Magdalena

Tucked into a nondescript traffic circle in Tiberias, above a generic supermarket and overlooking a tourist-heavy stretch of the Sea of Galilee, Magdalena is quietly redefining Israeli gourmet cuisine. The restaurant, which sits at the Migdal junction, is elegant, refined and entirely surprising. Chef Youssef Hana’s menu fuses home-cooked specialties from the Galilee kitchens Hana grew up in with influences from Lebanon and the wider Mediterranean. Its wide, glistening space makes it a hit with large families and means that meals often come with a side of loud acoustics, but its core element – its menu – is an exercise in simplicity and restraint. The shishbarak (goat-stuffed dumplings) are bursts of flavor, the zahara (fried cauliflower with tehina and tangy amba) offered a refreshingly elevated twist on a common street-food staple, and the star is the mouthwatering steak topped with bone marrow, foie gras and rich artichoke cream. Save room for dessert: their fluffy semolina cigars packed with sweet ricotta, honey and pistachio are pure bliss.