So you made it to the Holy Land and you toured all the highlights! But what are the best restaurants in Jerusalem? So here is the ultimate guide for the little eateries and the high-end restaurants you should check out while touring the Holy City of Jerusalem!
Best Restaurants in Jerusalem: Machneyuda
So I am quite sure that if you did some research (and I am sure you did!); you already stumbled by the name showing up the top google search for ‘top restaurants in Jerusalem’. And trust me with very good reason! This fine cuisine restaurant was founded by the renowned Chef Assaf Granit and Uri Navon. This amazing restaurant located just next to Mahane Yehuda Market is famous for flag dishes like their Polenta, Lamb T-bone, and much more! Trust me you’ll lick your fingers! And I mean that literally! Here is a link to the restaurant’s website.
Ishtabah
Another restaurant that I would crown as one of the best restaurants in Jerusalem is Ishtabah! Now it’s very different than Machneyuda above. Ishtabah is a delicious street food bar just next to the food market. Pricewise it’s much cheaper than Machneyuda and you won’t have to break the bank to get a nice meal in a sandwich there. The doors are open Sun-Thu 10:00-18:00 and weekends only on Fri 8:30-15:30.
Best Restaurants in Jerusalem: Azura
Azura restaurant is yet another legendary local restaurant that makes authentic Iraquian-Turkish food. It’s not pricey compared to five stars restaurants. On the other hand, a plate of delicious creamy hummus can reach 30 plus ILS (about 10 USD). You should note that each time I am touring Jerusalem I prefer to take my guests there. Bear in mind that this restaurant is tucked away in the Iraqi market at the very heart of Mahane Yehuda Market, and it’s a little hard to find. Their Flag dish is Azura, a famous Iraqui dish the founder of the little joint brought when he immigrated to Israel back in the 1940s. In other words, it’s eggplant with seasoned grind beef on top garnished with pine seeds and cinnamon!
Chakra Restaurant
Yet another great restaurant that as a private tour guide in Israel has to be on my list for the ‘The Best Restaurants in Jerusalem’ is Chakra! Without a doubt, this place is one of my all-time favorites since the doors of the restaurant were open in the year 2000. Everything in this place makes the best option for a nice dinner to remember. From the top-notch service, you will get, for a second you feel like in New York! I mean you really feel you are taken care of by the staff. Now let’s talk about the menu. they have a very wide menu. I like the charcoal oven asparagus & fresh corn polenta. Also their beef carpaccio topped parmigiano. Now for the main course, the beef fillet red wine shallots & mashed potatoes are superb! Open Monday-Friday, opening doors from 18:00.
The Best Restaurants in Jerusalem: The Culinary Workshop
The Culinary Workshop is another signature restaurant by Chef Assaf Granit you should check out while touring Modern Jerusalem. From personal experience, I tell you this place is superb. This is one of the nicest places for a nice dinner alongside with Chakra Restaurant that I mentioned above. Let’s go over their menu, mentioning the very best ones. First the Fish Fillet – garnished with Jerusalem Artichoke Sofrito and Pickled Lemon, Hummus. Their Veal Fillet 250g comes with Mashed Potatoes, Chimichurri, Bok Choy, Bone Marrow also one of the favorites that I eat there repeatedly!
Ofaimme Farm Coffee Shop
One of the best restaurants in Jerusalem for a dreamy breakfast is Ofaimme Farm Coffee Shop! The Ofaimme Farm for Sustainable Agriculture was established in Moshav Idan in the Arava by the Yinon brothers. One of their core value is ‘other form of agriculture’ that allows growers to be in direct contact with the consumer, as well as maintaining ecology and fair trade. The farm uses traditional methods to produce goat cheese, olives and olive oil, honey, jams, various spreads, and the like. The Ofaimme Farm Cafe opened at the Historic Doctor’s House in Hansen House. The cafe is vegetarian-dairy and includes gluten-free dishes. All the dishes served at the place fulfill the vision of the farm with the motto “from seed to plate”, with most of the raw materials coming from the Afaim farm or other farms in the country.
These days they are open Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (and in the store until 7 p.m.) and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Address: Gedaliah Alon 14, Jerusalem (you can also enter from the direction of Marcus Street).
