We have selected 15 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
Restaurant prices are subject to 18.25% VAT (Value Added Tax). Service charges of 10-15% are generally added to the restaurant bill, if not a tip of this amount, depending on the quality of the service, is expected.
The prices quoted below are for a three course meal for one, including
a bottle of house wine or equivalent:
$ (up to (ILS90)
$$ (ILS90 to ILS130)
$$$ (ILS130 to ILS180)
$$$$ (over ILS180)
Gourmet Cavalier
Offering a combination of modern and traditional French food with the ingredients and flavors of the Mediterranean, this charming restaurant offers a high level of service and extensive wine list. Since opening in the mid-1990s, it has become increasingly popular and offers a selection of excellent dishes.
Rehov Ben Sira 1, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 624 2945.
Price: $$$$
Michael Andrew This gourmet restaurant is famous for its multitude of fish platters, but is equally popular for its views over the Old City taking in the Ramparts and Citadel of David. Be sure to reserve a window seat or if the weather is warm enough ask for the balcony table where the nighttime views of the illuminated Old City are particularly stunning.
12 Emile Botta Street, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 624 0090.
Price: $$$
Mishkenot Shaananim With a wine cellar reputed to be one of the biggest and best in the world, and food made of the highest quality ingredients, it’s no wonder that
Mishkenot Shaananim has been the choice of VIP guest for over 20 years. This is documented by the photographs at the entrance that includes Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Jacques Chirac and John Le Carré. The décor is somewhat old-fashioned but the service is excellent and through the large windows is a view that takes you over the walls of the old city, Mount Zion, the Citadel of David and towards the edge of the Judean Desert.
Yemin Moshe, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 625 1042.
Price: $$$$
Business Ima An Israeli-Oriental restaurant with a touch of Jewish-Kurdish cooking,
Ima is located in a charmingly renovated house taking up several rooms and including a terrace. Private parking is available for guests. There is a separate business lunch menu that is good value.
189 Agrippas Street, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 624 6860.
Price: $$$
Mamma Mia Set in a recently renovated old stone building with its well-kept garden, this is one of Jerusalem’s most beautiful restaurants and one that combines the original architecture with modern comfort.
Mamma Mia is owned and managed by a family of Milanese roots and culinary tradition and was one of the first Italian restaurants in the city. It offers the range of traditional Italian food - pizzas and pasta and a selection of desserts.
38 King George Street, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 624 8080.
Price: $$$
Shonka Serving a range French-Mediterranean-Italian dishes and with a good wine list,
Shonka is a popular restaurant and reservations are advised. The dishes are simple and the décor modern making it and ideal place for business dining - the business lunch menu is particularly good value.
Rehov HaSoreg 1, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 625 7033.
Price: $$$
Trendy Arcadia The intimate interior, divided by stone arches and subdued lighting, offers the perfect setting for contemporary dishes combining local ingredients with French style.
Arcadia deserves its reputation as one of Israel’s best and most exciting restaurants, it is understandably popular with both visitors and locals.
Rehov Agrippas 10
Tel: (02) 624 9138.
Price: $$$$
Darna
This popular West Jerusalem restaurant offers an extensive menu of North African and middle-eastern food in a Moroccan-inspired setting. It has recently been extended to encompass a restored wine cellar with low ceilings and arches, the atmosphere is completed with the plush cushions scattered around the tables for leisurely reclining.
3 Horkanus Street, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 624 5406.
Website:
www.darna.co.il Price: $$$$
Fink With a reputation as one of the best known restaurant/bars in Jerusalem, this is a place to go to see and be seen rather than for its menu. Dishes are an eclectic mix of European, Mediterranean and traditional Israeli with a few surprises thrown in for good measure.
Rehov haMelech George 13, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 623 4523.
Price: $$$
Budget Ma’adan The poorly decorated interior aside,
Ma’adan offers good value food at low prices and has a wide range of fish and meat dishes. Influences range form North African to European and with a wide range of salads and soups it is popular and lively at all times of the day.
35 Jaffa Street, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 625 5631.
Price: $$
Maoz Falafel This kosher falafel stand has been a favorite in West Jerusalem since it opened in 1967. It has a small interior with seating space around the service counter. Spread out on the counter is a tempting array of shredded salad and piles of
laffa - staff will fill your falafel, while a salad bar allows you to supplement your meal with a range of salad and sauces.
19 King George Street, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 625 7706.
Price: $
Te’enim This restaurant serves a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes in a charming old stone building behind the gardens of the
King David Hotel. Spread over three floors with view over the Old City, the best seats are in the arches of the windows but these must be reserved.
12 Emile Botta Street, Yemin Moshe
Tel: (02) 563 0048.
