Fancy Dinners in Tel Aviv OCD A theatrical, tasting-menu-only restaurant which recently came 3rd the “50 Best Restaurants in the Middle East” list. If Israel had a Michelin guide, it would definitely be worthy of at least one star. Pereh Stunning daring dishes, soufflé pancakes and casual atmosphere. 85/15 Wine bar with great food to go along. Dok The most hyper-local, super seasonal, Israeli tasting menu you will find in the country. Tsfon Abraksas A kitchen and chefs full of character and super bold flavours. Sit on the bar for best experience. Milgo & Milbar Great Israeli produce, seasonal menus, Also recently joined the “50 Best Restaurants in the Middle East” list.) Abie Israeli cuisine but with a bit of a Mexican vibe. This restaurant is all the rage at the moment, specialising in fish and seafood but does amazing vegetable bassed dishes as well. Alena A great restaurant in a stunning hotel. There’s also a great wine bar downstairs. Mashya Both for breakfast and fancy dinners- authentic and delicious. TYO Fancy upscale Japanese cuisine. Popina Try their squid ink pizza Shila A crowd pleaser! Everyone seems to love this one, specialising in fish and seafood. “If you’re worried about spending too much money, go to Tsfon Abraksas, but if you’re willing to to go all out – go to OCD.” Breakfast in Tel Aviv Cicchetti For a brilliant brunch on Friday’s and Saturday’s. Ha’achim Buffet breakfast on Fridays only. Great Happy Hour as well! Mashya Both for breakfast and fancy dinners – authentic, Israeli cuisine made fancy. Cucu Cafe Try the Eggs Benedict on brioche toast and a Bloody Mary or a Pimm’s. Benedict No tourist should go home without having a midnight breakfast at Benedict! It’s open 24/7 and serves a great hangover cure. They recently also started selling picnic baskets. Cheap Eats in Tel Aviv Miznon For everything in a Pitta, including a taboon roasted cauliflower. Port Said Sitting on crates in the street drinking loads of tasty cocktails, eating delicious food in the middle of the night – one of the things I do every time I’m in Israel. Hacarmel Market You guessed it! It’s a market, but a damn good one. Can get quite loud and dirty by the end of the day, but don’t miss out on the ready to eat food stalls un the middle of it. Cicchetti Lovely Italian restaurant. Jasmino A stall specialising in offal (sweetbreads, hearts, kidneys etc.) but also just chicken thighs and veal kebabs. It’s all served in a bun with roasted vegetables and Amba (mango pickle). Make sure to let them know if you don’t like it spicy! (you might regret it for the rest of your trip otherwise…) Asian food in Tel Aviv Nahm For Vietnamese food and lychee flavoured cocktails Kab Kem Great Thai food Hatailandit be Har Sinai Literally translates to “That Thai place in Har Sinai street” – very spicy, very delicious! Habait Hatailandi A very busy and well-known Thai restaurant, book your table in advance. Tiger Lilly Outdoorsy, rather cheap, great atmosphere and great value Moon For the best sushi in town Israeli Food in Israel The Old Man and The Sea Seafood mecca Miznon For everything in a Pitta, including a taboon roasted cauliflower. Port Said Sitting on crates in the street drinking loads of tasty cocktails, eating delicious food in the middle of the night – one of the things I do every time I’m in Israel. Dok The most hyper-local, super seasonal, Israeli tasting menu you will find in the country. Ha’achim For dinner with friends and a chilled vibe. Great Happy hour and buffet breakfasts on Fridays only. Azura Super authentic Israeli food. Make sure you have a sneak peak in the kitchen! Bar Ochel In-the-middle-of-the-market kinda restaurant Ouzeria Almost greek style. Loads of seafood and fresh great produce. Coffee Break & Some Pastries Cafe Dallal To be honest, everything by the Dallal Group is good, and this coffee shop is no exception. A lovely spot for a coffee and a pastry. Nordinyo When I say GOOD coffee and GREAT pastries, THIS is what I’m talking about!!! I tend to go for the square-shaped Canelé-de-Bordeaux and a Cortado. Bucke In four different locations across Tel Aviv, they have a reputation for their chocolate chip cookies! Delicatessen A deli with lovely food and pastries to grab on the go. Nahat coffee For all you coffee geeks out there! This is where you’ll probably find your soulmate. They’ve got 2 locations in Tel-Aviv. Lachmanina My friend’s favourite! Bakery For properly made sourdoughs Bars in Tel Aviv Imperial Tucked away inside a hotel, this cocktail bar will transfer you to the 40’s in no time. Lovely food as well as interesting mixology! This bar is number 94 the world’s best bars! They also have a great value Happy Hour. Bosser A wine bar for the connoisseurs. An ever-changing wine list and very attentive staff Jango wine bar Amazing wines, white tablecloths, french style food- from oysters to beef tartare. The pistachio popsicles for dessert are a must. Tirza a wine bar owned by the chef at OCD. Amazing food and wine selections JUS chilled vibes, good food, affordable wines. Spicehaus One of the most known cocktail bars in town. They also sell pre-mixed cocktails bottled up for take-away. Speakeasy Not really a speakeasy as we know it, but a lovely rooftop bar overlooking the busy Rothschild Boulevard with great drinks and atmosphere. The Library Bar At the Norman Hotel for some posh drinks and a great wine list Beyond Tel Aviv Places I love to visit: Pescado this restaurant was nominated 24th best restaurant in the Middle East. But unlike all the rest that were easily picked from Tel Aviv, this one is in Ashdod- A very unpretentious non-touristy part of Israel. Rutenberg Based in Gesher which is in the Golan Hights, it’s a tiny restaurant with an ever-changing menu. I’ve heard a lot of recommendations about it. Little wine
Bar Agrikultur This is a must-go. We were shocked with how tasty the food was at this wine bar / restaurant. Oh, and do not skip their Cardamom-bun bread-n-butter pudding!!! Rolfs Kok Great for a casual dinner. Adam/Albin Great for a fancy meal.
