News from the Israeli Foodie scene for April.

This month’s Israeli foodie newsletter is jam-packed with news of openings of restaurants all over Israel. Restaurant highlights include Mojo’s and Rachel 5 kosher meat restaurants in Jerusalem, Ban Mi Nong , Santi, and Caffe Martini in Tel Aviv, and Thaistory Eilat and Half Half Pizza in Eilat.

For some people, festival season involves muddy fields and cool music bands, but for Israeli foodies, it means the Eggs Benedict festival at the Waldorf Astoria and the start of the wine and beer festivals all over Israel.

Kosher Restaurant News

• Deli Cafe, the cafe of the Vivino Italian restaurant chain,  has opened a second branch in Haifa, in the downtown area.
• Dolce Pizza (Tzohar) in Ra’anana is now an Italian trattoria and no longer just a pizza restaurant.

• Flora Pizza is now under Tzohar’s supervision in all three branches in Jerusalem.
• Haimiko’s Fricassee (Badazt Beit Yosef) is a fricassee stall in Shuk Machane Yehuda.
• HaMaorav HaYerushalmi (Jerusalem Mix) is a meat street-food stand in Shuk Machane Yehuda.
• Kapao (Mehadrin) is a Thai restaurant in BSR City complex in Petach Tikva. This is the sister restaurant to Kapao in Bet Shemesh.
• Luciana Mevasseret (Mehadrin) is the latest branch of the Italian restaurant in the Country & Park complex in Mevasseret Zion.

• Mojo’s (Mehuderet) is a meat pizza restaurant and bar on Shlomtzion HaMalka in Jerusalem. Here is Mojo’s English menu.
• Nuna (Mehadrin) is a mufleta stand in Shuk Machane Yehuda, serving a selection of savory and sweet mufleta sandwiches. I tried one this week and enjoyed every bite.
• Papiano Italian restaurant has opened a second branch in Haifa. The original branch is in Tirat Carmel.
• Pizza Badash is a pizza restaurant in Nahalat Binyamin, Tel Aviv, near the junction with Rothschild Boulevard. The pizza recipe was developed by Chef Tomer Agay of Santa Katarina and Cena, and is said to be a cross between Neopolitan and American style pizza.
• Rachel 5 (Mehuderet) is Rachel Ben Elul’s new wine and meat sandwich bar on Ben Maimon Boulevard in Jerusalem. The meat restaurant is close to her dairy sandwich restaurant, Rachel BeSdera. At the weekend, ready-made food will be available for Shabbat.
• Restart is a deli and restaurant in Bustan HaGalil, near Akko.

• River Asian noodle bar has opened a new branch in Cinema City in Beer Sheva.
• Shirat HaBasar is a smoked meat restaurant that recently moved from Kibbutz Kvutza Kinneret to the Mul HaKinneret (Opposite the Kinneret) complex.
• Vivino Italian restaurant chain has opened a tenth branch in Netivot and the next opening will be their first branch in Tel Aviv.

Not Kosher Restaurant News

• Ban Mi Nong is a Vietnamese street food restaurant on Revov Mikve Israel in Tel Aviv.
• Another branch of Haifa’s Breada Bakery has opened in the Talpiot neighborhood. During the day it is a bakery and at night a cafe/bistro.
• Half Half Pizza is the new pizzeria in Eilat owned by, and next to Broitman Bread.
• Cafe Ivri is a cafe in Tel Aviv designed like a kibbutz dining room with traditional dishes such as herring, omelet pita, pastrami pretzel sandwich, and semolina porridge.
• Caffe Martini is a traditional Italian bistro bar in Tel Aviv, by Chef Idan Peretz of Caphe Hanoi.
• Coffee Club is a cafe on Rehov Shenkin in Tel Aviv.
• House of Coffee (HOC) opened a third branch in Florentine, which is a cafe by day, and a wine bar by night.

