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Jerusalem’s dining scene is smaller and more modest than Tel Aviv's, but is steeped in 4,000 years of culinary traditions. Among Jewish residents, more than a century of immigration has infused the local fare with the best of Kurdish, Moroccan, French, Polish, Yemenite, and Italian flavors. On the Palestinian side, most restaurants rely on a rich heritage of family cooking. On both sides, an elite class of chefs has begun combining the best of local ingredients with advanced cooking techniques and imaginative serving styles.
All this is to say that when you’re in Jerusalem you can enjoy the best of both worlds: hole-in-the-wall eateries brimming with aromatic stews and garlicky hummus or high-end dining rooms serving inspired and elegant riffs on the city’s flavors and produce.
Some cuisine designations are self-explanatory, but other terms may be confusing. A restaurant billing itself as "dairy" will serve meals without meat; many such places do serve fish, in addition to pasta, soup, and salads. "Oriental" usually means Middle Eastern (in contrast to Western), often meaning hummus, kebabs, and stews.
The term kosher doesn’t imply a particular style of cooking, only that the cooks followed Jewish dietary law in selecting and preparing the food. In Jerusalem, where there are many kosher standards from which to choose, the selection can be dizzying. But unless specific kosher standards govern your eating habits, don't worry. Jerusalem is home to dozens of kosher restaurants preparing excellent food. Remember that most kosher restaurants are closed for Friday dinner and Saturday lunch in observation of the Jewish Sabbath. A generous handful of nonkosher cafés, bars, and restaurants remain open all weekend.
Dress codes are pretty much nonexistent in Jerusalem's restaurants (as in the rest of Israel). People tend to dress casually—jeans are perfectly appropriate almost everywhere anytime. A modicum of neatness and modesty (trousers instead of jeans, a button-down shirt instead of a T-shirt) might be expected in the more exclusive establishments. In conservative neighborhoods, women will feel more comfortable covered up. If you brought the kids, you're in luck: nearly every Israeli restaurant is kid-friendly, and many have special menus and high chairs.
This Viennese-style second-floor garden café in a guesthouse for pilgrims is a refined retreat from the chaos of the Old City markets down below. Lunch and dinner are available, and the deep burgundy walls, wooden tables, and classical music make this a lovely wintertime spot for light fare or dessert. Ask at reception about visiting the rooftop for a small fee: the views of the Old City are gorgeous.
Jerusalem is famous for its Kurdish kubbeh soup, made with softball-size meat-and-semolina dumplings, and Azura is the perfect place to try this classic dish. Tucked away in a plaza off the Machaneh Yehuda market, the cavelike kitchen is packed with massive pots simmering on kerosene burners. Try the velvety beet kubbeh soup, or the tangy hamusta soup made with lemon and chard. Delicious hummus is made daily, and on some days the oxtail stew has the pungent flavors of the market. If weather permits, grab an outdoor table to watch groups of old Iraqi men drink coffee and play backgammon on the benches nearby. The restaurant closes when the food runs out, so don't arrive too late.
Locals flock to Café Yehoshua at breakfast, lunch, and dinner for its Israeli take on American diner food. The menu includes everything from tahini pancakes to spaghetti tossed with shrimp. A laid-back yet vibrant atmosphere and a location just a few minutes' walk from the prime minister's residence make it a great spot for quality people-watching in one of Jerusalem's quaintest neighborhoods. In good weather, the rooftop dining area lets you enjoy the fresh air. Evening is a great time to stop by for a drink and a bite-size burger.
Locals rejoiced big time when this casual kosher spot opened, bringing with it a menu of creative street food (not to mention Jerusalem’s best artisan bread and meat purveyors). It's all complemented by craft Israeli beers and signature cocktails in a vibrant and loud "America in Israel" atmosphere. Get the duck fries, sliders, and a range of options on the "taco bar" menu, and then chomp in disbelief that the food is so delicious and kosher at the same time.
This Tunisian hole-in-the-wall offers pillowy hand-rolled couscous, slow-cooked stews, and zingy tuna and egg sandwiches, served outside on tiny tables or packed up to go. There is no menu, just whatever owner Motti Hadad is cooking in the closet-size kitchen.
