Top Kosher and Non-Kosher Restaurant Meals Across Israel in 2025

From kosher fine dining to tapas and beachside pizza, 2025 was a delicious year in Israel. I visited top restaurants in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Rehovot, and the Galilee, tasting standout dishes—from fresh sashimi and seafood mains to creative desserts—that made this year unforgettable for food lovers.

While I rarely post full restaurant reviews on this blog, I regularly share stories and posts on Facebook and Instagram, so follow me there for more restaurant reviews.

Amaya (Kosher) –  Dairy Italian in Rehovot

A beautifully decorated Italian dairy restaurant in Rehovot. We started with crispy kubaneh with brown butter, eggplant tirshi, and labaneh, followed by a standout tuna tartare on a sea-salt cracker with yuzu ice cream – such a great combination. The hamachi sashimi with charred beets, herbs, and caramelized pecans was fresh and vibrant. The sea bass on buttery mash with roasted greens was comforting and well executed. We ended with a salty-honey tart topped with milk toffee ice cream—a sweet finish to a delightful meal (reel of the meal).

Azia 19 (Kosher) – Japanese Favorites in Rehavia

Still one of my favorite restaurants this year, and not only because I live next to it.   The new handroll happy hour (5-7 pm) menu includes 10 types of mini-handrolls for NIS 10 each, six raw-fish options, one cooked-fish option, one meat option, and two vegetarian options. Standouts were the black cod tempura, the saba handroll with Albacore tuna, miso peppers, and ponzu sauce, and the foie gras handroll, which was more beef tartare than foie gras, but still delicious. I cannot go there without ordering the sesame Caesar salad.

Bar 22 (Kosher) – Cocktails & Small Plates at Inbal Hotel

A new bar that opened this year in the Inbal Hotel. I loved the cocktails – clover club, secret garden, and a bold spicy margarita, and the various small meat, fish, and vegetable dishes that accompanied them. Take a look at the full video here.

Cafe Ramban (Kosher) – Breakfast, Lunch & Lunch Favorites

The dairy restaurant of the Ramban Hotel in Rehavia is open to non-hotel guests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have not been as often as I would like, but I enjoyed the eggs Benedict for breakfast and the Machneyuda-style polenta and vegetable salad with Jibneh cheese for lunch. More photos here.

Chacoli (Not Kosher) – Spanish Tapas & Seafood in Tel Aviv

A Spanish tapas, fish, and seafood restaurant by Chef Guy Gamzo in the old Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv. There is a large fresh fish counter, and it is great fun sitting at the bar watching the food being prepared. The fish sashimi and halloumi in honey were both delicious.

Craft Pizza (Mehadrin) – Beachside Pizza in Tel Aviv

A pizza restaurant in Kikar Atarim overlooking Gordon Beach in Tel Aviv. The menu is the same in all three branches of the restaurant, and my favorites are the umami pizza and the cheese palin pasta pillows. It is an excellent place for lunch or dinner close to the beach. Click here to find out more.

Darya (Kosher) – Hilton Tel Aviv Fine Dining

This is one of my favorite kosher restaurants in Israel, and I organized several events in the private room this year. I had a family meal over Pesach, which was good, even though the menu was limited, as the hotel is kitniyot-free — video of the dinner in the private room here.

Dvora by Eyal Shani (Kosher) – Favorite Dishes

Had dinner with some old friends, it was delicious. For once, I didn’t take photos, but we shared the green beans, the entrecote steak, and my favorite dish of the night was the salmon schnitzel.

Hamigdal (Kosher) – Tower of David Dairy Cafe & Wine Bar

A dairy cafe inside the new entrance to the Tower of David, just outside Jaffa Gate, by the talented team behind Harim Bakery. During the summer, it was also open at night as a wine bar with a lovely dairy menu and a happy hour from 6-8 pm with 20% off all food and drink. Everything I tried was delicious, including zaatar brioche with labaneh, tuna tataki, crispy salmon burger, and buttery agnolotti. Check out the video of the lunch and the view.

Helen Family Bakers (Mehadrin) – Creative Pastries

The sister restaurant to Gagou de Paris has a large indoor and outdoor seating area. The food is similar to Gagou but with different twists.  I love the egg Benedict croissant and the pistachio raspberry cube, and I also enjoyed the egg salad pretzel.