Yam’TCha Asian French restaurant with a Michelin star Septime Classic french done properly Bouillon Pigalle Recommendations from chef friends Chapon For Chocolate mousse by weight Meert For Galette freshly made with various fillings- Pistachio is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G La Grande Epicerie A stunning food court – for people who love foreign supermarkets as much as I do. Un Dimanche A Paris Gorgeous patisserie Breizh Cafe Crepes (the proper type) any way you like it Pierre Herme Especially their Raspberry and Lychee Croissant. Pain de Sucre For the most stunning desserts Laduree Just grab some pastries and eat them on an abandoned bench on the Champs Elysees
Mexico City Amaya Those fish tostadas were the best bite I had throughout the whole of Mexico! Nico’s For traditional food, made at the table. Try the duck in mole and the Guacamole, obviously. Reviews are quite controversial about this one but we had delicious food and a great vibe. El Huequito For stunning tacos and this mountain. Oaxaca Casa Oaxaca Stunning restaurant, live music, great cocktails and tasty food. Food tour Going through the markets with Betsy – from AIrBnB experiences Restaurante Los Huamuches For casual amazing food off the beaten track. All cooked on open fires. Just where the locals eat – so completely unpretentious and cheap. Amazing mezcals too. Criollo Food and experience was amazing. Stunning restaurant, lovely staff and fresh warm tacos. Tasting menu? Yes!!! Drink pairing? Unnecessary. I got a bit offended when they served me tea as a pairing. Infused water doesn’t justify the price. Expendio Tradicion Mezcal Cocktail bar Chepiche Cafe For breakfast Caldo de Piedra For hot stone soup Caracol Purpura For great coffee and hot/cold chocolate Aloha Oaxaca For cocktails and live Mexican music Tulum Hartwood Delicious food cooked in an outdoor kitchen but please read my google review first just so you’re aware of what you’re heading towards.
Flour+water Amazing handmade pasta and Italian dishes changing every day. Petit Crenn The slightly cheaper sister of Atelier Crenn from the world famous lady chef Dominique Crenn of Chef’s Table. The French Laundry And in fact we did exactly what this lady recommends on her video as well. Benu American-Asian menu. Michelin starred restaurant serving a tasting menu built from loads of tiny dishes.
Chambre Separee By previous 3-Michelin star chef Kobe Desramaults in Ghent. Vrijmoed 2* in Ghent Oak Affordable and delicious fine dining in Ghent. Souvenir My absolute favourite by Vilhjalmur (Vili) Sigurdarson – an Icelandic chef cooking up foraged, delicious, inspiring Belgian food with a combination of extremely interesting wines. Located in Ghent. Kuala Lumpur Traditional Malaysian cuisine. My family has been going there ever since I was a child, and although most nostalgic flavours tend to disappoint, this one keeps being A-M-A-Zing. If you go, make sure to order the Satay sharer plate and the Beef in red onions, if your lucky, they might have the green pancakes for dessert. Sans Cravate 1* in Bruges The Jane -upstairs 1* in Antwerp Pasta Hippo-Vino Handmade Pasta and Italian food and great Apperitivo located in Antwerp Yuzu Chocolates In Ghent
Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms I’m proud to say that I worked here twice, for a total of almost 5 years. It has 2 Michelin stars and is definitely worth going up for the weekend and staying in one of their fancy rooms. The Coach Marlow 1* pub Moor Hall 2* restaurant near Liverpool. Recently voted ‘Best Restaurant in England’ at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards 2022. Cod’s Scallops My favourite fish & chip shack, also in Nottingham.
