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Last Updated: 13 April, 2003
| Restaurant |
Rating |
Type |
Prices |
Arcadia: Rehov Agrippas 10, Jerusalem. Tel. 02
6249138
One of the ten best restaurants in the country.
|
***** |
French |
Expensive |
| Chef-Owner Ezra Kedem maintains this delightful restaurant
as one of the very best and one of the most exciting in the country.
His is a contemporary and light cuisine, one that relies in equal
parts on French style and local ingredients, and that sets out to
highlight the freshness and beauty of the products they are preparing
through preparations that remain as simple and as subtle as possible.
To add to the pleasures of dining here, the restaurant itself is
a visual delight. Set in an exquisitely renovated old building in
which the dining area is divided into intimate areas by stone arches
and where even the stone floors seem to exude comfortable warmth.
Among the best dishes I have sampled here were the grilled giant
shrimp set on a bed of endive; a block of goose liver served with
a vanilla flavored oil; the carpaccio of lamb; zucchini flowers
filled with a seafood mousse; and raviolis filled with pumpkin puree.
Buy why stop - other dishes that have delighted were the rack of
lamb accompanied by lentils, mushrooms and whole baked garlic; a
whole baby grouper that had been filled with fresh herbs before
being poached; lightly spiced hot sardines; a terrine of goose liver
wrapped in crisp thin strips of potatoes; and lamb chops served
on halved, grilled small eggplants together with baked garlic cloves.
The desserts are also good - try especially the tartlet of figs
and apples and the chocolate cake served in a mango and passion
fruit sauce. Open Monday - Saturday from 12:30 - 15:00 and from
19:00 - 23:30. Closed Sundays. Reservations strongly suggested. |
| Cavalier: Rehov Ben Sira 1, Jerusalem. Tel. 02
6242945 |
***/**** |
French |
Moderate - Expensive |
|
Chef Didi ben Arush has taken this charming and comfortable restaurant
from strength to strength in the six years since he first opened
and his is a style that highlights and never hides natural flavors,
all while comfortably combining the very best of the modern and
traditional French kitchens with the ingredients and flavors of
the Mediterranean. Over the years the restaurant has maintained
its lightly formal but easy going atmosphere, the service remains
at a high level and the wine list has become quite good. Even
the photos of Paris on the walls continue to give me pleasure.
Many of the dishes here are excellent, but among my favorite
first courses are the sashimi of red tuna in a soya-lemon sauce,
the veal carpaccio that is served with shavings of fine Parmesan
cheese, and the Really excellent goose liver terrine. To bring
a smile to your face consider as well the eggplant that is cut
in fillet-like slices, served intentionally luke warm with a hot
sauce of spicy balsamic vinegar. As an intermediate course give
serious attention to the veal brains that are served in a lemony
red pepper sauce with a few capers tossed in to add a much welcome
and completely natural touch of saltiness and for main sauce you
will not go the least bit wrong with the salmon fillet a la Troisgros
(with a cream and sorrel sauce), the charolais beef in a delicious
veal stock and pepper sauce or the coquilles St. Jacques offered
together with finely diced artichokes and nuts, a dish in which
the crispness of the nuts and vegetables and the softness of the
seafood come together in ways that cannot help but please. Even
the desserts are of a high level (consider especially the creme
brulee and the addictively good hot chocolate cake. All in all,
with great charm and excellent food, Cavalier remains one of my
favorite places for dining. Open daily 12:30 - 15:00 and 18:30
- 23:30.
|
| Darna: Rehov Horkanos 3, Jerusalem. Tel. 02 6245406. |
*** |
Moroccan |
Moderate - Expensive |
| The cuisine of Morocco has a justifiably good name,
and "Darna" in Jerusalem is as fine place to sample this fare. So
genuine is the atmosphere that the intricate Arabesque arches that
separate the dining rooms, the exquisite clay, silver and brass
serving plates and even the pillows that line the upholstered couch-like
seats were imported from Morocco. The food is no less traditional.
Open your meal with the pastilla, a pie filled with Cornish hen
and almonds and you will know why Moroccans call this dish "food
of the gods". Continue with the Harira Marrakshia, a marvelous soup
that contains lamb, lentils, chickpeas and peeled tomatoes. As main
courses, I recommend the lamb tagine with prunes and the couscous
which contains chickens, onions, chickpeas and carrots, all perfectly
seasoned with saffron, ginger, coriander, chili pepper and paprika.
