The Rating System

Even though the quality of the cuisine was the most important factor in evaluating the restaurants listed here, decor, atmosphere, and the quality of the welcome and service were also considered. In the case of more formal restaurants, the breadth and depth of the wine list and the quality of the wine service was also included. The ratings are relative - that is to say that one should not have the same expectations from a simple, unpretentious restaurant specializing in cookery from the Yiddish or Balkan kitchen or a tiny little place specializing in meats cooked over open charcoals as from those that specialize in fine French, Mediterranean or Italian cuisine.

The Star System

All of the restaurants listed are recommended on the basis of personal visits. Those restaurants that I found less than good in quality are simply not listed. That does not mean, however, that every good restaurant in the country has been Included. That is not the fault of the restaurants but of this reviewer, who in the words of the great French critic Curnonsky, regrets "that I have only one mouth and seven days in each week to dine out". No restaurant has paid to be included in these listings and, as will be seen in the periodic updates to this list, I will gladly add places worthy of recommendation as I sample their fare. In the same way, if the fare at a restaurant deteriorates, so will their rating.

Keep in mind that in Israel as elsewhere, many chefs have the bad habit of changing restaurants on a too-frequent basis, and thus a good restaurant can turn mediocre or even bad in just a few days. Restaurants whose chefs are also the owners are, in theory, more stable, but even they are liable to deteriorate if success turns the owner's head. For that reason, updates to the list will be made on an ongoing and regular basis. Also keep in mind that chefs, especially those in the better restaurants of the country, love nothing more to experiment and that many of their new dishes will be worth trying, even if they have not been listed herein.

© Daniel Rogov