Jaffar specializes in kunafe, the Nablus sweet made of goat cheese topped with syrupy semolina crumbles. You may be tempted to split your first plate, but the treat soon grows addictive. Jaffar also makes sheets of golden baklava topped with nuts. It's a landmark, visited by locals and tourists alike, so anyone in the Old City can help you find it.
When aficionados of local standards like garlicky hummus, skewered shish kebabs, fried chicken schnitzel, and bean soup argue hotly about the merits of their favorite eateries, Pinati—which means "corner" in Hebrew—comes up as a leading contender. It's now a chain, but this simple downtown spot remains a convenient place to rub shoulders with locals while eating expertly prepared food. Not for long, though: your table will soon be in demand, and you will have to share at peak times.
On the top of the Mamilla Hotel, this open-air restaurant lays claim to one of the best views of Jerusalem, and you can enjoy it from a cushioned chair as you sip spiked iced tea and dine on seared sea bass or grilled lamb chops with Swiss chard. The extensive wine list features more than 20 local boutique labels. During the Sabbath, the Rooftop serves a cold menu of salads and fish. The atmosphere is lovely and the view is unbeatable, so advance reservations are a must in summer.
Mo Tahhan opened this cheery café in the space that was once his father's travel agency with the vision of creating a gathering spot as comfy and as fun as your living room at home. Staff often joins patrons for a chat on the bright blue couches and encourages them to add or take from the in-house library stocked with a selection of English-language books. Changing daily specials include maqloubeh, a Palestinian rice and chicken dish, or the bright orange knaffeh, the traditional cheese pastry soaked in syrup, for dessert. Excellent coffee, pastries, Wi-Fi, and in-house printers create a kind of coworking vibe during the day, but the wine list and excellent pastas also attract more serious diners later on.
Just under the Jerusalem Theatre, Talbiye is a cozy neighborhood restaurant and wine bar specializing in French--Israeli cuisine. The soundtrack of classical music during the day and jazz at night, as well as the rustic-chic decor, provide a sophisticated atmosphere for a solid clientele of politicians, judges, and Jerusalemite intelligentsia. Don't miss the moules frites (mussels served with french fries) or the sea bream cooked in white wine, and finish off the rich meal with a baba au rhum, a small bundt cake doused in sweet rum.
The name—a Hebrew literary phrase that translates roughly as "yesteryear"—is a clue to the character of the place. A tiny passageway leads to a rear courtyard and an iron stairway, which takes you up to this funky restaurant and bookstore in two separate rooms on the top floor of a 19th-century house. Hosting Hebrew (and occasionally English) poetry readings, lectures, small art exhibitions and modest book parties, T'mol Shilshom has long been a popular spot for folks who enjoy lingering over a novel. No meat is served, but choose from a tempting selection of salads, pastas, and fish dishes. Desserts are luscious, and the array of hot drinks served in chunky ceramic mugs is always welcome on a rainy day.
In the heart of the Old City, this place has some of the best hummus in town, served fast to locals crammed around rickety tables under fluorescent lights. Enjoy the excellent falafel, eggplant salad, and labaneh (a slightly tart yogurt drizzled with olive oil and spices). Eat family style and don't order too much, as you can get additional portions on the spot.
At this popular kosher chain, the hamburgers are more like cakes than patties. They come with your choice of tasty sauces, and all are made to order. Lamb and chicken wraps and robust salads reflect Israeli tastes. Vegetarians will delight in the portobello burger.
Even though this German Colony institution is part of a chain, it's still quaint with welcoming service. It's well-known for its sweet potato soup and juicy salmon skewers. Morning meals are generous and varied, including classic Israeli breakfast of eggs and salads. The personable staff and the warm, welcoming space make this a favorite spot for locals. There are also charming branches downtown near Mamilla on Shlomzion Hamalka Street as well as at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.
Cholent is a dish that evolved from necessity: Jewish law forbids cooking on the Sabbath, and so observant Jews often start a stew on Friday that will be ready the following afternoon. Every Jewish community has its own recipe, but in Jerusalem the best place to try cholent is in the ultra-Orthodox quarter of Me'a She'arim, where on Thursday nights locals crowd into Deitsch for a plate straight out of Poland. You'll be served a rich brown stew with a few vegetables and a dumpling. Dress modestly, and expect to be the only patrons not wearing black and white.
