2 Best Restaurants in East Jerusalem, Jerusalem

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The heart of East Jerusalem runs through Salah A-Din Street, lined with hummus joints, colorful vegetable shops, fresh juice stands, and a few modest coffee spots. Palestinian students and foreign journalists and aid workers gravitate toward the more upscale eateries.

Sarwa Street Kitchen

$ Fodor's Choice

Mo Tahhan opened this cheery café in the space that was once his father's travel agency with the vision of creating a gathering spot as comfy and as fun as your living room at home. Staff often joins patrons for a chat on the bright blue couches and encourages them to add or take from the in-house library stocked with a selection of English-language books. Changing daily specials include maqloubeh, a Palestinian rice and chicken dish, or the bright orange knaffeh, the traditional cheese pastry soaked in syrup, for dessert. Excellent coffee, pastries, Wi-Fi, and in-house printers create a kind of coworking vibe during the day, but the wine list and excellent pastas also attract more serious diners later on.

Educational Bookshop

$

Part coffee shop, part bookstore, this spot has an endless trove of literature exploring the Arab-Israeli conflict from a Palestinian perspective. Take a volume upstairs and peruse it over a lunch of a savory manaqeesh bread topped with thyme and olive oil, freshly made labaneh cheese, or salmon sandwiches. Turkish coffee is brewed fresh on an orange camping stove. Ask about upcoming lectures and movie screenings.