fried onion basket to start!) are delicious and spicy. Also enjoy DJs and art exhibits. Hard to find, don't give up. A la Rampa is "On the Ramp" look for the big Black Stallion and underground parking ramp.
HaBasta (market cuisine, small plates) $$
HaShomer St 4, adjacent to the Carmel Market
Eclectic menu inspired by the nearby Carmel Market and changes daily. The day we were there we had very spicy tuna sashimi, pork shawarma and artichoke raviolis. All very good, but adds up $$. HaBasta consistently appears on Tel Aviv top restaurant lists.
Casbah (Israeli/Mediterranean pub) $-$$
Florentin St. 3, Tel Aviv (Florentin)
Vegetarian and meat, hip coffee shop vibe. Full bar. local beers and open on Shabbat. Busy Shabbat brunch, but a must if you are Florentinian.
Dabush (Rabin Square)
This is one of our favorite shawarma places (there are many), located right on the Southeast corner of Rabin Square.Their turkey shawarma is heavy with turmeric and cinnamon and we order it spicy with all the trimmings and packed with lots of chips (french fries). This place has the best salads/condiments bar in town! It's busy, plan to wait in line. BUT, now there are tables on the sidewalk (in addition to some seating at the counter) so you most likely will find a place to sit down.
More restaurants
Reservations recommended. Might get a seat at the bar as a walk-in. About four years ago, on one of my nighttime "wanderings" looking for a cool place to have dinner by myself, I found myself heading north, which I don't do too often. I tend to be attracted to the neighborhoods south of the Marina. But here, I found the restaurant Sh'la (Sheila) and though there was a line out the door, they had a nice spot at the bar for me.
Sh'la is probably my favorite restaurant in Tel Aviv at this point. Another restaurant may change my mind in the future, but for now, owner and chef Sharon Cohen has my vote. Tip: Sit at the bar, it's fun. Get the focaccia with dips and then their most famous dish, the tuna tartare with lemon and almonds and wrapped in avocado. You'll dream about it.
Shlomo HaMelech 1 Tel Aviv (Off of King George, near Rabin Square) $$
Unbelievably great food! Long line, but worth it. This is more of a fast street food lunch place. Order at the counter then fight for a seat. Tip: One person fight for a seat, the other stand in line to order. Both locals and tourists pack the place.
Beit Thalandi (Thai House)
One of the most popular places in TLV now (it wasn't just a few years ago!). Very authentic, terrific Thai food. Always impressed. Get reservations a few days in advance, at least. Sometimes they take walk-ins at lunch at the counter. Once last year I called for a reservation and they were booked out three weeks!
Ouzeria at Levinsky Mkt
Mediterranean and Greek influenced. Very good, great staff and highly recommend. However, menu is very predictable Israeli fare. We shared two desserts, including a perfect and filling knafeh. We both thought the music was too loud. Call for reservations or try for walk-in at the pub next door.
Suzana - post dance dinner
In trendy, shishi Neve Tzedek. Casual Yemenite cuisine. There are other great restaurants worth seeking out in Neve Tzedek, but I go to Suzana often because it's across from the Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theater (Batsheva Dance Co,) so it's my "go-to" place before and after performances. Moderately priced and lots of neighborhood locals and upscale families with kids. Very nice wait staff (and lots of cute, friendly cats that swarm around your table), lovely outdoor seating in the summer.