If it is not served automatically, request a small plate of harissa,
the fiery hot sauce adored by Moroccans so that you can add as much
or as little as you like to your soup or couscous. For desserts
try the semolina cookies and the fruit salad with machia (the Moroccan
version of pastis). Kosher. |
Dolphin Yam:
Rehov Ben Shetach 8, Jersualem. Tel (02) 6232272 |
** |
Fish and Seafood |
Reasonable - Moderate |
| Situated in a beautifully remodeled building in the
Nachalat Shiva quarter, one enters via an appealing courtyard to
find off beige walls, arched windows and quiet lighting. There may
be nothing fancy here but one receives a genuinely warm welcome
in a comfortable setting where fixed price fish and seafood meals
await. Meals open with a mixed meze of nine rewarding salads. Among
the best of those are dishes of small cubes of just salty enough
matjas herring in a sour cream sauce; eggplant that is grilled,
scooped out of its shell and mixed with bits of red peppers and
plenty of garlic and lemon juice; and really delicious tzadziki,
small cubes of cucumber in a yoghurt and dill sauce. Also good are
strips of grilled peppers that were served in olive oil with a generous
amount of garlic; lemony carrots that is sprinkled over generously
with herbs; rich perfectly smooth tchina; and ikra that was somewhere
in style between Romanian and Greek. As main courses consider the
fried calamari with a mustard and cream sauce or the coquilles St
Jacques served with a garlic, sage and white wine sauce. There are
several meat and pasta dishes on the menu, but one will do well
to keep in mind that the specialties here are fish and seafood.
Without pretentions but with great charm and good food, a place
definitely worth visiting. Open daily 12:00 - 24.00. Prices are
reasonable - moderate. |
| El Marakash: Rehov King David 4, Jerusalem. Tel.
02 6257577. |
* |
Moroccan |
Expensive |
| Showy and just a bit glitzy, this traditional Moroccan
restaurant maintains a decor and atmosphere that is a close approximation
of what one would find in its counterpart in Casablanca. The luxurious
couches and chairs, the traditional large embossed copper table
tops, the musicians, the belly dancers and the singers add comfortably
to this ambiance and the food and service are exactly what one expects
to find in such places. Meals start when one or more waiters deposit
anywhere from eight to fifteen different small bowls of Middle-Eastern
dishes on the table. The humous, tchina, six types of eggplant dishes,
spiced and garlic seasoned black and green olives, cabbage salad,
spicy carrots are all good. Main course specialties worth sampling
are the stewed veal with prunes and almonds; baked lamb with a delicate
sweet sauce; stuffed spleen; and small chickens stuffed with pine
nuts, raisins and rice. For dessert try the flambeed crepes and
the various pastries. Open Sunday - Thursday from 12:00 - 16:--
and from 18:00 - 24:00. Closed Friday and re-opens on Saturday night.
Kosher. |
| Eucalyptus: Rehov Horkanus 7, Jerusalem. Tel. 02
6244331. |
* |
Middle-Eastern/Jerusalem |
Reasonable - Moderate |
| The greatest charm of this not overly formal restaurant
is not that it specializes in preparing dishes based on the foods
that have been associated with Jerusalem since Biblical days, but
that the dishes are both unusual and tasty. Mallow, capers, grapes,
figs, artichokes, and mushrooms, all of which grow wild in and near
the city are all found in abundance here. Even the meats served,
lamb and goose, are those that are associated with the city. The
mallow soup or pie, the fish with caper sauce, the stuffed figs,
and any of the dishes based on lamb and goose are all worth trying.
Open Sunday - Thursday 08:00 - 16:00 and 18:00 - 22:30, on Friday
from 12:00- 15:00, and on Saturday evenings. Kosher. |
| Fink: Rehov haMelech George 13, Jerusalem. Tel.
