Top 10 Israeli Foodie Dishes in July.

These posts are meant to be monthly roundups of the best dishes I have had in restaurants around Israel. However, it has been nearly a year since I last shared such a post as I had not been eating out so much. I am therefore extra happy that last month I managed to eat at a variety of places in different cities so that I can share my recommendations with you all. I particularly enjoyed discovering some culinary gems in Nazareth (more about what I ate in Nazareth).

In chronological order, below are Debbest dishes for July.

• Beef Mince Pie @Justin’s Pies (Badatz Machpud), via delivery. I was sent a few pies to sample and out of the meat pies, the beef mince was my favorite. I should also mention that I loved the Apple Pie – it was perfectly balanced with a slight lemon flavor and not overly sweet.
• Pizza Castana Spinachi @Peppino (Kosher), Modiin. I love that pizza bianco has become more popular in Israel recently and this pizza bianco with truffle cream, chestnuts, spinach was especially delicious. We ordered a few dishes to share so I was able to compare it to other pizzas and pasta on the menu and it was definitely my favorite, although the Nutella Scachtina dessert was also incredible.

• Salad Niçoise @G27 (Kosher), Ramat Gan. A simple classic French salad that is often misrepresented in Israeli cafes, but this was the real deal. I really liked the vibe at G27 and there was plenty of outdoor seating.
• Roast Sirloin @02 Restaurant (Kosher), The Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem. The starters were all very tasty but the thinly sliced Roast Sirloin with mustard and pickled onion was the highlight. – more about my meal at 02.
• Asian Spice Sea Bream @02 Restaurant (Kosher), The Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem. This was a chef’s special dish and not on the regular menu, but it was so delicious that I had to mention it. I took home leftovers, and I was surprised how good this dish tasted cold the next day. The Semolina Cake with mixed berry coulis and pistachio cream dessert was also very tasty.

02 restaurant Basbusa

• Bonfire BBQ Short Ribs @Harvey’s Smokehouse (Mehadrin), Jerusalem. The outside of the ribs was delicious, but we were surprised at how much fat was on the bone and not enough meat. Apparently, some people eat all the fat, but we didn’t.
• Champiniones @Andalucia (Mehuderet), Kikar HaMusica, Jerusalem. I ordered this as a side dish, but it was so tasty and substantial that it earned a place on this list.
• Shish Barak @Tishreen II, Nazareth. I have tried this classic Levantine dish in a few places but this was the best. The little pastry parcels were so light and fluffy, and the whole dish was not heavy at all.
• Mansaf @Luna Bistro, Nazareth. It was my first time trying this traditional Levantine dish that is typically served at large celebrations. The small lamb chops came on a bed of brown rice with minced meat and toasted almonds. We also loved the choice of mezze starters.

Luna Bistro, Nazareth

Luna Bistro, Nazareth

• Knafe with Turkish Ice Cream @AlSadaka Sweets, Nazareth. When they told me the knafe would take 10 minutes to prepare, I knew it would be worth the wait. Traditional Arabic coffee with cardamom was the perfect balance to the sweet syrup on the dish and I loved the Turkish goat ice cream on top.

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