TEL AVIV RESTAURANTS - WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

OVERVIEW

The Tel Aviv food scene is inventive, festive, diverse and delicious. A perfect blend of eclectic cuisines and cultures, the food is exceptional and the atmosphere unsurpassed. Don't believe us? Check out why Forbes thinks "Israel Just Might Have the World's Best Restaurant Scene" and Conde Nast Traveler's take on "Why the World's Best Vegetarian Food Is in Tel Aviv".

Below are our updated top picks.

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

YULIA - perfect for when you want to eat at a restaurant with a view of the water, but not in the sand, in the tel aviv namal
CAFE DIZENGOFF - casual cafe on dizengoff with great food, always packed
THE NORMAN HOTEL - beautiful breakfast on the outdoor terrace ($30 per person, ends at 10:30 AM)
BREAD & CO - delicious israeli breakfast and bakery on the corner of Ben Gurion & Ben Yehuda
DALLAL - beautiful restaurant in Neve Tzedeck
MANTA RAY - delicious israeli breakfast with a view of the beach
HOTEL MONTIFIORE - charming french bistro in a chic boutique hotel in southern Tel Aviv
BENEDICT - incredibly popular, breakfast available 24 hours a day, serves nutella (!) with all fresh bread baskets, multiple locations
HA'ACHIM - bustling, casual middle eastern restaurant

BEACH RESTAURANTS

LALA LAND - popular beach restuarant, located at Gordon beach, stay all day, watch the sunset and listen to live music at night
CALYPSO - restaurant at Calypso beach (formerly Frishman beach)
HILTON BEACH - beautiful view and atmosphere, yummy schniztel and fries

LUNCH

M25 - innovative and unique meat-centric restuarant hidden inside the Carmel market
PUA - great for lunch on a friday afternoon in yafo, no reservations, but put your name down and walk around
HABASTA - great for lunch on a friday afternoon near the shuk, unique, delicious dishes with fresh ingredients
KITCHEN MARKET - cool Tel Aviv Port restaurant, upscale, with beautiful views
HERZEL 16 + DISCO TOKYO - great for lunch or dinner near Rothschild
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA - middle eastern restaurant in Yafo, great for lunch or dinner, touristy, but delicious
SHUK ROTHSCHILD ALLENBY - Tel Aviv's newest food market - a smaller version of Sarona in the middle of the city
MONTIFIORE - cute french bistro in the Montifiore hotel
CAFE NOIR - good cafe near rothschild known for their schnitzel
ROTHSCHILD 12 - great for a causal coffee, lunch or happy hour, located on Rothschild
CASBAH - downtown vibes in florentine, casual cafe

COFFEE, BAKERIES & QUICK BITES

LEHAMIM (I.E., BREADS BAKERY) - the most popular bakery in Tel Aviv with outposts in NYC (dont miss the warm rugalach or nutella babka)
HAMITZIM VE HAYAFIM - the best fresh fruit smoothie stand in Tel Aviv, get the "tuti fruiti"
AROMA CAFE - order iced coffee, salads and sandwiches at the counter, several locations in tel aviv
AR CAFE - several locations in tel aviv, good for a quick bite or coffee

STREET FOOD (FALAFEL & MORE!)

ABU HASSAN - often considered the best hummus in Israel, closes early (~2PM) and only serves hummus, must go
HAMIZNON - casual and busy pita-focused take away restaurant, popular with locals, great late night
HAKOSEM - great falafel and shwarma in central location, near Dizengoff
SABICH TCERNICHOVSKY - delicious sabich
FRISHMAN SABICH AND FALAFEL - very popular sabich and falafel spot
LEVINSKY BUREKAS - very popular Turkish puff-pastry spot in the up-and-coming area of Levinsky market in South Tel Aviv
FALAFEL GABAI - several locations, popular soup and falafel

DINNER

NORTH ABRAXAS - extremely unique and fun restaurant, sit at the bar if you can, one of our favorites!
EMESH - new restaurant, great with a big group, festive bar for post-dinner drinks
COCO BAMBINO - italian restaurant, book a late table and stay for drinks after, best with a big group
HA'SALON - popular restaurant with unique and festive atmosphere, only open a few nights a week, dinner turns into a dance party, book ahead
ROMANO - fun restaurant in yafo, best on a friday night when you can go to the bar teder after dinner
CHICCITTI - italian small plates restaurant with a great vibe, book a spot at the bar and go with a small group
ABIE - casual, but very popular restaurant
DON CAMILLO - the restaurant at the new jaffa hotel, upscale food and vibe, check out the stunning chapel bar in the hotel if you go
DISCO TOKYO + HERZL 16 - two great restaurants in the same location, great place to book for a night out, stay for drinks
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA - traditional middle eastern food, go hungry!
SARONA MARKET - new market in Sarona with many popular food stalls. grab a glass of wine and sit at one of the restaurants or have dessert
HOTEL DEVILLE - french bistro, casual and great food for a chill night
SHILA - delicious restaurant that specializes in fish and seafood, upscale and packed every night of the week
PORT SA'ID - casual, fun atmosphere, incredibly popular israeli restaurant. no reservations, go early and/or order a bottle of wine to drink while waiting on the sidewalk.
SANTA CATARINA - casual, fun atmosphere next door to port sa'id (good option if you can't get in to port sa'id or don't want to wait)
TAIZU - asian fusion restaurant
TYO - fun japanese restaurant, sit inside
BINDELLA - delicious italian food, cool ambiance
FLEA MARKET - a popular restaurant in Yafo on the small cobblestoned streets
ONZA - fun vibes in yafo, shuk hapishpeshim
VICKY CHRISTINA - fun outdoor tapas restaurant, great for a drink and small plates before going out
CAFE EUROPA - great casual restaurant on rothschild
RAMSES - very popular yafo restaurant, book ahead
CLARO - popular seafood restaurant in Sarona
JAJO - wine bar and tapas restaurant in Sarona

BARS

BUSTAN (i.e., THE SECRET GARDEN) - come here to party and mingle with the most beautiful people in Tel Aviv
IMPERIAL CRAFT COCKTAIL BAR - this tiny, award-winning bar is hidden in the Imperial Hotel and is ranked number 17 on the World's 50 Best Bars list
SHALVATA - dance club by the water with a bit of a younger crowd, located in the tel aviv port
SURAMARE - swanky rooftop bar in southern Tel Aviv, small bites
SPEAKEASY - beautiful rooftop bar on Rothschild
BELLBOY - unique themed bar with food, reservations required