Planning a vacation means planning what restaurants you absolutely must visit. If you’re taking a trip to Israel soon, be sure to visit these five new hotspots in Tel Aviv to your list.
Cafe Popular
Run by celebrity chef Avi Levy, Cafe Popular is a hit with the young crowd. The menu centers around spicy and bold seafood dishes and Mediterranean twists of classic meat dishes, like Israeli roast beef, with some vegetable-centered meals, roasted cabbage steaks, thrown in as well. Be sure to stop by for weekend brunch as it’s one of the most popular spots in the city. The all-inclusive brunch menu is 98 shekels a person and features dishes like scrambled eggs with mushroom ragu and ceviche with sour cream.
Balkan
While finding a kosher restaurant in the city once was no easy feat, exciting restaurants like Balkan are changing that. Balkan offers modern takes on classic dishes from countries like Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and more. Chef Eyal Lavy provides a wide array of cheese and dairy dishes, like feta moussaka and cheesy gnocchi. Be sure to try the house-made arak, an anise-flavored local spirit, but be careful not to let it sneak up on you.
Igra Rama
Finding a vegetable-focused restaurant can be hard no matter where you are. Igra Rama is making it easier for those in Tel Aviv. While not entirely vegetarian, Igra Rama offers many meatless dishes, choosing instead to highlight other aspects of food. The restaurant uses only local ingredients, including fresh seafood from right offshore. Right around the corner from Carmel Market, the cozy restaurant has a homey vibe.
Bushwick
Mixologist Bar Shira has made it onto the World’s 50 Best Bars list three times with one of his other ventures. Now, he’s opened Bushwick, located at the ground floor of the Fabric Hotel. Designed to take you straight from coffee to cocktails, the snack-centered menu offers a variety of comfort foods, think chicken nuggets with a Sriracha sauce, to keep you full and happy.
Nu Nu Nu
The owner of Nu Nu Nu is also the chef at upscale Aria but has moved into street food concepts with this restaurant. The menu features indulgent and over the top items, making you stop and think “oh no, I couldn’t possibly” before jumping right in. This is a restaurant that was made for the Instagram era.