Salva Vida

What started as a pop-up with an original “Restaurant in Movement” concept, which aimed to break away from the traditional restaurant structure, has now settled in to a spot on Hayarkon Street  and shows no signs of moving. On Salva Vida’s breezy terrace, basking in the panoramic views of the Mediterranean sea  and indulging in thick cuts of tuna sashimi speckled with pomegranate salsa, you won’t know if you are California dreamin’ or not.  The name, inspired by celebrated poet Pablo Neruda’s quote “Si nada nos salva de la muerte, al menos que el amor nos salve de la vida,” which translates to “If nothing saves us from death, may love at least save us from life,” and Chef Yuval Fachler’s love of cooking is clear as day. Serving a mix of West Coast meets Mediterranean coast, the menu is a creative journey using local ingredients and letting the chef’s American roots shine. Having cooked in top kitchens from Napa Valley to Italy’s Adriatic Coast (including the two-star Michelin restaurant “La Madonnina del Pescatore” and Gordon Ramsay’s “Maze”), Fachler brings his artful expertise back home with unexpected twists on delightful staples: from mac & cheese speckled with crab meat to banana bread French toast.