Burek (Open one day per week, reservations only) $$$$
Tucked away in Florentin warehouse, address given at reservation
Email to inquire
I read about chef Barak Yehezkeli's Burek in the terrific new book Tel Aviv: Food, people stories by the enterprising culinary family of NENI. Burek studio is only open one (sometimes two) day per week, seats about 50 people and is located on an obscure street in the Florentin warehouse district. So reservations may book up months out - I made mine two months in advance. The night I attended (Dec. 2019) with my two children, we were graciously greeted with Campari cocktails at the door and seated immediately. Before the pre-fix dinner was served, the sommelier stopped by our table to suggest wines (my daughter thought he was a too pushy, I didn't mind) and allowed us to taste some fabulous whites. Everyone is served at the same time and tonight our six-course meal lasted a little over four hours, so do not be in a hurry to get somewhere else. The menu this night (please excuse the paraphrasing, each course was actually introduced in person by Barak, but mostly in Hebrew) featured: House-made focaccia and dips of almond tahina and pomegranate and chili sauce (both fabulous!); roasted poblano peppers and homemade yogurt and herbs; local greens tossed with lemon; kohlrabi pasta with seared octopus with breadcrumbs; a shot of Arak and a toast with Barak, grilled halibut skewer on harissa, potato puree and what I
think was a croquet fried in lamb fat (omg!); seared beef on sweet potato puree; and finished with their signature Jackson Pollok Dessert. All the ingredients were locally sourced. For the Pollok dessert, everyone was asked to gather around the prep table which had been prepared with a white bakery paper. Similar to Machneyuda's Jungle dessert, loud Israeli music blared as Barak and his chefs created a massive painting with creams, sauces, pastries, fruit and toppings. Spoons were passed around, and everyone grazed from the table. For those who were more sheepish about sharing food with a stranger or too shy to elbow their way to the food, the wait staff dished dessert and delivered it. The whole evening was serenaded by a very talented DJ on the balcony spinning a great selection from American classics, like the Grateful Dead, to hip Israeli artists to jazz standards. The servers and hosts were exceptional and charming. The cost is NS 350 each, expect to add in gratuity and wine/liquor. Afterwards we wandered the gritty Florentin back alleys and popped into a couple of secret pubs with live music and jam sessions. The evening was epic and was enjoyed thoroughly by all of us.
Chef Eyal Shani Restaurants I like (next three listings)
Reservations recommended.
More upscale than Port Said and Romano. Like his other restaurants, try to sit at the bar and watch the chefs. Get Shani's incredible whole roasted cauliflower and lamb shawarma.
Har Sinai 5. Tel Aviv (Access it at 108 Allenby St) (map) $$
No reservations. Get there before 7 p.m. to get a seat. Right next to the Great Synagogue. Great atmosphere and food. Outdoor seating mostly.
Beit Romano (Florentine)
Reservations needed.
Try to sit at the bar and watch the chefs. My tip: If they have it, get the Challah bread with labneh/dips. Make are reservation for earlier, like 7-8 p.m., then head out for live music afterwards at Beit HaAmudim. Finding Beit Romano is not for the faint at heart. It's located on a slightly sketchy block on Jaffa Street and Florentine neighborhood. If you take a taxi they'll know how to get here. But if you walk, look for a graffiti - riddled white door and a spray-painted green man's head. Open that door, it's very cool!
Shani's iconic Miznon? Thumbs down, don't go. Overpriced, loud and not worth it, so it's not on my list of recommendations. In the neighborhood? Go next door to Amsterdam Fries, instead. Great french fries made with local potatoes. They have cool tables with holes cut in them so you can rest your "cone of fries". What if Miznon combined with Amsterdam Fries? That would be better.
This is a new wine bar featuring small plates launched by popular Israeli Chef Moshiko Gamlieli (well known for his first acclaimed restaurant "Mona" in Jerusalem.) It's located on the lobby floor of the renovated Renoma Hotel and Apartments right across from the "old" American Embassy on HaYarkon. I couldn't believe my eyes! That condemned dump, okay, actually a historic property in disrepair (see before and after photos below), was transformed into a luxury hotel by Renoma. Bar 51 was lovely and Gamleli's Italian-inspired menu is delicate, thoughtful and tasty. Sit at the bar and watch the chefs. We tried house-made crackers with local Israeli cheese and sweet potato jam (yum!). We also tried two small pasta dishes and Israeli wine. Very busy, call for reservations.
There are more restaurants, cafés and bars on my list. Keep checking back. As I have time, I will add them. Enjoy eating in Tel Aviv!