Israeli Travel Recommendations?
When it came to picking a belated honeymoon destination, we opened up our atlas and said, “Okay, where can we eat?” We toyed with France and Italy briefly, but after the erruption of antisemitism across Europe, we removed them from our list. We thought about the Caribbean briefly, but our culinary options would have been severely limited (though the head chef of the St. Thomas Ritz-Carlton indicated it would not be a problem for them to fly-in Kosher food from Miami).
In the end, we decided the natural choice would be Israel, where our culinary options would be wide and our travel dollars would be most beneficial. Next month, we’ll be staying oceanside in Tel Aviv for a week, then with friends in Alon Shvut for Shabbat.
Our only concern is that neither of us have been to Israel except on organized trips. We’re not really sure of how to get around and what we should do on our own. Currently on our list: soak up the sun on the beach, and eat at nice restaurants.
As for the restaurants, the Jerusalem Post has had a few decent reviews of Kosher places (I couldn’t find any Kosher reviews at the Haaretz site). eLuna.com’s Kosher focus has been quite useful, though I’m not sure how up-to-date their information is.
That said, can anyone recommend:
* great Kosher dining in/near Tel Aviv?
* interesting things to do/visit that aren’t the typical teen-summer-in-the-holy-land stuff?
In exchange, I’ll gladly post on our experiences when we return.
I don’t know if it’s still there, but about 5 years ago there was an absolutely amazing all-night crepes counter at Dizengoff Square. Defintely shouldn’t be missed, in my opinion.
To get around I’d recommend bus travel. Of course if that makes you nervous, rent a car or take taxis. As for where to eat near Tel Aviv, I’m not really sure because I’ve only lived near Yerushalayim, but I’m sure that others can help in your search for great food there.In terms of things to do that you don’t normally do on summer youth trips to Israel, I can only think of two things… the first would be to go to the church of the holy sepulchre…. I have never heard of a Jewish Youth trip that went there. Also, I know a lot of people who wanted to get some relaxation time in and went to the Carmel Forest Spa. If anything else interesting or out of the way comes to mind I’ll be sure to post more.
ELuna is very accurate and up to date. Don’t forget their 10% off coupons. I only know Jerusalem so I can’t help with Tel Aviv.
In the Old City of Jaffa – if you want to spend the money and impress the ladies – Al Hambra – the best Glatt French Kosher food Second best in the Tel Aviv area: El Gaucho if you like Steak.In the Azrieli center, you can find the Coros restaurants which are always yummyThere is also a Japanese restaurant in one of the Tel Aviv hotels but the name escapes me…Above all – have a wonderful time! I spend 15 lovely yrs in Israel and miss it more every day!
I generally avoid Tel Aviv, so I can not comment on the food there. It is well worth a trip to Tiberias, however, to eat at Deck’s restaurant. Have the onion loaf for an appetizer. The house salad with quail eggs is a delight, and big enough for four. For dinner have the tasting menu: steak, duck, chicken, lamb and foie gras all made on a hardwood BBQ grill. Taam Gan Eden!
Dan Sichel stated: "the first would be to go to the church of the holy sepulchre…. I have never heard of a Jewish Youth trip that went there." Just to set the record straight– USY’s Etgar Program (1997) went there from what I can recall.
I’ve heard El Gaucho is very good. Also in Jerusalem there was a place that I had duck for the first time– someone might recall it, people dressed up in togas and wrethes.
Wow, a jewish youth trip that went to a church… I stand corrected.
After being accused of googling KosherBlog, I must reinstate my sporadic blogging, at least for something this important. I highly recommend the kosher blintze restaurant at Dizengoff Square. The chocolate and the cheese blintzes are the best kosher dairy food I have ever had.
Unfortunately I don’t know of any places in Tel Aviv, but I am somewhat familiar with surrounding towns.I suggest you spend a day in Netanya. Kikar Ha’atzmaut is a wonderful place to walk around, and the beach (right there) is lovely. I believe you can book various activities n the beach: horseback riding, parasailing, etc. You’ll have to call the tourist board there to find out. Almost all of the restaurants on the kikar are kosher (notable exceptions are Yotveta and London), so you can enjoy a nice casual (and inexpensive) lunch either indoors or at a sidewalk table. For a dairy meal I particularly recommend Milky Way–lots of food for the price you pay. There are a bunch of meat restaurants on the kikar as well and I’m sure they are all delicious…and of course there is a kosher Pizza Hut express.For your evening in Netanya I suggest a sunset dinner at Tulip (also dairy). It is just west of the Kikar Ha’atzmaut on a cliff overlooking the sea; the walls are glass from table level and up and almost every table has a nice view of the beach. The restaurant is kind of "hidden" behind a large pharmacy, if I remember correctly (you’d never know I ate there 10 days ago), but you should be able to find it. They have elaborate salads, sandwiches, fish, tapas, etc. (Don’t believe them about the tuna tartare, though. I ordered it once and it was canned tuna.) Nice dessert selection. Be warned: the cappuccino comes with enough whipped cream to feed an army.If you find yourself on Ahuza Street in Ra’anana, there’s a very good Middle Eastern grill place (shish kabob, etc.) in some central location there. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of it (again, you’d never guess I ate there not once but twice last week). It was next to an "Eastern European" restaurant and around the corner from a shop called "Meatland" if that helps.As for transporation–intercity buses are generally safe, but intercity taxis in Israel are cheap by American standards so if that makes you more comfortable, go with it. Just ask for the price before you actually get in the cab.
China Lee… it’s right across from the big hotels on the beach. Amazing soups, sauces, and service… no US place compares.Dairy: Yotvatah Ba’ir – also right off the beach. Yotvatah is a dairy in the Negev, so you’ll find everything you can squeeze out of a cow (cheeses, milk, ice cream [very cold cows]).There are a few kosher places in the large malls in TA. It’s always fun to eat kosher in a mall foodcourt – and the food (dairy or meat) has the israeli taam. Be sure to ask for the Teudah, as most places in TA aren’t certified. :-(btw, "El Gaucho" is a chain… only kosher in certain towns. so check in TA. Years ago, there was a kosher "Subway" in TA… perhaps it’s still around and still kosher..Things to do in Tel Aviv:If you like art, check out the Tel Aviv Museum (right next to the music hall). They have art from every period – and all the masters (from Van Dyck to Monet to your famous Jewish painters/sculptors).Tel Aviv has more "Bauhaus" architecture than any city in the world – on account of all the jewish architects fleeing germany.Malls… mingle with the israeli crowd… who are trying look look "european" – you’ll see some strange English words written on t-shirts.There is a dancing school in an older area of Tel Aviv (name escapes me…ask a cabby). The area is surrounded by artist/designer shops and small cafe’s.