Imperial Craft and Deluxe join forces to bring Jaffa 'Motel' - a new bar celebrating American trash

Written by
Time Out Tel Aviv Writers
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What made the Imperial group veer from the pampered bar scene for simpler, more accessible places like "Motel," their first sleazy-trash bar in partnership with the Deluxe group?

Bar Shira, one of the founders of the Imperial group, no longer feels like creating pristine cocktail bars that are sealed with a bowtie. "I love Imperial, but it's like Catit was to Meir Adoni, something that builds a brand. At Imperial, we will always bring the best of what we know, the most invested, the most accurate and the most complex, but we no longer have to teach the Israelis to drink cocktails. The places we want to open now are different. Simpler, more accessible, with the same emphasis on the drinks, but without as much ritual. "

Motel, the new bar built on the ruins of the old Stellar bar in Jaffa's Flea Market, is "American trash, a bit of sleaze, but with old-school vibes," says Shira.

As fate would have it...

For the purpose of the project, the Imperial group joined forces with the Deluxe group, which operated the Stellar until two months ago in the small space next to the Deluxe Inn. The group, which is associated with American barbecue style cuisine, also owns the 'Truck DeLuxe' in Dizengoff Square.

Stellar, a fine bar that was shooting too high for the Flea Market crowd, had to be closed. "It was a place where my partners and I liked to sit, and maybe a few more people, but it did not fit with the neighborhood," says Uri Marmorstein from the Deluxe Group. "Places in Jaffa should be a little more crowded, Stellar was too intimate and relaxed."

Meeting the Imperial-ites took place naturally in the city's nightlife. The Deluxe crew drank at the Imperial, the Imperial people ate at Deluxe, and when they decided to close Stellar, the first call went out to the Imperial. "We couldn't give Stellar what we're good at, the meat. Now, with the Imperial group on our side, we will concentrate on the food and they will concentrate on the drinks - everyone will do what they are best at."

Motel

© Nimrod Saunders

The oh-so-taboo 'Sex On The Beach'

Stellar's bare concrete wall was replaced by floral wallpaper to channel a romantic American style, while a pink neon lamp was hung on the second floor. The inside area seats around 25 guests, and four other colorful tables greet you outside. Cocktail prices will range from NIS 44-48 per glass, and the place will offer a fifty percent discount from 18:00-20:00.

What they call "Trash" is translated into a cocktail menu that pays tribute to the delusional cocktails of the seventies and eighties. Drinks such as 'Sex On The Beach' and 'Tequila Sunrise' were upgraded to drinks like the 'PB & Jack' cocktail (Jack Daniels Honey, Port wine, peanut butter, lemon, sugar and egg white), 'Pink Skirt' (Woodford Reserve, mezcal del maguey, egg yolk, and maple), and 'Atomic Kitten' (Bacardi coconut white rum, Jamaican rum, pineapple rum with melon, pineapple, lemon and angostura bitters).

Motel

© Gilad Livnat

Food, glorious food!

The dining menu will offer everything the Deluxe group does really, really well: variations of the over-the-top American barbecue dishes. In other words, dishes like the 'Mac Rib' (smoked spare ribs coated with deep fried panko with pickled onions and barbecue sauce); grilled corn-on-the-cob topped with cheese, smoked mayonnaise, and paprika; and their delicious deluxe burger (crispy brisket with cheddar cheese).

© Nimrod Saunders

Motel. 7 Olei Zion, Jaffa (077-6707053). Open everyday from 18:00

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