Israel Restaurant Openings and Foodie News for November.

Despite the war, restaurants in most cities in Israel have reopened and new restaurants have started to open up. It is possibly one of the hardest times to open a new restaurant in Israel so these places should be celebrated. As well as the emotional toll this war is taking on all of us, many restaurants lost staff members in the Nova Festival massacre. Wait staff in restaurants are typically post-army so many are serving miluim. In addition, some foods are not readily available in Israel right now, eg fresh tuna. These make it even harder for restaurants to function normally, so if they have opened up, we should make an effort to support them if we can. Please take into consideration that restaurants are not able to run at 100% efficiency right now, so be patient with them.

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

Kosher Israel Restaurant Openings

• Cafe Colonia is a cafe in Eilat near the Tabah border with Egypt.
• Dudu Outmezgine Patisserie has opened a new branch in Herzliya.
• La Piedra pizza restaurant opened a food truck in Har Hotzvim industrial area in Jerusalem.
• Muffin Boutique (Mehadrin) opened a new branch in Arnona, Jerusalem, serving its signature Montreal-style bagels.
• OsH Pa LaO is an Uzbeki meat restaurant in Bnei Barak by the owners of Samarkand that opened in the summer. The restaurant is due to open a second branch in Rishon.
• Psagot Patisserie is a bakery in Psagot Winery that is only open on Fridays.
• Super Hamizrach by Jacko’s Son is an Asian restaurant on Derech Bet Lechem in Baka from the owners of Jacko’s Street. The restaurant serves a selection of sushi, bao buns, stir fry, and other Asian meat dishes. The restaurant serves a business lunch. I have eaten there twice and the food was delicious and the service attentive.

• Umino Sushi is an Asian bar on Rishon Lezion beach with a focus on Japanese food and cocktails. The restaurant is open in the evening and there is a happy hour from 5-8 pm.

Not Kosher Israel Restaurant Openings

• Café Coco is a cafe and brasserie in Downtown Haifa with an incredible selection of pastries.
• Dash is a boutique cafe inside a gallery in Haifa, with a selection of pastries, cakes, and sandwiches.
• Fika Swedish Bakery has opened a new branch in Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv. The branches on Yirmiyahu and Tushiya are under Tzohar kashrut but this branch isn’t.

• Jango is a new meat brasserie in the Carmel Market area of Tel Aviv, from the owners of Fat Cow and Triger. The brasserie replaces Coco Bambino.
• Orby Cafe in Florentine is a hipster cafe with an Eastern European menu, including all-day breakfast and dinner.
• Panino is an Italian sandwich bar on Ahad Haam in Tel Aviv.
• Rothschild 48 Brasserie in the latest opening by Ruti Broudo and R2M group, located inside the R48 hotel, with a terrace on Rothschild Boulevard. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, here is the English lunch menu.
• Schnitt – Craft Pizza & Beer is a pizza restaurant from the Schnitt Brewing Company in the Ruth Daniel Residence Hotel in Jaffa.

• Siesta is a cafe and bistro in Downtown Haifa with a French influence, open from 7 am to 6 pm.
• Sugar & Spice Special Cafe in Haifa serves a selection of coffee drinks, iced tea, matcha, milkshakes, smoothies, and cocktails along with sandwiches and donuts.
• Venus is an Italian restaurant in Jaffa from the owners of Casino San Remo.
• Wat Sang is a Japanese restaurant in the Levontin area of Tel Aviv by chef Wat Sang who previously worked at Moon.

Other Foodie News

• Kapara and Boubalé are the Machneyuda Group’s newest restaurants in Paris.
• Cafe Landwer in The First Station in Jerusalem is now kosher under Badatz Beit Yosef.
• Chef Eyal Shani’s restaurant Shmoné just received a Michelin star and the chef opened Malka on the Upper West Side in New York City, his first kosher restaurant outside of Israel.

Restaurant Closings

Unfortunately due to the war, some restaurants have closed. These include:

• Artel Formal in Tel Aviv
• 416 vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv
• Shanty in Jerusalem after 30 years in business.
• Mr Hunter in Bat Yam

Israeli Foodie Events & Festivals

I am not sure if these events are going ahead but these are the scheduled dates.

• Soup Festival at The Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem – Sunday – Thursday, 12 to 10 pm.
• Terravino, 15 December 2023
• Sommelier, Hechal HaTarbut Tel Aviv, 19 – 20 February 2024

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