20 editor picks across Israel.
20 restaurants worth the trip across Israel, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Israel guides.
HaBasta beside Tel Aviv's Carmel Market runs chef Elon Amir's daily changing menu, scribbled on paper on the wall, with a strong international wine list.
OrderThe crab burekas and a plate of shrimp or calamari cooked a la plancha.
TipOutdoor tables sit right in the market lane; book ahead for a Thursday or Friday dinner.
Dok is brothers Asaf and Yotam Doktor's eight seat counter in Tel Aviv, an all Israeli locavore menu that changes most nights with what the farms deliver.
OrderThe beef tartare with mayonnaise or the wild snapper, whichever the counter is serving that night.
TipOnly two small tables and eight counter seats; book well ahead for a weeknight slot.
M25 works the meat alley of Tel Aviv's Carmel Market as both butcher and restaurant, with chef Jonathan Borowitz running a nose to tail grill of Israeli beef.
OrderThe smoked and fried shawarma, plus whatever cut the butcher counter recommends that day.
TipFriday runs two services, lunch until 16:00 and dinner from 18:30; the kitchen is closed Saturday and Sunday.
Claro fills a restored 1886 Templar winery in Tel Aviv's Sarona quarter, an open kitchen led by chef Tal Feigenbaum with produce collected from farms daily.
OrderWhatever the market van brought in that morning; ask the server for the day's standout vegetable dish.
TipSaturday lunch runs without full service; the brunch and dinner sittings are the reliable slots.
The restaurant at Hotel Montefiore in Tel Aviv runs a French Vietnamese brasserie menu from breakfast through to a late dinner on Montefiore Street.
OrderThe hamachi tartare or a bowl of the sea bream in lemongrass cream from the evening menu.
TipBreakfast is one of the busiest sittings in the city; book ahead or arrive right at opening.
Milgo Milbar on Rothschild Boulevard is chef Moti Titman's seafood room in Tel Aviv, fusing Mediterranean and Middle Eastern plates around the daily catch.
OrderA raw fish starter followed by the daily whole catch, grilled simply.
TipThe Bauhaus building on Rothschild draws a full room by evening; book ahead for dinner.
Suzana in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv seats diners on a terrace under a big tree and a small rooftop deck, serving Middle Eastern classics like falafel and tabouli.
OrderFalafel and tabouli from the Middle Eastern classics, eaten on the tree-shaded terrace.
TipThe rooftop deck has only a few tables; ask for one when booking if you want the view over Neve Tzedek.
Cafe Noir has run its European bistro on Tel Aviv's Ahad Ha'am Street since 1997, plating raw fish, handmade pasta and a well known schnitzel.
OrderThe schnitzel or a plate of handmade pasta from the changing specials board.
TipLunch is the busy sitting; evenings settle into a slower, more romantic pace.
Ouzeria overlooks Tel Aviv's Levinsky Market with chef Avivit Priel Avichai's Greek leaning sharing plates and a bar built on ouzo and other anise spirits.
OrderA round of Greek style small plates with a carafe of ouzo to share at the bar.
TipThe bar seats 12 and pours several kinds of anise; it is the best spot for solo diners.
Dallal has run Mediterranean cooking from a restored Neve Tzedek building in Tel Aviv since 2007, pairing seasonal fish and meat with its own pastries.
OrderA fresh pasta or risotto special alongside a pastry from the Dallal bakery counter.
TipThe restaurant is closed on Sunday; Friday opens at 09:00 and Saturday at 10:00 for a long weekend lunch.
Rashel at Tel Aviv Port is a kosher Moroccan restaurant run by owner Shimon, plating festive dishes like pastilla and matbuha in a striking dining room.
OrderThe pastilla starter and a bowl of warm homemade matbuha to share.
TipKosher hours apply: closed Friday, reopening Saturday evening after Shabbat ends.
The Old Man and the Sea on Kedem Street has served Jaffa's hilltop sea view since 1999, with a set menu of salads, tabun pita and grilled fish or meat.
OrderThe set menu: a spread of daily salads, warm tabun pita, a main of fish or seafood, then coffee and awameh.
TipAsk for a table on the terrace at sunset; the room seats large groups easily.
Romano sits above Beit Romano's old arcade in south Tel Aviv, where chef Pasha Chakin cooks Eyal Shani inspired plates of meat, fish and vegetables.
OrderWhatever fish or vegetable dish the kitchen is running that night; the menu turns over often.
TipHappy hour Sunday to Thursday 18:00 to 19:00 takes 20 percent off the whole menu; book on Ontopo.
Cicchetti on Yehuda HaLevi in Tel Aviv is a Venetian-style neighbourhood bar, where chef Michael Gartopsky's small plates pair with Avi Kashi's cocktails.
OrderA run of two or three small plates alongside a carafe of house wine.
TipWeekend brunch runs 11:00 to 15:00; Sunday to Thursday the 17:00 to 19:00 aperitivo takes 30 percent off.
Dr. Shakshuka in Jaffa, Tel Aviv runs a kosher Tripolitan kitchen founded in the early 1990s, plating shakshuka with couscous, shawarma and schnitzel.
OrderA shakshuka variation with a side of couscous and vegetables.
TipKosher hours apply: closed from Friday afternoon until after Shabbat ends on Saturday.
Meat Bar on Chen Boulevard near Rabin Square, founded in late 1994 by two brothers, dry-ages its own steaks and grills them in a Peter Luger-style oven.
OrderAn in-house aged steak cut, ordered simply grilled with the side salads.
TipThursday is the late night; every other day the kitchen closes by 23:30 at the latest.
Kalamata occupies an old stone building on Kedumim Square, plating Greek leaning Mediterranean food with a sea view over Old Jaffa's rooftops.
OrderGrilled seafood off the daily catch with a side of the Greek salad.
TipSunday service ends at 17:00; ask for a window table facing the sea when booking.
Meshek Barzilay on Tel Aviv's Ahad Ha'am Street has run an organic vegetarian kitchen since 2013, going fully vegan in 2018 across its all day menu.
OrderThe vegan shakshuka or a plate off the daily organic vegetable specials.
TipWeekend mornings get busy; weekday lunch is the quieter time to get a table.
Pereh on Nahalat Binyamin in Tel Aviv is a chef-driven bistro from Aviad Peled and Uri Steinberg, baking its own bread and changing the seasonal menu daily.
OrderThe stuffed chicken wing, or whatever seasonal vegetable dish the kitchen is running that day.
TipThe kitchen bakes its own bread and ages fish and meat in house; the menu changes daily, so ask what is best.
A.K.A on Nahalat Binyamin in Tel Aviv is a three-room chef's restaurant, cocktail bar and wine bar with an open kitchen and octopus with rosti.
OrderThe octopus with rosti, or a seasonal small plate ordered facing the open kitchen.
TipGo up to the Sid and Nancy wine bar for more than 160 bottles, or book the aperitivo hour for 20 percent off the menu.
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