39 Best Restaurants in Tel Aviv, Israel

Few restaurants have made a splash on the Tel Aviv dining scene as big as Popina, Chef Orel Kimchi's trendy Neve Tzedek eatery. The menu is divided into cooking techniques—cured, steamed, baked, roasted, and slow-cooked—and uses innovative flavor combinations, like pumpkin jam ravioli with amaretto, foie gras, roasted almonds, and truffle foam; a shrimp burger with yuzu aioli; or raw fish tartare with gin and tonic jelly. Snag a table on the romantic outdoor patio, or take a seat indoors near the open kitchen and watch the master at work. The "Popina Experience" tasting menu is exceptional, if your budget stretches that far. Some find Popina pretentious, while others will tell you it's the best restaurant in Tel Aviv.

This laid-back sidewalk restaurant set in the shadow of The Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv is always packed with a lively young crowd smoking cigarettes and engaging in animated conversation. They come here for the buzzing atmosphere and celebrity Chef Eyal Shani's delicious take on Israeli specialties such as grilled eggplant, chicken liver, freekeh, and malabi for dessert. Walk past at almost any hour of the day and it's clear that Chef Shani knows what the locals want. But be warned: there are no reservations and you will inevitably have to wait for a table.

In the heart of the Jaffa Flea Market, Puaa's lumpy sofas and slightly battered tables and chairs make for a kick-your-shoes-off atmosphere—and some patrons oblige. It's a popular gathering place for thirtysomething Tel Avivians, as well as young families. All the cakes, cookies, and croissants are baked fresh on the premises. There's a good selection of vegetarian dishes, including the Middle Eastern favorite majadarah (rice with lentils), served with salad and yogurt, as well as some meat and fish options.

The specialty at this hole-in-the-wall eatery is sabich, a meal-in-a-pita popular in the region. It's considered a breakfast food (the word comes from the Arabic for "morning") because it includes a hard-boiled egg, in addition to hummus, eggplant, potatoes, salads, and spices. It's a filling snack at any time of day, however. Another popular menu item is the platter of meatballs served in a light tomato sauce. The indoor dining area consists of three or four stools at a counter, and there are a few tables outside as well.

This food stand is one of the best spots to sample the classic Iraqi-Israeli street food called sabich. The Zen-like concentration of the owner results in a hearty and thoughtful dish consisting of fried eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, tahini, and spice (if you say you can handle it)—a perfect combination of flavors. Here you have the rare options of a whole-wheat or gluten-free pita.

Diners crowd the tables inside and out at this simple seafood place. They are here for the fish, which locals agree is reasonably priced, well prepared, and always fresh. They've been coming here consistently for more than 20 years, despite the fact that the trendy Tel Aviv Port, with several fish places of its own, is a few steps away. For the main course, there's a catch of the day, which may include whole trout, fried calamari, or oysters in cream sauce. All the entrées come with an assortment of salads.

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.

Part of the city's influx of Asian restaurants, the "Asia-terranean" kitchen of Taizu is a nod to the street food of India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The interior design is based on the five elements of Chinese philosophy: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, each of which is also represented in the style of food. Visit in a group and share plates such as lemongrass-infused steak, seafood dumplings, spicy Thai salad, and fragrant Indian curry. The menu is guaranteed to delight the tastebuds of every  Asian food lover.