Dinner Hoppers Sri Lankan food, trendy cocktails with Asian inspirations. It’s an intimate restaurant with special flavours. If you like Indian food. you’re gonna love this. Perilla An off-the-beaten-track English restaurant. They do tasting menus, wine pairings and the whole Shabang, but because they’re a little further out (of Central London) the prices are really affordable. Temper A cool restaurant in Central London, serving Mexican food, Great atmosphere and loud music Coal Office For all of you searching for upscale Israeli food, this is the place. Located in the super trendy Coal Yard. This is Assaf Granit’s restaurant in London. Music and food are loud. If you’re sitting by the bar, be prepared to get boozed-up. Som Saa This is my favourite Thai place in London. I only have good memories of the food there. Harwood Arms Michelin-starred pub, run by the same owner as The Ledbury (where i’ve worked). If you want to try out a pub meal and want to experience true English food, this is the place for you. Try going for a Sunday Roast if possible, but any other day is great too. Fine Dining I’ve either worked, done a stage or at least a trial in 99% of these restaurants. So it may seem like I’m biased but I know these restaurants inside and out. I would never work somewhere I don’t LOVE the food. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal 2 Michelin stars, about to close its doors in January 2027 A Heston Blumenthal institution. They serve fine dining English food, Molecular and Modern. This is a well operated machine, serving perfection every time. over the years they created quite a few signature dishes so make sure you have : the meatfruit, triple cooked chips, Tipsy cake and the ice cream trolley. Frog 1 Michelin star In this restaurant, I would recommend to go for a tasting menu. Sitting on the bar is also nice, because you can stare directly into the kitchen. The Ledbury 3 Michelin stars Ask most chefs what their favourite restaurant in London is and they would say “The Ledbury”. Very upscale, and sophisticated. It’s THE place to go for a special occasion. Brett is Australian and so is most of the kitchen team, the atmosphere downstairs is hectic and intense but the food that comes out of it is nowhere to be tasted. Kitchen Table 2 Michelin stars A 19-seater tall bar table surrounding a gorgeous kitchen, with all the chefs in the center so there isn’t a section that is out of your view. Its a very intimate and romantic setting, the food is absolutely incredible and you can ask and talk about everything with the chefs. James’s wife is the floor manager and a sommelier, but also an inspiration to me for being a BADASS woman and a mother of 2 small girls. Ikoyi 3 Michelin stars and very spicy Ikoyi is the only fine dining restaurant serving West African food and bringing it to the level of well known establishments. Ingredients here are special (I haven’t heard of 90% of them) and the dishes are really different (spicy though, and without the option of asking for less spicy so beware). Jeremy is this young chef, down to earth and lovely and humble. Sabor 1 Michelin star Spanish food with a casual atmosphere. Serving tapas by Nieves Barragan who is a lovely lovely chef, super approachable and nice. She previously ran Barrafina which is also a great place for Spanish food. Asian Bao For steamed buns and sharer snacks on a tall bar surrounding the open plan kitchen Hoppers Sri Lankan food with Sri Lankan inspired cocktails, great for vegetarian options too Som Saa Thai food, be prepared for a lot of spice! although you can easily ask for non-spicy dishes, just make sure you remember to do so. Roka Modern Asian – great vibe, loud music and incredible dishes. This is what I imagine Hong Kong restaurants to be like, super modern and cool Inko Nito Modern Asian – the slightly more affordable Roka. Din Tai Fung This place is a Dim Sum heaven. With a glass kitchen, you can see them folding the Dim Sum in front of your eyes. Shoryu Ramen The easily accessible chain with a delicious broth and a variety if noodles. It’s hard to go wrong with this one Tonkotsu Ramen Just proper, good ramen. Yes! they also have other things on the menu but I genuinely think that there’s no need, I’m satisfied with my bowl of heartwarming broth and noodles. Cheap Eats Homeslice Pizza with funky toppings. Imagine sweetcorn cream and Chorizo, or slow cooked lamb, yogurt and sumac. Franco Manca For the more classic pizza with a thick aerated crust. Everything is delicious and done properly, and the best thing about it is that the pizzas are personal, no need for sharing. Senor Ceviche Peruvian cuisine. Ceviche, Sweetcorn crackers and that crispy pork belly please. Pleasant Lady Jian Bing There are 2 locations for these Chinese crepes. One in Soho and one in Spitalfields market. It’s unlike any other crepe. They’re served savoury, with a choice of meat, an egg, herbs and a piece of crispy pastry making the whole thing crunch. Flat Iron If you fancy a steak, Flat Iron has made it as simple as possible. They only do one cut of meat known as Flat Iron (duh!) and all you have to choose your cuisson (i.e. level of cooking- well done, rare or anything in between) and your sides, of which they have a generous selection. I always go for the creamed spinach and triple cooked fries. British St John’s The famous nose-to-tale restaurant. They’ve got a bone marrow toast that is world famous and they’re known for their pork dishes Western’s Laundry Intimate dining experience, serving great food in a casual setting Rock & Sole Plaice Fish & chips Breakfast 26 grains Located in central London, serving a range of breakfast options that are nutritional
