About
About the Blog
This blog is answer to those who believe that all restaurants in Jerusalem are mediocre and/or that it’s impossible to find ingredients in Israel as good as the ones in the US. It is my belief that in addition to the many mediocre cafes that line the city’s downtown areas, there are tons of delicious eateries that are serving up unique and tasty fare, from the kind-of-cheap to the very expensive. Over the past several years I have made it my mission to sample as many of them as possible. It is also my belief that if one knows where to look, one can find many edible treasures, both as raw ingredients and ready-to-eat. I don’t think I know any hidden secrets; I’m just excited to share some of my favorite parts of Jerusalem.
I’ll use this space to document culinary experiences of the shopping and eating variety. I may on occasion post recipes or pictures of food I’ve cooked.
About Me
I am by no means a connoisseur of anything, but I am an expert eater. I like cooking and I love going to restaurants. I’ve come a long way since the days that I believed that a can of corn sufficed for a satisfying weeknight dinner, and that (like many a denizen of Morningside Heights / the Upper West Side before me) a Shabbat dinner should consist of skinless, boneless chicken breast, sweet potato souffle, and cranberry crunch. (Though let’s be honest, those meals were delicious and very pretty). Herein lies a testament to my journey from a love affair with processed foods to a love affair with cheese.
A disclaimer: I’m still a fairly picky eater. I’m just snobbier about it now.
Foodist Jerusalem 
Na, any chance of a review of Jacko street in the shuk?
We stopped by to look at the menu on Friday – looks promising! We are planning to go there Thursday night. Expect a review thereafter. 🙂
I love your blog! Is there a way I can subscribe to your blog and receive your entries via email? I can’t seem to find it…
We are fellow Upper West Siders and scheduled to be in Yerushalayim (first time at The Tachanah) from Oct. 14th to 20th. My companion is a black and white film photographer who does portraiture – the more crowded and unusual groups of people, the better. Can you tell us what time of day you would come to The Tachanah to best see that, and which restaurant you would currently most recommend to a vegetarian? Last, I just heard that there is a new Friday night service at The Tachanah that is attracting crowds but I can’t find anything about it on the Internet – can you help? Thanks – Aliya Cheskis-Cotel/email is sc523@aol.com
Just realized I never replied to this. So sorry. Hope you enjoyed your trip and found a good dairy place to eat 🙂
Anna,
I just received this from a cousin of mine in NY yesterday – it is so gorgeous – do you have any idea where or what this is in Israel?
—-Original Message—–
From: vij123
To: vij123
Sent: Wed, Oct 2, 2013 9:21 pm
Subject: Pretty amazing supermarket in Israel
Oy! It won’t let me paste it in. If you send me an email address I can send it to you – it’s rooms and rooms of vegetables and fruits made into the most sculpted arrangements I have ever seen in my life. My email is sc523@aol.com.
Aliya
Me and a friend have wanted to start a blog like this forever. I’m very happy I’ve found it. Looking for any guest bloggers?
Hi. We will be in Jerusalem for my children’s b’nai mitzvah and are looking for a great place for brunch on Sunday, Dec 29th. Would have to accommodate 13 people comfortably including my parents in their 80s, and have a menu children in the 11-13 y/o age range would be happy with. Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you
Are you looking for meat or dairy? What’s your price range (ie inexpensive, moderate, or expensive)? Are you limited to any particular neighborhoods?
Try Between The Arches – it’s in the Old City and has great ambience and food.
http://www.2eat.co.il/eng/bta/
If you are looking for a photographer for your event, let me know. Mazal Tov!
https://www.facebook.com/yitzphoto/photos_stream
It doesn’t matter. My brother and his family keep kosher but as long as there is a dairy/parve option, they’ll eat anywhere. I’m treating, but it’s a celebratory brunch, so I’m willing to go on the expensive side as long as it’s worth the price. I guess in my mind I’m picturing an American type brunch with an Israeli spin to it (too boring?!?!) Weather permitting it would be nice to be able to walk there after the service either directly from there (Robinson’s Arch) or from our hotel (Inbal). Thank you!
This might not sound exciting enough, but both the Inbal and the King David have excellent dairy brunches. If you’re looking for more of a restaurant experience: you can look into Spaghettim (dairy), Herzl (meat), or Kedma (meat) in Mamilla, Te’enim (vegetarian) or Montefiore (dairy) in Yemin Moshe, or Gabriela (dairy) downtown. They’re all good, and the Yemin Moshe options have a nice view of the Old City. I haven’t been to Between the Arches (recommended by Yitz above), but it’s a popular bar/bat mitzvah locale right in the Old City and I’ve heard good things. Hope this helps. And mazal tov!
Anna and Yitz, thanks to you both! I will look into these and I’m sure I’ll find something great! This is a first trip for me, so I don’t know my way around the city. Will study it tonight with these recommendations in mind. Thanks again!! And I hope the snow is melting!
Anna, I just read your review of Hamotzi and noted your comment that it wasn’t an OMG restaurant for you. What would you say is OMG in Jerusalem?
I really love Maalot and Touro. And for a really special occasion, 1868.