Israel Restaurant Openings and Foodie News for February.

There is nothing normal right now about life in Israel, but we are trying to find a routine and cling to moments of happiness and normality.  Some form of tourism has returned, more soldiers have been released from miluim, and most restaurants have reopened.  That does not mean we should forget that many people still have loved ones on the front lines and there is still a lack of staff in the Israeli restaurant industry.

Kosher highlights this month include Onami Japanese restaurant opening in the Hilton Tel Aviv, a cafe and bar by Chef Haim Cohen in Herzliya Pituach, and a dairy restaurant by 1868 in Ticho House in Jerusalem.  Non-kosher news includes a Japanese restaurant on the Kinneret and Sante Bistro Chef in Kfar Saba.

If you try any restaurants in this update,  please share photos and a review in Restaurant Club Israel‘s Facebook group.

Kosher Israel Restaurant Openings

• Alma is a cafe and deli in Sdei Hemed near Kfar Saba.
• Bai Fan is a Chinese restaurant in the Midtown complex in Tel Aviv, from the owners of Bleecker Bakery and Coompaniya. The buffet restaurant is only open for lunch and targets those working in the area.

• Berta is a food truck by Chef Yossef Shitrit (of David & Yossef) serving Italian food, in Moshav Megadim, between Atlit and Haifa.
• Eser by 1868 is a dairy restaurant in Ticho House in Jerusalem. The menu is divided into four sections, vegetables, gluten, fish, deep-fry, and plancha fish (full Eser English menu, scroll down).
• Happy Pizza Place is a pizza restaurant in Modi’in.

• ImerSion claims to be Israel’s first Immersive Restaurant. Located in Tel Aviv, the restaurant holds 18 diners and features a set six-course menu.
• Kaufman & Cohen is a bakery and cafe by day and a wine bar with a dairy bar menu at night co-owned by Chef Haim Cohen,  located in the industrial area of Herzliya Pituach. The wine bar is currently only open on Wednesday and Thursday nights and all the baked goods are mehadrin.
• Machne Asada, the street food restaurant from the owners of Black Iron, has opened a new branch in Modi’in.

• Onami Japanese restaurant from Rehov Haarba in Tel Aviv is opening a kosher branch in the Hilton Hotel Tel Aviv, in the place of Yakimono.
• Paris Bakikar is a French cafe and patisserie in Kikar Paris in Jerusalem.

• Picasso by Eran Schwarzbard (Badatz Beit Yosef) is a cafe and patisserie in Rishon Le Zion. The cafe serves salads and sandwiches as well as sweet and savory pastries.
• Pronko is a meat street food restaurant in Ashdod by Chef Barak Cohen.
• Sphera Meat & Deli is a butcher shop and delicatessen in Ness Ziona from chef Benny Madar of Sphera restaurant.

Not Kosher Israel Restaurant Openings

• Amita Bakery in Tel Aviv has opened a second branch inside Beit Ha’Ir Museum in Bialik Square.
• Dona Donuts is a donut and coffee shop in Haifa. As well as interesting sweet flavors such as Layali Beirut and Halabi, the store also has salty donuts, filled with cream cheese and chives, zaatar and labneh, and a toasted donut with roast beef, and cheese.

• Hoffman is a wine bar in Rishon LeZion.
• Kona is a bistro in Downtown Haifa from the owners of Breada Bakery.
• La Passage is a cafe and delicatessen in Herzliya.
• Mela cafe from Bezel Street in Tel Aviv opened a new branch on the corner of Dizengoff and Ben Gurion.
• Mi Va is an Italian bar headed by Chef Shahar Ben Galim, which has taken over from Simta in Tel Aviv.
• Mizumi is a Japanese restaurant on the Kinneret, in place of Aleta.

• Plaza Cafe is a cafe in Dizengoff Square, open daily from 9 am to midnight.
• Sako is a Pan-Asian restaruant in Sharonim Complex in Hod Hasharon. The menu includes sashimi, bun rolls, spring rolls, tori ramen, chirashi, and a variety of sushi rolls.

• Sante Bistro Chef is a Mediterranean bistro in Kfar Saba. It opened in September but then closed again as the chef had miluim service. It has now re-opened.
• The Taboon Factory is a taboon bakery and coffee shop, next to Habima in Tel Aviv, serving burekas, focaccia, sambusak, and salads.

Other Foodie News

• Cafe Martini in Tel Aviv opened for the first time since the start of the war, with a new chef and a new menu.
• Cafe Xoho is a popular cafe on Ben Yehuda in Tel Aviv that became kosher at the beginning of December.

• Eddie’s Hide A Way in Eilat is becoming kosher in the middle of February.
• Josef Burger in Jerusalem moved to 6 HaShikma Street, in place of Segev Burger.
• Mall Hof Village in Hadera has become kosher. The mall includes 25 restaurants and cafes.
• Miznon by Eyal Shani’s branch in Times Square in New York is now kosher.
• Schnitzel Kuki in Kiryat Ono is now under Tzohar supervision.

Israel Restaurant Closings

• Brut Wine Bar in Nachalat Binyamin will close at the end of February.
• Gan HaShikmim in Habima in Tel Aviv has closed.
• La Cité bistro in Tel Aviv.
• Olé by celebrity Chef Oren Asido has closed as the building it is located in has closed.
• Topolopompo by Chef Avi Conforti is closing at the end of February.

Israeli Foodie Events & Festivals

• Sommelier, Hechal HaTarbut Tel Aviv, 1-2 April 2024

Recent Posts

• Debbest Israeli Restaurants 2023
• Israel Restaurant Openings Roundup 2023
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