Recommended restaurants in Tel Aviv – Restaurants of different cuisines, vegan, vegetarian, gourmet and hamburger restaurants

Vegan/vegetarian restaurants

416, Meshek Barzilai, Zakaim

Burger joints

Prozdor, America Burgers

Gourmet restaurants

Blue Sky, Taizu, Topolopompo, Popina

Restaurants from different world cuisines

Kalamata, Dalida, Dallal, Tenat, Vong, Okinawa, Florentin House

416 restaurant

This is one of the restaurants which surprised me this year while looking for good restaurants for the blog. First of all, the moment you walk into this restaurant you fall in love with its cool, modern design. It’s full of different spaces. The bottom floor, the top floor, a bar and outside seating. It doesn’t matter if you come for a romantic date or a hangout with friends, it’ll match your expectations. Beyond the unique design, what excited me about this restaurant are the high-quality cocktails. I love cocktail bars, and this is one restaurant that lives up to the standard of a professional cocktail bar.

I tried two cocktails which were excellent, and what’s fun is that they make all the cocktail ingredients in house. There are no syrups or artificial materials, everything is made there. Now it’s time to discuss the food. So yes, it’s a vegan restaurant which isn’t everyone’s favorite, but let’s put it this way: If I didn’t know in advance that this is a vegan restaurant, I wouldn’t even notice it. I don’t know how, but the chef managed to recreate non-vegan dishes like Calamari and steak in a vegan dish which is identical in flavors and texture.

I tried several dishes there and each one excited me anew. The calamari dish was just like a regular calamari dish (A must try), the steak was an insane experience as well, as it tasted and felt just like a regular steak, I tried a Thai dish of pumpkin and lima beans which was excellent and the desserts, tiramisu and patisserie pastry, were amazing!
I’m not usually into desserts and was honestly quite full, but I had to try them out and they were worth it. To summarize, this restaurant is both a hangout and a culinary experience and is highly recommended.
Address: Ha-Arba’a 16, Map, Website link.

Kalamata restaurant

A Greek restaurant. This is one of the restaurants with the best view. It’s located just in front of the sea in Jaffa and has a very unique design, in a beautiful stone structure that’s nearly 500 years old, at the historical kikar kdumim.
Tip: Book the left side table which offers the best view of the sea :).

I was at this restaurant twice and enjoyed both times immensely. The view, the food and the atmosphere were fantastic. The first time I was with my parents and husband and we ordered a dish of small, fried fish and the sea fish kebab. The dishes were great, and we enjoyed a lot.

The second time I came on my own just for the blog and ordered the Baladi eggplant, Pâté, peppers, basil aioli and olive tapenade, the Arabian style drum fish ceviche and country bread and dips and of course a cocktail as well, Campari fizz, a shaken Campari with grapefruit vodka, gin, a touch of lychee, soda and mint flowers. This was a super fun and light meal. The combination of gorgeous view with the sour and bitter cocktail and the excellent starters was a real winner.

This is excellent choice for a Friday lunch after a stroll of the Jaffa port. Address: Kikar Kdumim 10, Jaffa, Map, Website link

Dalida restaurant

This restaurant I discovered when we moved to live in the Florentin area. In it you’ll find a mixture of Arabic, French and Italian cuisines. I visited it several times and what I liked about it was the fun atmosphere and the delicious food. Another advantage this restaurant has is their happy hour on weekdays, and the coolest part is that the food is 50% off (Not including the specials menu, desserts and drinks). So if you want a full decadent meal, you can simply visit during the happy hour and enjoy a good price for a full meal. The restaurant has a regular menu and a seasonal specials menu.

When I visited it for the blog, I decided to try a summer’s special dish of shrimp tartar with avocado (Smoked shrimp oil, lime, chili, grapes, whole shrimps, pistachio oil and red shiso). This dish is a celebration of flavors, as well as refreshing and of course I had to get a cocktail and ordered a basil gin (Gin, cucumbers, basil, sour and tonic water). A light drink that goes well with the tartar.

Another time, when I was here with Roman we ordered the flag dish of Crème Brule with Pâté and roasted peppers (A must try), Roman has the brioche and marrow, a dish I didn’t taste as I’m not a big bone marrow fan but Roman enjoyed it a lot and we also ordered the raw zucchini salad (The burned pepper sauce was great on it).