Price: $
Personal Recommendations The Armenian Tavern An atmospheric restaurant in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City. It is located in the basement of an ancient Crusader church and has a tiled interior, solid wooden tables, a huge chandelier and a fountain in the corner. The food is served in wooden or painted ceramic bowls. On Fridays, local Armenians come to the restaurant with home-cooked food which they share with visitors.
Armenian Patriarchate Road, Old City
Tel: (02) 627 3854.
Price: $$
Mifgash HaShech Well away from the usual tourist track, Israelis flock from far and wide to this rustic café. What draws them here is the hot drink made from vanilla orchid, coconuts and cinnamon known as
sachlab and the rosehip dessert -
malabi. There is a bakery on the premises where pita is baked for stores so everything served is just out of the oven.
7 Tzeret Talpiot, West Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 678 3547.
Price: $
Nafoura Jerusalem Wall Restaurant Set in an open air courtyard in what was once a parking area for caravans and chariots within the city walls but is now filled with fountains and Roman pillars with traditional Arabic music. There is also a smaller inside seating area.
Nafoura offers a calm that is in contrast to the bustling maze of streets outside. The food is Middle Eastern but with Armenian and Greek influences and Lebanese salads and dips.
18 Latin Patriarchate Road, Old City
Tel: (02) 626 0034.
Price: $$
Nightlife:Despite the lack of licensing laws, Jerusalem has never been known for its wild nightlife and if you’re looking to dance the night away your best bet would be to follow the example of many Jerusalemites and take a sherut the 60km (37 miles) to Tel Aviv. The nightclubs that do exist in Jerusalem tend to be located in the Talpiot area, are expensive and operate smart dress codes. Nightlife is even quieter than usual at present due to worries about terrorist attacks and East Jerusalem is particularly empty after dark.
The legal drinking age is 18-years. Up-to-date listings for club nights can be found in the Friday supplement of the Jerusalem Post (website:
www.jpost.com)
Bars: With a few exceptions, alcoholic drinks are not available in East Jerusalem or in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. If you do want a drink in East Jerusalem, head for the
Cellar Bar, at the
American Colony Hotel, Nablus Road, which is popular with journalists (open until 0330). Visitors should drink in moderation or avoid wandering around visibly under the influence. Most bars are located in west Jerusalem, with a handful to be found in the Christian and Armenian Quarters of the Old City. Among the most popular is the
Tabasco Tearooms, 8 Aqabat al-Taqiya (open 0800-2400), attached to a budget hostel of the same name (so popular with backpackers). Friday night’s Punch Party allows you to drink as much punch as you like. Jerusalem’s first Internet bar,
Strudel, 11 Monbaz, is also good for food and drink (open until at least midnight and until 0200 on Sat).
Zanzibar, 13 Shamai, is still a popular, trendy bar that caters to a sophisticated yuppie clientele (open until 0300).
Tzoof Bar, 15 Hebron Road (noon-0200 Sat and Sun), with its arched entrances, brick walls and floor and ambient lighting, summons up the Old City, and serves a mix of drinks including cocktails. It sometimes has stand-up comedy and live jazz. One of the city’s liveliest areas, Nahalat Shiv’ah, can be found of Soloman Street just outside the city walls, it is a polular for bars, cafes, pubs and restaurants at all time of day, but especially at night.
Casinos: Gambling is illegal in Jerusalem.
Clubs: Most clubs are located in west Jerusalem. At
Underground, 1 Yoel Salomon, there have been drinks and dancing as long as anyone can remember. With two rooms of music (one rock and one dance) it attracts Israelis and travelers alike.
Haoman 17, 17 Haoman Street (website:
www.haoman.com), is still going strong, attracting international DJs and boasting two dancefloors where you can groove the night away to a mixture of house and techno.
Hata’asiyah Dance Club, Ha-Ta’asiya 5, is another big club popular with the dance crowd, Fri and Sat are the biggest nights.
Live Music: Although a wide selection of music venues can be found in both east and west Jerusalem, what is on offer generally could hardly be described as exciting. However, jazz is popular and often very good.
Pargod Theater, 94 Betzalel, hosts a Friday afternoon jam session, while
Tmol Shilshom Bookstore Café, 5 Yoel Salomon, has jazz on Mondays and folk on Tuesdays (both from 2300). Folk musicians perform at the
AACI, 11 Pinsker, in Talbiya. Pop concerts (both Israeli and foreign groups) are sometimes held at the
Jerusalem Theater, 20 David Marcus Street, in Talbiya. For live rock bands try the downstairs bar at
Arizona, 37 Jaffa Road, or
Mike’s, Horkanos Street, which has live rock and blues music nightly from 2230.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Related Jerusalem Content
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related Israel Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Israel Airport Guides:
|
Israel City Guides:
|
| Israel Attraction Guides: |
|
|
|
Israel Community:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available Tours to Israel:
|