It's hard not to wolf down these pita sandwiches stuffed with seared entrecote, osso buco, or fried red mullet, and there's crispy cauliflower too. Shots of arak are available as well, on the house.
Part coffee shop, part bookstore, this spot has an endless trove of literature exploring the Arab-Israeli conflict from a Palestinian perspective. Take a volume upstairs and peruse it over a lunch of a savory manaqeesh bread topped with thyme and olive oil, freshly made labaneh cheese, or salmon sandwiches. Turkish coffee is brewed fresh on an orange camping stove. Ask about upcoming lectures and movie screenings.
Brothers Aviram and Shlomi Ohana's tiny fish-and-chips emporium in the heart of the Machaneh Yehuda market offers fresh selections direct from their father Haim's seafood stall down the alley. Everything is garnished with a range of tasty dressings and accompanied by great fries. Try classic British-style battered cod, or a range of interesting dishes including tuna, salmon, or whatever today's fresh catch happens to be. There are also good beers on tap. They had to triple the seating area because of the huge demand, so there's plenty of space.
The sign is only in Hebrew at this hole-in-the-wall stand, which features what many say is the best sabich in the city. The Middle Eastern street food staple has thin slices of fried eggplant combined with hard-boiled egg and your choice of greens, wrapped in a laffa (flatbread) or stuffed into a pita, then topped with tehina and/or amba, a tangy, pickled mango sauce. If you haven't yet been introduced to sabich, this is is the place to be initiated. The hours? Until the eggplant runs out. There are vegetarian and vegan options.
All walks of life share elbow space at this casual eatery's long bar inlaid with Armenian painted tiles. The hummus here is especially tasty and is served from morning until well after midnight.
With an upstairs dining area, Lina offers a respite from the hubbub of the Old City. Hand-ground hummus is the main event here, and you can order it topped with chickpeas, fava beans, or pine nuts. You can also sample the yogurt-cheese called labaneh and wash it down with freshly pressed fruit juice.
Locals swear by this deli's inexpensive sandwiches, which come piled high with smoked meats, exotic cheeses, or pickled herring. Meat and dairy are prepared in separate kitchens, so you have an unusually wide range of choices for a non-certified kosher eatery, and it offers vegan-friendly options as well. It's also a great place to pick up a fresh pastry, a bottle of wine, or a block of cheese, which you can enjoy at one of the deli's few street-side tables. They'll pack a picnic as well.
You'll probably smell this eatery long before you see it: rich stews of eggplant, potatoes, and meat cook all day on kerosene burners, and the aromas waft into the Machaneh Yehuda market, taunting passersby. Try the stuffed grape leaves, scoop up hummus with freshly baked pitas, or order beef heaped over rice for a meal that will stick to your ribs.
Down the block from the Machaneh Yehuda produce market, Agrippas Street has some of Jerusalem's best-known greasy spoons. Loyalists claim that Steakiyat Hatzot, which means "Midnight Grill," actually pioneered the local favorite known as Me'orav Yerushalmi, or Jerusalem mixed grill—a substantial and delicious meal-in-a-pita of cumin-flavored bits of chicken hearts, livers, and other organ meats. A bulging pita sandwich, eaten standing up, will set you back about 54 shekels; you can also sit down at a table in the well-decorated dining area and pay about twice that amount for skewers of grilled meat, duck breast, or fish. There are plenty of vegan and children's options.
The son of a prominent family of Iraqi bakers founded this airy, spacious bistro featuring fresh breads, pastries, and pastas. It's considered a top spot for brunch as well as Italian-style aperitivo in the evening, and the large wooden communal table is the perfect way to share a light meal with strangers. Try the salad dressed in Campari vinaigrette, the focaccia dotted with goat cheese and dates, or the ricotta gnocchi. If you're just passing through, consider taking home some of the expertly selected prepared foods and local offerings, like Israeli wines, olive oils, and liquors.
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