Part of the Machneyuda group, Lotte, is located in the Galei Kinneret Hotel, considered to be an institution of culture and resilience. The story of the restaurant’s namesake Lotte Eisenberg begins when Lotte came to Israel in 1947 and established the Galei Kinneret Hotel. Through war and several assasinnation attempts Lotte managed to keep her business above water and has hosted a range of historical figures, celebrities, writers, heads of state, and various dignitaries. Today the restaurant that bears her name has made a commitment to the same level of excellence that Lotte Eisenberg pursued with a menu that pays homage to her memory and love of Gallilean food culture like Knerret sardines served with Turkish salad and lemon aeoli.
Restaurant Tag: Mediterranean
Shamouleh
It doesn’t get any more “classic Israeli kitchen” than Shamouleh and the food may put your Savtas cooking to shame. In the early morning, restaurant owner and head chef Shamouleh Nahmias comes into his restaurant to start preparing all the food from scratch. By ten o’clock, mouth watering aromas come wafting out of Shamouleh’s doors. Plates are piled high with rice, meats, and veggies; and bowls of kube are served to the brim with delicious beet broth.
Ima
Miryam Binyamin established one of Jerusalem’s most beloved kitchens, Ima, in 1981 and has been feeding generations of sabras, olim, and tourists ever since. There is a saying in Israel that everything that comes out of mom’s kitchen is delicious, and sometimes there is nothing better or more needed than touching base with some good ole fashioned Israeli comfort food. The sort of comfort food that comes out of Miryam’s iconic kitchen is more specifically Sephardi comfort food and it does not dissappoint.
Mona
The Mona group is a collective of restaurants and culinary experiences run by Chef Tomer Rosenfeld and headed by their flagship restaurant Mona. Nestled deep within the city of Jerusalem in one of the it’s historic old stone houses, the tastes of home and simplicity are paramount in all the dishes at Mona. However, as Chef Tomer Rosenfeld likes to remind his patrons “simple is never actually simple,” and with a selection of very few ingredients Mona turns out dishes of homemade taste with gourmet color and presentation. The simplicity of raw delicious food is a regular practice at Mona with dishes featuring styles such as sashimi and tartare.
HaMotzi
Chef Avi Levy’s inspiration for HaMotzi came from his childhood in the Musrara neighborhood in Jerusalem as well as his global travels. HaMotzi offers an authentic culinary approach to traditional North African (specifically, Algerian) cuisine while combining local elements. Some of the restaurant’s iconic dishes include cigars stuffed with sweetbread and asado; pastille, a chicken, almond and saffron pastry; and bullette, a pan of crispy Algerian meatballs with cabbage and steamed onions.The copper pots and antique ovens that adorn the walls and ceiling are actually artifacts collected during Chef levy’s travels as well as from his grandmother’s childhood home. Chef Levy’s mother Miriam is a pillar of the restaurant. She is the official pastry chef and comes in daily to make all of the restaurant’s desserts from scratch.
Miznon Tel Aviv
Chef Eyal Shani is a native Jerusalemite who received his culinary education from his grandfather, a dedicated vegan and agronomist who exposed his grandson to the variety of Israel’s culinary scene. Over the last decade or so, Shani has been one of Israel’s food pioneers, serving Mediterranean taste freshly and conveniently in a pita with seasonal vegetables, fish,and meat. The name of the game at Miznon is recognizable innovation. The pita is the beating heart of Israeli comfort food. It’s the perfect model for translating the language of Mediterranean food around the world and combining that food with other foods. Miznon is now in several locations around the globe with its most recent additions popping up in the trendy New York neighborhood of Chelsea.
Mansoura
Mansoura’s food represents the global reach and exposure of its chefs, Elad Dagan and Tal Suhami, who are incredibly humble about their experience and talent. The restaurant’s cuisine places an emphasis on fish while paying homage to the origins of both chefs. Both were trained under the legendary Sharon Cohen of Shila in Tel Aviv and L’Atelier in Paris. Think gourmet food but prepared through the Israeli cultural culinary lens. Mansoura is located in the less trendy and out of the way garage district in Yaffo, a humble and understated location that you would not expect to find some of the best fruit de mer that Tel Aviv has to offer, or two of the best trained gourmet chefs in Israel.
The Salon
Famed for its delectable Israeli-Mediterranean cuisine, The Salon is another success story from acclaimed chef Eyal Shani. This renowned fine dining venue opens Wednesday and Thursday only to give Eyal time to focus on his other gastronomic pursuits. The ever-evolving menu is based entirely on the fresh produce he can find at the market that day—no two dining experiences are alike.
In this experimental endeavor, Eyal treats The Salon kitchen like a personal playground, concocting unconventional dishes based on classic Mediterranean products. Expect timeless ingredients like fresh tomato, fish, tahini, seasonal veggies and olive oil in each delicious dish.
Malka
Located in Tel Aviv’s Asia House, this business-friendly Israeli-Mediterranean eatery does a mean mash potato-filled schnitzel. Renowned chef Eyal Shani started the venture in collaboration with the Dualis Foundation, which trains at-risk youth to work in the hospitality industry—some graduates staff his tills.
The rustic chic venue serves superb kosher food, from spicy fish soup to succulent lamb kebabs in herb-infused focaccia. Don’t expect your dishes to arrive in a predictable order, however, as the concept restaurant serves its courses in the rhythm of the kitchen (and sometimes on cardboard/paper plates). Avant-garde? Perhaps, but the food is undeniably delicious.
Animar
Chef Hillel Tavakuli kick-started his culinary career in Paris and then moved on to cook at prestigious restaurants in London and Europe. After training at a three-Michelin Star restaurant, he returned to his homeland to take on a new challenge at Pastel, a well-regarded restaurant at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
The esteemed culinary guru now prepares a buffet of delicious Mediterranean-Persian fusion dishes at his own venture, a high-end Tel Aviv haunt known as Animar. Seasonal ingredients and a personalized approach define each gourmet dish, with inspiration sourced from all corners of the Mediterranean. Save room for dessert because Hillel is a fully trained pastry chef.