• Humus Zaman is a hummus restaurant by Abd Marey in Hod Hasharon with freshly ground tahina on site.
• The Instagram famous Knafe Kaak from Agamon Market has opened a branch in the Namal Market serving knafe in a kaak (similar to a Jerusalem bagel).
• Krihiya is a sandwich restaurant on Kibbutz Eilon in the Upper Galil, housed in a former bookbinding workshop.
• Manal is a new stall in Sarona Market serving traditional Arabic dishes such as shish barak, makluba, masakhan, and knafe. The stall is run by Manal Ismail who was a contestant in the 9th season of Master Chef.
• Marina Bay is a restaurant with a varied menu of salads, pizza, pasta, burgers, and more, in the Herzliya Marina, overlooking the boats.

• Santi is a new trendy restaurant in Tel Aviv from Baraka House Group with a menu inspired by Japanese Izakas. The kitchen is run by Chef Guy Arish from Mashya.
• Taizu Town is an Asian street food restaurant by Chef Yuval Ben Neriah, that has replaced Cafe Taizu in Givon Square in Tel Aviv.
• Tel A Vin is a wine bar and bistro on Ben Gurion Boulevard in Tel Aviv. The bar has a happy hour with 30% off the menu from 5-7 pm.
• Thaistory Eilat is a Thai restaurant in Eilat serving authentic Thai curries, noodles, and rice dishes.
• Trattoria Mekomit is a trattoria in Moshav Shomera, near the Lebanese border, serving local Galilean food. For now, it is open from Thursday to Saturday.

Other Israeli Foodie News

• Burgerim chain has opened a Mehadrin branch in Beit Shean.
• Chefs Assaf Granit and Uri Navon have earned a Michelin star for their restaurant Shabour in Paris.
• Chef Haim Cohen is the new chef of the Knesset.
• Delicatessen, owned by Ruti Broudo and the R2M group, has opened in Ganei Tikva. This is the first branch outside of Tel Aviv.
• Imperial Back Room is a new private hospitality salon adjacent to the Imperial Bar for private events.
• Kitchen by Greg (Mehadrin) which is the bistro version of Greg Cafe, has opened a new branch in Kiryat Bialik,  and is due to open branches in Nahariya, Karmiel, and Eilat.
• Landwer Cafe branches in Ramat Aviv, Ramat Hahayil, and Kfar Saba Green Mall have become kosher.

Tel Aviv Restaurant Closings

• After 30 years in business, Coffee Bar will close at the end of the summer, due to an urban renewal project in its current location.  The restaurant will not relocate but the R2M group will be opening a new restaurant in the group’s new hotel, R48, later in the year.
• Maison Kaiser Bistro on Rothschild is closing.
• Messa is closing after nearly 20 years in business. The food was great but I always felt it was trying too hard to be like a New York restaurant, that no longer fits into the Israeli restaurant scene.
• Weiss in Tel Aviv is closing after a number of chefs left a few months ago.

Israeli Drink & Foodie Events

• Eggs Benedict Festival, Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, 16-28 April 2023 – part of The Palace restaurant breakfast, NIS 200 pp

• Jerusalem Craft Beer Fair, The First Station Jerusalem, 19-20 April 2023
• Home Wineries Fair, Soreq Winery, 5-6 May 2023 – this is one of my favorite wine fairs of the year, as you get to meet the winery owners/winemakers

• Tel Aviv Cocktail Week, 14-20 May 2023
• White Wine by the Sea, Herzliya Marina, 17-18 May 2023 – NIS 89 in advance, NIS 115 on the door.
• Jerusalem Whisky Experience, Beit Ticho, 18-19 May 2023. Tickets NIS 149-179
• Caesarea Wine Festival, Terra, Caesarea, 19 May 2023
• Ella Valley Wine Festival, Ella Valley Winery, 19 May 2023 – 30 wineries
• The First Station Wine Festival, Jerusalem, 24 May 2023
• Terravino, 7 December 2023

Recent Posts

• Hametz – the final countdown 2023
• Pesach Restaurants in Israel 2023
• Israel Foodie Roundup March 2023

Follow Debbest on Facebook, and Instagram, and subscribe to this newsletter to receive regular updates on the Israel Food scene. Click here to read previous Foodie Israel monthly roundups.