02 6234523. |
* |
American Bar |
Moderate |
| One of the best known and best bars in the world,
Fink is to Jerusalem what Harry's is to Venice and Willi's Wine
Bar is to Paris. So renowned is this bar that it has been said that
any diplomat, politician or public figure who has never been to
Fink is simply not worth knowing. No one has ever accused Fink of
serving great food or original dishes but they do serve delightful
meals, the components of which may be French, Yiddish, Russian or
Mediterranean in origin. Side by side, one may find one person eating
fried shiimps in butter and garlic sauce and another munching contentedly
on chopped liver, while a few meters away a trio at another table
may be having beef Stroganoff, fillet mignon with pineapple and
bacon and tafelspitz (an Austrian dish of tender boiled beef from
close to the tail) with horseradish sauce Open Sunday - Thursday
from 5:30 p.m. - midnight and on Saturday night until midnight.
|
Hess
9 Heleni HaMalka Street, Jerusalem. (02) 625-5515.
|
** |
Meat (Jewish Delicatessen) |
Moderate - Expensive |
| With the physical appearance of a Jewish delicatessen
on New York City’s lower East Side, circa 1930 - 1965, but
with the distinct flavor and aroma of European sausages, soups and
stews filling their air, there is nothing fancy about the place.
But no one comes to such places for “fancy”. You go
to places like these to feast, and considering that Marcel Hess’
family has been one of Europe’s most respected producers of
sausages it is lagely for the truly superb platters of cold sausages,
hot knockwurst and bratwurst, superb pastrami, fantastic liverwurst
and good liver pates and good kneidlach soup that one comes here.
Skip the glatt kosher veal brains in the style of French escargots
and the liver which is often overdone and stay with the hot and
cold sausages and other cold-cuts here and you will dine simply
but marvelously. Open Sun – Thur 11:00 – 22:00 and Fridays
but only for takeaway from 09:00 – 13:00. Prices are moderate
– expensive. Glatt kosher le mehadrin. |
Kohinor:
In the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem. Tel 02 6588888
|
** |
Indian |
Moderate - Expensive |
| Named after the fabulous 60 carat kohinor diamond,
a stone found in India and now part of the crown jewels of England,
this remarkably attractive restaurant is owned by Rina and Vinod
Pushkarna who also operate the Tandoori chain of Indian restaurants.
Perhaps because of the limitations of kashrut and the demands of
hotel guests, the food is considerably westernized. That should
not, however, interfere with one's pleasure for the dishes are highly
appealing. Among the offerings I have most enjoyed here are the
tandoori chicken, lamb curry, lamb chops in green masala sauce.
Don't miss the excellent Indian breads and the large variety of
cocktails (including some that are non-alcoholic) that are offered.
Open Sunday - Thursday 12:00 - 16:00 and 18:00 - 24:00. Kosher.
|
| Mishkenot Sha'ananim: in the Yamin
Moshe quarter, Jerusalem. Tel. 02 6254424. |
*** |
French |
Expensive |
| Closed temporarily for renovations. |
Paradiso:
Keren HaYesod 36, Jerusalem. Tel 02 5634805 |
*/** |
Café-Restaurant |
Reasonable |
| An attractive, comfortable and uncluttered
café-restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and a friendly
crowd that comes either for coffee and pastries or for full meals.
Consider the antipasto platter as a starter - crisp white beans
sprinkled over with herbs; sweet red peppers and fried eggplant
in a gentle marinade; grilled zucchini; breaded cauliflower; and
good cabanos sausages all complemented nicely with good feta cheese.
Among appealing main courses are the potato gnocchi in pesto sauce
or the chicken breasts done in the Cordon Bleu style, by wrapping
flattened chicken breasts around slices of ham and kashkeval cheese,
coating the rolls with breadcrumbs and deep frying. A surprisingly
good wine list and very pleasant service. Nothing complex or innovative
here but a good choice for a casual meal at reasonable prices. Open
Sun - Thurs 12:00 - 24:00, Friday 10:00 - 14:00, Saturday 12:00
- 02:00. |
Philadelphia:
Rehov Zahara 9 and Rehov Shimon HaTzadik 1, Jerusalem. Tel. 02 5822472 |
*
|
Middle Eastern
|
Reasonable - Moderate |
| Long established and highly respected
Jerusalem restaurants offering good mixed meze followed by kebabs,
shishliks, lamb tagines or grilled, herbed fish. |
| Pini: Rehov Yaffo 31, Jerusalem. Tel.
