Looking for recommendations for good restaurants on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Doesn't have to be Kosher -- just good food. Sorry if this is a repeat but I realized I had posted this on the general Africa/Middle East forum and thought I might be missing some who just post on the Israel forum.

There is no &quot;Israel&quot; forum, all posts just go into the Africa/Middle East forum. The list of countries at the upper part of your screen is to assist <b>searching</b> for topics relating to specific countries. Click on your own name to see all your posts.

Read this review on many Jerusalem restarants. The writer, Daniel Rogov, is considered the most reliable reviewer in Israel: http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/isr...alem_rest.html
Pesonally I think that Arcadia is one of the best restaurants in Israel.
Tel Aviv has many excellent restaurants. Just to name a few: Orca, Raphael, Carmella, Tahel, Moul Yam (seafood - considered one of the best in Israe), Manta Ray (fish), Gilly's, Pastis etc.
You can read more details on most Tel Aviv restaurants by Rogov on the site:
http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/isr...aviv_rest.html

From the list that eri posted:

1.Missing imho is Mesedet Emma. A small family business that serves real home made Eastern foods that are delicious. Low to medium prices. It is located at the very end of Agripas Street.

2. Spaghettim has moved back to their original spot following renovations.

Wow! My mouth is watering. So many delicious choices. Thanks!

Hi, CFW..

Daniel Rogov's restaurant reviews are very interesting. However, it is difficult to know how recent they are. On the website, it says that the reviews are from 2003. A lot of things have changed since then.

Fodors has recently updated some restaurant information if you search through their &quot;destinations&quot; and go to their Israel restaurant information. They have an updated list from October 2005 that several restaurants have closed their doors.

It's tough finding &quot;unbiased&quot; updated restaurant reviews for israel. I've been searching for this all week.

One of Tel Aviv's best home-style restaurant is BATYA, on the north-west corner of Dizengoff and Arlozoroff. It's been there for decades, and became a landmark with the locals. Inexpensive, and not fancy, but really good Jewish food....

I would add Messa to Eri's list of Tel Aviv restaurants and I recommend Katy in Jerusalem.

Last night we are at a new, small, nice Italian restaurant in Tel Aviv: Rustico. Simple food, inexpensive, great service. Not Kosher. It is on Rothschild Blvd between Alenby and Herzl St. Just thought I'll add it to the list.

Orna and Ella on Shenkin St. in Tel Aviv is a great little restaurant. The food is absolutely delicious. They have wonderful sweet potatoe latkes, a wonderful spicy black bean soup and their pastas and main entrees are incredible! The waitstaff is all male and very friendly!

In Jerusalem I'd definitely recommend Cacao at the Cinematheque. The food is Italian and it is wonderful! I'd recommend the house foccacia and they had a very large variety of salads. Every dish we had at the restaurant was great and the view from the glassed in patio is breathtaking.

Hi,littlerandi....thanks for the tip about Cacao. Is it the kind of place where you need a reservation?

Cacao is fun, as is the Cinematheque. I doubt if you'd need reservations - too cool for that.

wouldn't you, the ones who have visited in Israel already, agree that the food in Israel is in general SO MUCH BETTER than here in the USA?

It's made more fresh, less fat, less sugar, less salt....

Pastries in Israel are soemthing that you can't compare to any typical place in America (Dunkin Donuts, pfuy!)

COFFEE? Just make a note that Starbucks tried doing buisness in Israel and within one year it folded.... Any restaurant or coffee shop in Israel would serve you SUPERB coffee, without making a big thing out of it....

CHEESE CAKE? Don't even start..... I say any cheese cake in any run do wn kiosk in Tel Aviv is so much tastier than any of the super rich, expensive snobish American cheese cake...

Mamamia......You make ALL excellent points. On my last trip to Israel, I was transformed into a vegetarian for the duration of the trip. The fruits and vegetables and salads were so beautiful and delicious.

Mamamia- you're right, the food is so much better than the US (and Canada,where I'm from). The sandwiches here are the absolute tastiest- fresh cheese, veggies, the softest bread ever...And the food is cheap, too!

suntravler- Nope, don't think you need a reservation for Cacao. When my parents came to visit me I took them there and we just walked right in...
Also, a tip: I find that in Tel Aviv-less so in Jerusalem- people go out for dinner quite late, so it will be less busy before 9.

littlerandi....Thanks again. If you think of any other suggestions, I am eager to hear.

I thought of 2 more great restaurants in Jerusalem.

Well the first is more of a cafe type place. It's called Tmol Shilshom and it is fabulous. Basically, it's a cafe and a library in one. It's cozy, you can read or just sit with someone and talk (or even a big group, I went with 8 people) and the food is great. My friend really recommends the Tirimisu (not too sure of that spelling!). They also have a nice selection of hot and cold drinks. It is a very very cool atmosphere.

The second restaurant is quite different. It's called La Guta in the Nachalat Shiva area of Jerusalem. I believe the restaurant is owned by one lady and she does a lot of the cooking. It's a small restaurant and the food is super tasty. I had a nice cut of meat in a red wine and chestnut sauce...really good. My family had quite the experience when we went. We called for reservations quite late in the day (and you should call for reservations for this restaurant) and they told us that they had booked out a party of 40, but they could squeeze us in. We got there and it turned out that their party of 40 was there for a prostate medication lecture...Even though the presentation was going on throughout our meal and the staff had to deal with the huge party they were extremely attentive and the chef even gave us a complimentary dessert! I would gladly go back

Enjoy!

Thanks, littlerandi.....interesting recommendations!

I second the recommendation for Tmol Shilshom..It is a great place to go! It is also one of the few places in Jerusalem that actually serves brewed iced tea instead of bottled.

Where is Tmol Shilshom? Is it basically a cafe with coffee, iced tea &amp; desserts, or do they also serve dinner or lunch? If so, what type of food? Thanks.