2 Best Restaurants in Neveh Tzedek, Tel Aviv

Israel has the highest population of vegans per capita, so it's impressive that Meshek Barzilay started blazing the plant-based trail long before farm-to-table eating became trendy. Tucked away on a quiet, secluded street in Neve Tzedek, the restaurant serves only locally sourced, organic, plant-based ingredients. The original restaurant was founded in 2002 by Merav Barzilay in the small agricultural community of Moshav Yarkona. A few years later, she opened Meshek Barzilay in central Tel Aviv. The produce may not come from her own backyard any more but Barzilay continues to source directly from a meticulously selected group of Israeli farms and producers who deliver daily. Best-selling dishes include the mushroom, tofu, and lentil veggie burger and the beetroot gnocchi.

In a century-old building near the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre, this popular eatery bustles day and night. Sample the Kurdish kubbeh (meat-filled semolina dumplings) and pumpkin soup, the okra in tomato sauce, the red peppers stuffed with meat and rice, or the Moroccan harira, a thick soup with chickpeas, veal, and coriander. To start things off, the savory antipasti platter is a welcome sight for the hungry traveler. Opt for a table on the charming terrace beneath the massive branches of an old ficus tree.