02 6259570. |
** |
Middle-Eastern |
Moderate |
| Many people think of this simple eatery
as a "joint" but this is of no consequence for what matters is that
for eighteen years Pini has consistently been serving up some of
the best meals to be found in Jerusalem. Tucked away in the narrow
alley that connects Rehov Jaffa to the area of Nachalat Shiva, this
is a place ideally suited to satisfy the needs of those among us
who adore meat. Whether one sits inside or out, on chairs or on
benches really does not matter very much, for the narrow alley in
which the restaurant is located seems to have a gentle breeze passing
through it at even hottest hours of the day. Meals open with a mixed
meze of crisp cold cauliflower, hot baby eggplants grilled over
charcoals, a salad of wild pursane, crushed olives, and a plate
of hot grilled tomatoes served with a tangy sauce with lots of coriander
in it. Also put on your table at the same time will be humous, tchnia,
lightly pickled radishes, and a dish of finely chopped cabbage that
had been mixed together with a well seasoned tomato sauce, all of
which are just fine to trigger the appetite for the meat feast to
come. All of the meats here are cooked over hot charcoals. The lamb
kebabs and shishliks are seasoned and cooked perfectly and the lamb
chops so tender they will melt your heart. If you like specialty
cuts of meat, this is definitely the place for you, for the lungs,
diaphragm and kidneys that are served are all tender, without a
trace of fat and marvelously tasty. Wines are offered but the drink
of choice of the most knowledgeable diners here is invariably beer.
Not to be missed. Open daily 12:00 -24:00. |
Primavera:
In the Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem. Tel 02 6298666. |
**/*** |
Italian |
Moderate |
| Since it opened, nearly 9 years ago, this
primarily pasta, fish and dairy based Italian restaurant has done
a consistently excellent job. The cold potato and artichoke salad,
the fish carapaccio and the onion soup make good first courses and
among my main course favorites are the fillets of Saint Peter fish
a la Florentine (sauteed and served on a bed of lettuce) and the
linguini in pesto sauce. Comfortable and not overly formal, with
good service, you will find that nearly every dish here is prepared
with care and imagination. Worth trying for a casual lunch or a
more formal dinner. Open Sunday - Thursday 12:30 - 15:00 and 18:30
- 23:00 and on Saturday from 21:00 - midnight. Kosher. |
| Rama's Kitchen: In the village of Nataf.
Tel. 02 5700954 |
*** |
French-Middle Eastern |
Moderate |
| Located in Nataf, not far from Abu Ghosh,
I would recommend visiting this country restaurant even if it had
nothing more to offer than its exquisite panoramic view of the surrounding
mountains, wadis and villages. The philosophy of the house is crystal
clear: fresh products, almost all of them local; vegetables that
were picked the same morning, many from the restaurant's own gardens;
and dishes prepared as lightly as possible, all coming together
in a never pretentious and often fascinating blend between the Provencal
cookery that owner-cook Rama Ben-Tzvi so adores and the Arabic cookery
that is indigenous to the area. Among other dishes that have pleased
me here are the ful beans that are lightly oiled and seasoned before
being baked in a taboon oven; goats' cheeses on dark bread sprinkled
over with herbs and toasted in the oven; plump grilled chicken livers
sprinkled over with balsamic vinegar and coarse salt; young lamb
cut in cubes, seasoned in the Iraqi fashion (with nutmeg, black
pepper, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, chili pepper
and paprika) and served ona long flat bread; and the confit avaz.
Best bets for dessert are the pear or other fruit tarts with frangipane
cream and the fruit sorbets. A short but interesting wine list adds
to the charm of the place. Open only between Passover and Succoth,
Friday 10:00 - 24:00 and on nights of the full moon. Can also be
reserved for special parties |
| Sakura. Rehov Yaffo 31 (in the Feingold
Court), Jerusalem. Tel. 02 5235464. |
**/*** |
Japanese |
Moderate |
| Happily without pretensions but by serving
Japanese food that is invariably appealing, this has become a well-deserved
favorite of Jerusalemites. Frankly, everything you taste here will
be good. Better yet, it will be genuinely Japanese in its flavors
and style. My own favorite meal (always shared with three others)
here consists (in no special order) of miso soup, generous portions
of sushi (which may be the very best in Israel), at least one of
the cold noodle dishes, the soba (boiled noodles that go very well
indeed with the soup that accompanies it) and then at least a few
of the teppanyaki, tempura, sukiyaki and teriyaki style dishes that
are offered. Owner-cook Boaz Tsairi is doing a good job here and
the reasonable prices he stays with endear him to my heart. Open
Sunday - Friday 12:00 - 23:00. |
Shonka.
Rehov HaSoreg 1, Jerusalem. Tel. 02 6257033 |
*** |
French-Mediterranean-Italian |
Moderate - Expensive |
| Without apologies, I like this place!!