In summary, Dalida is the type of restaurant you’ll want to visit with friends and share many dishes at, to try as much as possible and enjoy a jug of Sangria or another cocktail, like Basil gin :)Address: Zevulun 7, Map, Website link

Blue sky restaurant

This is a gourmet restaurant. It belongs to chef Meir Adoni and there’s a reason why he’s considered one of the best chefs in the country. His ability to combine many ingredients and flavors in one dish is a skill not many people have. Every bite will fill you with happiness and a huge wow. I love restaurants that have dishes that can surprise me.
The restaurant is located on the top floor of the Carlton hotel, where you can enjoy an amazing meal with a view of the sea and of Tel Aviv’s skyscrapers (You can sit inside of the restaurant as well, but I of course prefer to sit outside, as the food, cocktails and view aren’t something you’ll want to miss). By the way, this restaurant is kosher.
I visited it with Roman for an early dinner, so we got to enjoy the beautiful sunset as well.

We ordered two cocktails which were amazing! We asked the bartender for cocktails with heat and sourness and not sweet ones, and he got it just right. For starters we ordered the Mediterranean frijoles and the locus carpaccio (I’m not listing what each dish contains as the list is endless :)).

As you already figured out, each bite was an explosion of flavors, excitement and enjoyment. Oh, and how can you forget the bread basket which included buns done by Meir’s grandma’s recipe (So delicious and soft, we asked for a second serving of grandma’s buns), served with butter and paprika spread. For mains we had the Thai Chraime, which was tasty and filling, to be honest though, I would have preferred to order two more starters instead as they simply blew me away.

If you’re looking for a lucrative meal with surprising flavors and a view like you get abroad, this is a restaurant worth visiting. It’s great for celebrating a special occasion or just enjoying a great meal. You can just visit and enjoy a good cocktail while watching the sunset.
Address: Eliezer Peri 10, Map, Website link

Burger joints
I have to admit, I love hamburgers, but seldom wish to have them. I need to be really hungry and in a certain mood for a burger. Since it as important to me to write about burgeries in this post about Tel Aviv’s restaurant, I took Roman with me to impart his opinion about the burgers. I chose two great burger joints in Tel Aviv and took Roman to check them out with me. Prozdor and America Burgers.

Prozdor restaurant

The restaurant is in an attractive location (By the sea), so for anyone returning from the beach hungry, this is a worthwhile visit. Those coming to the Prozdor need to realize it’s about a group of guys who built a menu with unique burgers, each combining different ingredients and providing a different experience.

Coming here means you know how to appreciate food and aren’t looking for the boring tomato, lettuce and pickle hamburgers. Of course, you’ll find that here as well if you so desire, but both the restaurant and I recommend trying the waiter’s recommendations and discovering a hamburger which is a festivity of flavors. Additionally, each burger has its own name, and some have names referencing movies and TV shows, with the dish having some sort of twist related to the show. For example, there’s the “Better call Saul”, with a twist of spicy roast pepper (Like Saul :)).

There are also double burgers and a burger of the month, and if you want something besides a burger there’s the “Not a burger” section where you’ll find wings, fries, jalapeno balls, sweet potato fries, salads and more. They also have a worthwhile business menu and the possibility to add another patty if you’re really hungry. Oh, and there’s a vegetarian burger too.

Roman decided to order the “Don’t brag” burger, out of the double burger section, and we got wings and fries as well. The wings went fast, and the fries were excellent as well, which left Roman in charge of eating the burger and let’s just say there wasn’t a crumb left. Roman said their burger is really good and so I decided to put them on the restaurant list.
Another thing worth mentioning is that here you’ll find Draft beer from small boutique breweries around the country. That way you get to enjoy foo beer as well as promote local Israeli breweries.
Address: Mandele 6, Map, Website link

America Burgers

The restaurant is by Rothchild Avenue so if you’re hungry and in the mood for meat in that area, this is a great choice. The place is designed like an American diner with a great atmosphere. Although I didn’t have the burger, I discovered they have a good cocktail bar which is already a good start for me.

Roman ordered the classic cheeseburger which looked really good with a juicy patty and done to a medium. I had the chili boom cocktail (With tequila, mango, passion fruit, lemon and of course chili… If you aren’t used to my taste in cocktails yet, I really like spicy cocktails with chili or ginger). We decided to have the unusual side dish of friend pickles!!! I don’t usually like deep fried food, but I have to admit this is a nice and refreshing change from regular fries.

The cocktail was great and there’s no doubt Roman was pleased. He really liked the pickles as well. Anyone looking for a quality burger and a diner bar atmosphere, this place is highly recommended. Oh, and the menu has a chicken burger and a vegetarian burger with a portobello mushroom patty. I heard the onion flower as a side is really good as well and is considered the flag dish on the sides menu 🙂 Of course, like any American diner, you’ll find American ice-cream too.
Address: Alenbi 112, Map, Website link

Dallal

I’ve been to Dallal several times, usually for celebrating a special occasion like our wedding day or when the blog reached 10,000 followers on Facebook 🙂 Actually, we went there for the business menu as they offer it until a rather late hour and it’s really worthwhile. In my opinion the best starters are the tortellini with mascarpone and forest mushrooms and the thinly sliced salmon.

