Azura Restaurant is probably one of the best places to eat in Jerusalem’s bustling open-air Mahane Yehuda Food Market. The famous food market offers a dizzying assault on the senses. Vendors compete with screams over the prices of their products as the smell of spices and fresh fish wafts through the air.
From old-school vegetable stalls; bakeries, and a boutique wine and cheese bars to fish and chip or falafel stands and sit-down restaurants of every style and price range; the now gentrified market’s dozens of eateries present the most comprehensive assortment of culinary options in the city.
Azura is one of Mahane Yehuda’s most iconic and celebrated eateries. Over the years, it has transitioned from a working-class joint to a hotspot for locals of all ages and backgrounds and a regular stop for tourists who come for its authentic atmosphere, excellent hummus, tremendous Kube, and other North African homestyle cooking.
Furthermore, if you are looking for traditional Middle Eastern food, the best may be Azura! It’s a family-run institution in the Iraqi market famous for its Turkish-inspired delicacies that are slow-cooked to perfection atop kerosene burners. But you should try their special dish, Kima! It’s a dish of lamb kebab with layers of eggplant, potato, and spinach leafs dipped in gravy. What can I tell you? It is excellent! Another great dish they have is Azura!, a Turkish eggplant filled with chopped beef, pine nuts, and a unique cinnamon spice blend. As you see, it bears the restaurant’s name and also is a big hit.
Azura Restaurant IsWorth Every Penny!
So Azura is more expensive than your average working-class joint in Israel. But far more reasonable than the gourmet restaurants serving traditional food that have sprouted up in the market in recent years. And it has maintained its old-time feel with simple tables spread across the courtyard within view of the market’s trademark overflowing fruit and vegetable stands. Outside Azura, you still have the old men of the neighborhood sitting alongside the tables playing backgammon and sipping fresh mint tea.
So don’t think about it too much and get in touch with me and book a food tour of Machne Yehuda!