ImerSion (Kosher) – Immersive Tasting Experience in Old Jaffa

Located in a secret building in Old Jaffa, it lives up to the name of an immersive experience. It is a multi-sensory journey worldwide with a tasting menu and stunning immersive visuals that take you from New York to Kyoto, Rio to Paris, Venice to Vegas, before heading home. My favorite dish was the fillet with goose liver and truffle mash at the end. I wish I had paced myself through the other courses. Read more here.

Jacko’s Street (Kosher) – Elevated Traditional Dishes

I still love the Beit Safafa sashimi, red tuna fricasse, and sirloin roast beef starters; the burger and goose breast foccacia never disappoint as the main course; and the Panther chocolate and banana bender desserts. The details of the dishes and more photos are here. This restaurant will always appear on my list of best dishes!

Janjariya (Kosher) – Ramban Hotel Meat & Dessert Highlights

The meat restaurant of the Ramban Hotel in Rehavia, with a daily-changing menu.  The honey olive oil dip and whipped tahina with fresh sourdough and focaccia are both so simple but so good. I love the veal tongue carpaccio and beef tartar starters, and the fennel shish barak and entrecote steak mains. The carrot cake with Baharat ice cream and the olive oil chocolate mousse are incredible desserts. More photos here.

Katzir (Kosher) – David Kempinski Tel Aviv Fine Dining

The incredible new meat restaurant in The David Kempinski Tel Aviv hotel. The menu changes regularly, but I have had three excellent meals there, and everything was well thought out and delicious. Standout dishes include the Lion’s Mane mushroom in porcini broth and the tongue starters, the sea bass with incredible homemade pasta, and the chicken-and-chips for the main course. The desserts are all great, and it’s hard to believe that they are parev. Here is a reel of one of the meals and an interview with Chef Daniel Raymond, the British-Israeli chef of Katzir.

Moran Slow Dining (Dairy not supervised) – Galilee Cafe & Restaurant

A modern cafe and restaurant in Slowness Guesthouse on Kibbutz Moran in the Galil. The restaurant is located in the old kibbutz dining hall, and the vibe is warm and effortless. My favorite dishes at dinner were the fish sashimi, potato agnolotti, and the sea bass in tomato butter (dinner reel). For brunch, I loved the fatayer with labaneh and fried egg toast. Find out more from my interview with Chef Nitay Yahalom.

Nura (Kosher) – Kiryat Anavim Meat Restaurant

The same people behind Derech HaGefen and Harim Bakery own the new meat restaurant in Kiryat Anavim. We enjoyed some dishes more than others, but overall it was a good meal, and the desserts were very impressive. Read more here.

Rothschild 48 Brasserie (Not Kosher) – Tel Aviv Trendy Dining

A trendy new restaurant in the R48 Hotel from Ruti Broudo‘s R2M Hospitality Group.  Everything was great, but my favorite dishes were the amberjack carpaccio and the drum fish confit. The desserts were also delicious.

Roost Fried Chicken (Badatz Rubin) – Jerusalem Fast Food

A fast-food fried chicken restaurant in Ramat Eshkol, Jerusalem, that replaced Shmaltz. Here is a video of our meal.

Salon Yevani (Mehadrin) – Greek Cuisine at First Station

A Greek taverna at The First Station in Jerusalem, serving delicious, authentic dairy and fish dishes. Standout dishes include feta cream with honey and pistachios, crispy halloumi with cherry tomato jam, whole sea bass, and Kaimaki ice cream. Read more here.

Sambation (Tzohar) – Creative Cocktails in Jerusalem

A small cocktail bar near Mamilla in Jerusalem. The drinks menu features unique combinations such as gin with Greek yoghurt and za’atar and an Israeli salad cocktail. I love going for happy hour (5-7 pm) when all the drinks are NIS 35 each.  Check out my review of the bar.

The 85/15 (Not Kosher) – Tuna, Sea Bass & Margaritas

A brasserie and bar on Kikar Rabin. I enjoyed bluefin tuna sashimi, tuna tartar, and sea bass fillet, washed down with margaritas.

For more end-of-year summaries, please read my post on New Restaurant Openings in Israel in 2025.

If you try any of these restaurants, please share your feedback on Restaurant Club Israel or Restaurant Club Jerusalem. Follow Debbest on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to this newsletter for regular updates on the Foodie Israel scene.