We considered ordering something else every time, but ended up choosing the same dishes as they are simply too good. For mains, the spicy fish with cuscus is really good and if you feel like having a gourmet burger, this is the place. It’s served with a brioche bun with a truffle mousse! Yummy. The restaurant also has good breakfasts and brunches, as well as good cocktails.
Address: Shabazi 10, Map, Website link

Meshek Barzilai

Also a restaurant in Neve Tzedek, an organic vegetarian restaurant where you’ll find delicious, healthy food. You may also buy breads, jams, cheeses (Vegan), great cakes (Like carrot cake) to take home. They also have a deli I visit often to get takeaway. The fun part about it is that you can buy several dishes in a box and then have a tasting meal with many dishes, like mushroom kibbeh, curry tofu, lasagna, moussaka (And everything is vegetarian).

The restaurant itself has great breakfasts as well. I like the Meshek breakfast with the tofu shakshuka (The hummus omelet is good as well). There’s also gluten free eggplant Punjabi which is tang and light and a fun dish to share.
By the way if you come by car – Rothchild mall is really close by.
Address: Ehad Ha-Am 6, Map, Website link

Tenat Ethiopian restaurant

A few years ago, I discovered my love for Ethiopian food. While I’ve never been to Ethiopia and don’t know how authentic this restaurant is, I’m absolutely addicted to Tenat. It’s a vegetarian restaurant with great food and many times when Roman and I are considering where you eat – We find ourselves there. On new year’s eve we decided this was the restaurant where we wanted to start the new year 🙂

You’ll of course find Injera there (Gluten free Ethiopian bread) with many tasty stews. And one of my favorite dishes is the mushroom Injera (A great dish!!!), as well as the bread with butter and tomato sauce, which is amazing. In summary, if you haven’t been to this restaurant yet, you have to try it.Address: Chlenov 27, Map, Website link

Okinawa

I really like Asian restaurants and Okinawa is a great restaurant for anyone looking for good sushi, sashimi, gyozas (Highly recommended as they make them in house), delicious noodles and an overall great experience of sushi and Japanese food, with a light atmosphere and good service.
Address: Shabazi 46, Map, Website link

Vong

A Vietnamese restaurant on Rothchild avenue. It’s been around for a long time now and many times when I schedule with friends or my sisters to go out, we somehow end up there. They have great food and a large variety of dishes. One of my favorite dishes is Cha Ca La Vong, which is quite similar to the Vietnamese dish Cha Ca but with an Israeli twist.

They have good noodle dishes and tasty buns. The atmosphere there is light and nice, definitely perfect for meeting friends.
Address: Rothchild 15, Map, Website link

Florentin House

Another Vietnamese restaurant in the Florentin neighborhood. A relatively new restaurant serving delicious Thai cuisine. When we were there we sat at the bar and shared several dishes. We ordered the steamed seabass dumplings (Really recommended, they were great). And for mains we had the Bon Cha (A dish we really liked in Vietnam and was good here as well, though not quite like the original) and a shrimp and noodle dish which was good as well.
So, for anyone looking for a Vietnamese restaurant, this is a good choice.
Address: Florentin 6, Map, Website link

Zakaim

Another vegan restaurant which entered the list thanks to it’s excellent shakshuka, addictive fries and giant, delicious bourekas.
This is one of Tel Aviv’s oldest vegan restaurants and for good reason. It serves delicious food and some dishes’ flavors will surprise you.Address: Simtat Beit Ha-Sho’eva 20, Map, Website link

Gourmet restaurants

If you ask me what the best gourmet restaurants in Tel Aviv are (Besides Blue Sky), my answer will be Popina, Taizu and Topolopompo. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to eat there lately and the photos I have of these restaurants aren’t great (I won’t put any pictures here which would shame my photography skill or the restaurants themselves :)), But I’ll be back there soon and update my photo stocks. For now, I had to write about them, as there simply can’t exist a good list of restaurants without them on it.

Popina

Popina’s menu is devided by types of cooking and each dish will drive you crazy. I think this restaurant is especially fitting for a romantic evening or a special occasion.
Address: Ehad Ha-Am 3, Map, Website link

Taizu

One of the most highly regarded and talked about restaurants in Tel Aviv, you’ll always find it full. It serves Asian dishes in a precise and delicious way and the restaurant’s design is very impressive as well. They hold Indian food nights every Sunday evening and have lunch business menus.
Address: Menahem Begin 23, Map, Website link

Topolopompo

If you feel like treating yourself and have a high meal budget, go there! We saved money for a meal there and it was one of the best we’ve ever had, a mixture of colors, tastes and the highest quality of ingredients. They also offer lunch business menus, but I highly recommend coming there during the evening and trying as many dishes as possible, as each one will blow you away.
Address: Ha-Solelim 14, Map, Website link