Distinctly New York in style and featuring chef Naziya Genedi's
interpretations of French, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, this
is a restaurant that pleases by being both popular and very good
indeed. Dedicated to producing the kinds of dishes that we think
of as old friends, Genedi never shocks but often pleases by his
obvious respect for the ingredients he is using and his excellent
control over his cooking times. Among the first courses dishes I
have most enjoyed here are goose liver escalope in cassis and berry
sauce, the carpaccio of drumfish with a beautiful lemon-orange juice
sauce, and the shrimps with whole garlic cloves and rosemary. For
main courses you will not go the least bit wrong with the veal escalopes
in a lemon, white wine and thyme sauce, the mixed seafood (shrimps,
mussels and calamari) in a well executed tomato, garlic and herb
based Provencal sauce, or the entrecote in a delicious pepper sauce.
Skip the sorbets but for dessert try the tarte Tatin or the chocolate
cake that is so rich that it is probably sinful. A good wine list
but be sure to consider the 1998 Gustavo and Jo Cabernet Sauvignon
that is a good match to either meat or seafood. Dinner prices are
moderate to expensive, but the business lunch menu, which wisely
offers many of the same dishes that are listed on the a la carte
menu is an unbeatably good deal. Open daily from 12:00 - 02:00 or
later but be sure to dine before 22:00 as after that the bar, light
snack, music and dance and boy meets girl, boy meets boy and girl
meets girl scenes become the dominating themes. |
Sima:
Rehov Agrippas 82, Jerusalem. Tel. 02 6233002 |
* |
Middle-Eastern |
Reasonable |
| Despite its ultimately simple atmosphere,
this Jerusalem landmark is nearly always packed, and most come here
to feast on "Jerusalem grill" - a mixture of chicken hearts and
livers with bits of lamb, all of which have been seasoned marvelously
before being fried with generous amounts of onion and garlic. Also
worth trying are the grilled meats, all of which are accompanied
by really good cole slaw, pickles, olives, and Turkish salad. Mostly
for lunch. Open 10:00 - 01:00. Closed Friday night and Saturday
until the end of the Sabbath. Kosher. |
Spaghettim:
Rehov Rabbi Akiva 8, Jerusalem. Tel. 02 6235547. |
* |
Italian |
Reasonable |
| The menu of this simple but charming restaurant
lists one or two soups, two salads and 58 different kinds of spaghetti,
including several sweet spaghetti dishes for dessert. All of which
might sound a bit outrageous but in fact, this is one of the most
"fun places" for casual dining in the city. Among my own favorites,
the spaghetti Napolitana with herbs; the carbonara with bacon, ham,
white wine, nutmet and cream; the arvieta with tomatoes, sweet red
and green peppers, hot peppers and garlic. What the heck, all of
the dishes are well made and there is enough choice that you're
bound to find several that beckon. The service is friendly, and
the food comes in generous portions. Open daily from 12:00 - 01:00.
(Branch in Tel Aviv also recommended) |
Vaqueiro
54 HaNeve'eem St., Jerusalem. Tel: 02 6247432
|
* |
Grilled Meats |
Reasonable |
| Somewhere in style between a South American
churasca and a South African bra'ai, this appealing restaurant features
a large grill on which a variety of meats are prepared and then
served on large skewers at your table. Nothing outrageously creative
about the salads that are offered to start your meal but many are
quite tempting. Among the best that will be served automatically
are fennel and oranges in a light mustard vinaigrette; peppers and
squash with balsamic vinegar; carrots and beans in a nicely seasoned
and just spicy enough sauce; and celery and apples that adds a nice
touch of sweetness. The meats will be served without cessation so
long as your appetite holds up. Best of these are the assado (fatty
side of beef ribs), entrecote, spicy chicken wings, and just fatty
and spicy enough boer wors and chorizo sausages. Good chimicurri
and barbecue sauce are set out and the meats are served with potatoes
that after baking in the oven are cubed, fried and nicely browned.
If grilled meats do not beckon, don't hesitate to try the country-style
stews, the best among which are chopped beef with herbed tomato
sauce, onions and carrots and another of chicken seasoned nicely
with cinnamon. Forget the hamburger! Simple but tasty desserts (apple
and lemon custard pieces, and hot chocolate cake) and warm friendly
service. Prices are reasonable at both lunch and dinner. A good
bet for occasional simple but pleasant dining for those who live
or work in Jerusalem and a good option for those passing through.
Open Sun - Thurs 12:30 - 16:30 and 18:30 - 23:00. Kosher. |
© Daniel Rogov
|
