11 editor picks in Tel Aviv.
11 middle eastern places in Tel Aviv we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Tel Aviv | Middle Eastern across every city.
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.
Hummus Abu Adham on Karlibach Street has served hand made hummus in Tel Aviv since 2003, prepared daily by founders Ron and Yehuda without preservatives.
OrderA bowl of Mashwasha hummus with warm pita straight from the counter.
TipOrder the mashwasha, the house specialty, and eat it warm; the counter closes at 18:00.
Mifgash Rambam near Nahalat Binyamin runs a Tel Aviv shawarma counter by day and turns into a charcoal grill tavern at night, skewers and all.
OrderThe shawarma sliced from the daily veal and lamb spit, or a charcoal grilled skewer after dark.
TipDaytime is grab and go; come after 18:00 for table service and the grill bar menu.
Levinsky 53 is Dalit and Avi's kubbeh bar in Tel Aviv, simmering Iraqi kubbeh soups and frying kibbeh in a room that feels like a grandmother's kitchen.
OrderA bowl of kubbeh hamusta with lemony chard, or the classic fried kibbeh with minced meat.
TipDaytime only, closing at 17:00 Sunday to Thursday; the kosher certified kitchen shuts for Shabbat on Friday evening.
Sabich Tchernichovsky on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv fills pita with fried aubergine, boiled egg, tahini and amba, and shuts for Shabbat on Friday afternoon.
OrderSabich: fried eggplant, egg and tahini in pita
TipPick your toppings at the counter, from tahini and amba to spicy sauce and chopped salad; the pita comes generously filled.
Sabich Frishman on Frishman Street in Tel Aviv stuffs pita with fried eggplant, egg, tahini and mango amba, eaten on bar stools at long communal tables.
OrderSabich: fried eggplant, egg and tahini in pita
TipThe mango amba is the point; ask for extra if the counter is light-handed with it that day.
Shmuel grills homemade kebabs and Jerusalem mixed grill in pita, ciabatta or on a plate at a Carmel Market diner on Rabbi Meir Street, for lunch only.
OrderKebab and Jerusalem mix in pita
TipCome for lunch only; the grill closes by mid-afternoon and there is no dinner service at this market counter.
Abulafia's Allenby Street branch in Tel Aviv bakes the Jaffa bakery's knafeh, sambousak and bourekas around the clock, every single day of the week.
OrderKnafeh, sambousak and bourekas
TipSambousak with different fillings, knafeh and malawach all come off the same trays, so point at whatever is freshest.
HaMalabia on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv pours rosewater malabi pudding from a corner stall by Carmel Market, in dairy and vegan versions with toppings.
OrderRosewater malabi pudding with syrup and toppings
TipOrder the vegan version if you want a lighter, less-sweet malabi; regulars mix and match syrups and toppings.
Irit cooks Yemenite lachuch with a crispy egg, grated tomato and zhug in a small shack-like cafe beside her childhood home on the edge of Carmel Market.
TipLook for the bright blue door on Simtat HaCarmel; hours can shift, so come mid-morning on a weekday.
Shemaya in Tel Aviv-Yafo simmers overnight Middle Eastern stews and slow-cooked hummus in a tiny Florentin storefront that most tourists walk past.
TipCome before 13:00 for the hummus; once the pot empties for the day, the kitchen moves on to the evening stews.
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