Denise

Just returned from Israel. Had a wonderful trip. The country is a virtual history museum - - interesting and beautiful. Contrary to what I had read in travel books, I found the people friendly and courteous. <BR> <BR>But the food - - yuk!! Aside from breakfast, which was really very good and varied, I found the rest of the food to be bland and unimaginative. I would love to hear other travellers' opinions and experiences.

debra

I don't know how the food could have been bland when most of the people could with a lot of spices. Maybe you should have gone to th Haaretz newspaper site and checked their reviews first.

David

We found the food to be wonderful;Middle eastern spices are prvalent; dairy restaurants (Yovatah-sp)were very good; dishes that emphasized cheeses, ie. bulgarian etc were outstanding. Also with all the asian workers there is a wide array of pacific rim food. If you were on a tour, then the food may have been simpler in an effort to appeal to the masses; but as you say, the breakfasts were incredible.

Lori

Just wanted to second David. Our experience is that the food in Israel is wonderful! <BR>In some aspects, the Israelis seem to have a definite liking for salty food (eg Olives and other pickled veggies served to us at bars and prior to dinner) Also quite the sweet tooth for sugar--as no one seems to pass up the suggestion for dessert. <BR>Sorry that you had a bad experience with the food, as I had very, very few.

Mike

I agree that the food isn't very good in <BR>Israel. Quite bland across the board. The best food I have had in the Middle East has been in Jordan. No one goes to these areas for the food though obviously.

joshua

i strongly disagree. there is great food all around israel - you just need to know where to eat, and avoid the tourist's traps (which every country has). <BR>fodors website recommend on some great resturants, and the locals will probably give you the best advise...

N.J.L.

My husband and I just returned from Jerusalem. We had really great dinners at our hotel. (Dinners were provided with our tour cost) We stayed at a 3 star hotel across the street from the New Gate to the old city.It was the Notre Dame center. The resturant there was a French one though. It had a fixed night menu..different each night. As I said, our meal was included. It cost $15.00 each in American money, if one pays for it himself.Their coffee shop was very good too, for a noon meal.The cost there was very reasonable. We never go out and hunt a resturant on our own. How in the world would one know where to eat that way? Happy Traveler

jane

I think the food in Israel is wonderful The 'streetfood' is very tasty Schwarma and felafel. The pickles and eggplant dishes, the olives. I don't know where you ate!!! The fruit juices are great in the bottles and at Yotvata. could go on and on...

John

I for one love the food in Israel, especially the breakfasts and the universal, refreshing chopped salad. Maybe it gets a little repetitive, but it's a little country and there's not that much room for too much diversity. <BR> <BR>Middle eastern isn't for everyone, but if you're falafalholic like us it's heaven. <BR> <BR>And the vegetarian burger at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem is the flat out, best veggie burger I've ever had anywhere - I honestly tried to get the recipe from the kitchen and was politely refused. Seems they know when they have a good thing going. <BR> <BR>

russ

In almost any country, if you are on a group tour where meals are included, the meals will be at the bottom of the quality range. If you venture out on your own to the places where the locals eat, you can't help but to have a quality meal.

Debra

A correction to John: Israel has one of the most diverse populations in the world, with immigrants from almost every country in the world.

Angela

Try "Bonkers Bagels" on the main street in Jerusalem, that was wonderful and very inexpensive. YMCA has a great restaurant (also in Jerusalem). Plus I agree that the street food is really tasty. Tel Aviv has some great cafes. The fish in Tiberius (I think its called St Peters Fish) is lovely. Found some wonderful restaurants especially while touring the country staying at the local Kibbutz.

John

Debra, I agree that Israel is a wonderfully diverse place culturally. I just don't think the restaurants refelct that diversity very well.

Amik

<BR>zHaving read all of the above, and as an Israeli, living in the US for 13 years now, I have to add this: <BR> <BR>I suspect that whoever claims that Israeli food is blend, must be American, who has little, or no experience at all with EUROPEAN food... Israel's cuisine is a wonderful mixture of European and <BR>Middle Eastern. <BR> <BR>My family's biggest aspect to adjust to, when we came to America 13 years ago Ð was the food... The cakes/cookies and generally sweets are way-way too sweet, salty food is way to salty. I keep saying that the cheapest cheese cake, bought from a street kiosk in downtown Tel-Aviv is so much crispier, light, and tasty Ð than the fanciest typical American Cheese cake, that should really be called BUTTER cake... So heavy and fat you can kill a person with it... Israel's bakeries are European in style. Have you tasted a true European Cheese cake lately?... <BR> <BR>Breakfast?! I don't think you could get anywhere else in the world a more filling AND healthy breakfast than a typical Israeli one... <BR>Since meat was always expensive in Israel (all imported) dairy products there have always been hailed by tourists... Some of the products are unique Israeli, like Leben, for instance, a very light variation of Sour cream (3-4% fat), very refreshing for breakfast. True, if you have a chance to get a table at Yotvata, on the Tel-Aviv beach Ð grab it! In our last trip to Tel-Aviv, we couldn't get one at 12 midnight, and it was midweek... <BR>Compare what American call "Green Salad" which is lettuce with a thick dressing Ð to the Israeli Salad: Fresh tomatoes (known around the globe for their sweetness, since most of them are grown in the salty earth of the Jordan Valley), cucumbers, green and red pepper, green onions, redishes... with a bit of lemmon juice or vinegar and drops of olive oil... <BR>Juicy beef stakes? Forget it. True, nobody can do it better than American. But in every Israeli restaurant you can get a large, juicy Chicken- or Turkey-Schnitzel. <BR>And, as noted above, if you are into Middle Eastern food Ð it's true heaven there... Hummus, Falafel, Shawarma (the local version of the Gyros, but made of REAL chunks of meat, no processed meat), Burekas (Fetta cheese / Spinach / or mushrooms filled Fillo Dow)... YMMMMM <BR>Hopes this helps... <BR>Amik.

susan

It may be possible to get good food in Israel, but the average restaurant is mediocre and extremely overpriced. It is very easy to end up with a disappointing, expensive meal. And the service is invariably poor. Although Israel is a wonderful country to tour, it is not a very pleasant country in which to dine out.

SharonM

Could someone describe what one of these wonderful breakfasts consist of? <BR>Now you've got me curious! (and hungry!) <BR>Thanks.

Carol

Amik please please please if you have a recipe for that wonderful Israeli cheesecake, PLEASE share it with me. I have been to Israel three times and can't wait to go back, I love everything about the country. I had the best cheescake there, and also apple blinis (spelling?), mmmm...... I can almost taste it

Spencer S.

We were in Israel in 1988. In Jerusalem, we ate at the YMCA (pronounced Yimca by the locals) every day because the local food was awful. Why do you think we Jewish people eat so much Chinese food? <BR> <BR>Spencer Schwartz <BR> <BR>

Eli

Spenser: You were in Jerusalem and ate at the Yimca??? Serves you right!!! <BR>Would you peaple stop this stupid thread? As citizens of a world junk-food power, you are a little over demanding aren't you?

amik

cadewet <BR>Sorry, but I have no idea about recipe and baking... I am a male... but I like to eat... <BR>What I can tell you is, that cheese cakes in Isreal (and Europe) are not made of that fat, thick cream cheese like here in the US, but of much lighter cheese, more like Farmer's cheese, or Ricotta cheese. And there are eggs involved. That's as far as I could go. <BR>Hope this helps... <BR>Amik.