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.
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Directory listings
Dok
Low-lit Dok is an intimate Tel Aviv venue specializing in seasonal Mediterranean cuisine. Owned by two brothers, Assaf and Yotam Dok, the family-run affair has just two tables and one seven-seater bar—it frequently fills up.
The Dok’s craft a slew of seasonal Mediterranean favorites from locally sourced ingredients, with flavors inspired by places like Russia and Lebanon. Order the baked kohlrabi with crumbled cheese, poppy seeds, and hot pepper to give your tastebuds a special treat.
Cafe Kaymak
Relaxed Cafe Kaymak serves delicious vegetarian dishes in a small, hole-in-the-wall locale. The popular Tel Aviv venue sources fresh ingredients each day from the surrounding Levinksy Market. A wide range of home-made vegetarian—including some vegan—dishes adorn the menu, with flavours inspired by India and the Mediterranean.
The café-restaurant-bar has become a hit with hip young locals who gather here to socialize and while away the day.
Opa
Up-and-coming youngster Shirel Beger runs the kitchen at this fabulous plant-based restaurant in Tel Aviv. Upon graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in 2014, she took her talents to some of New York’s top restaurants. A return to Israel in 2015 saw her focus entirely on vegan cuisine, and she’s made quite the name for herself in the city’s plant-based foodie scene.
Shirel strictly sources seasonal local ingredients to compose all her wholesome dishes, which she expertly weaves into a sublime tasting menu. Her innovative cuisine emphasizes the beauty of the plant kingdom in well-presented, pint-sized portions.
Mashya
Co-owned by young hospitality hotshots Asaf Lees and Alon Fridman, this Tel Aviv fine-dining venue is taking the city by storm. The man in the kitchen is Guy Arish, a gourmet guru who completed his culinary apprenticeship at a Spanish Michelin-starred restaurant called Mugaritz.
Guy combines the cultural and chemical—including fermentation—aspects of food to produce stellar Mediterranean-style cuisine. To complete the chic Med theme, the soft-lit venue features sleek ceramic and metallic tableware, with lush vines draping over the walls.
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.
The Chinese Wall
Brother-in-laws Yakov Yang and Rafael Shu run this low-key kosher Chinese restaurant in Tel Aviv. Yakov hails from a city in northwest China famous for its superb hand-pulled noodles, and he brings this culinary heritage to every steamy bowl.
A broad range of other authentic Chinese dishes is available, from steamed dumplings to sweet and sour pork. Wood tables and red lanterns evoke an oriental yet unpretentious vibe.
Muma Kubane shop
Leah Abushdid is the “Muma” behind this brilliant bakery in Tel Aviv. The talented grandmother has earned a loyal following for her legendary Yemenite kaunas. She serves these scrumptious sweet rolls from this cute café-like venue, where her pastoral past inspired the décor.
Tasty baked treats, cool nostalgic vibes, and a whimsical rural interior make this chic concept bakery a hit among the local set.
