The best Tel Aviv restaurants

Located in the Sarona Compound, Claro is a farm-to-table restaurant with a cozy and welcoming vibe. Chef Ran Shmueli, one of Israel’s most well-loved chefs, celebrates fresh local produce with creative ingredients, a big open-kitchen, a tabun (brick oven) and fresh fish, meat, chicken and handmade-pasta and breads. The bar seating around the open kitchen is the perfect spot to soak in the atmosphere, and get a good view of this beautiful restaurant.

It’s no surprise that Taizu earned the title of Time Out’s Best Restaurant for 2 years in a row (and other accolades the years before) with their “Asiaterranean” cuisine, an extensive, seafood-heavy menu of small plates, amazing flavor combinations and consistent craftsmanship. Chef Yuval Ben Neriah’s restaurant is one of the best in town, and Pastry Chef Ana Shapiro’s desserts are in a league of their own thanks to a fusion of savory, sweet and unique ingredients like curry, saffron and other surprisingly harmonious spices.

The Norman Hotel has established itself as one of the most sophisticated hotels in Israel, known for its high standards and world-class restaurants. The newest culinary addition is Alena, serving up local cuisine with influences from the Mediterranean. Alena showcases an approachable dining style with the same unbeatable standard that The Norman is known for. The Norman restaurant was a high-end brasserie that was majorly successful, but Alena–named after the wife of Norman Luria, the person behind the hotel–promises to be just as incredible, but more accessible and less formal. 

This restaurant in the Norman Hotel is part of the world-renowned Dinings restaurant (London) serving up a fusion of Japanese Izakaya-style small plates and European cuisine. Set on a stunning terrace, take in a panoramic view of Tel Aviv, as well as a view of the chef’s workings, with an incredible menu of sushi, bento boxes and nibbles that are wildly creative.

Porter & Sons is a well-established restaurant in Tel Aviv since 2013. It is a great place for excellent food and beer.

The restaurant serves great meats such as their signature dish the Saint-Maure burger served with spaetzle. The menu offers also vegetarian & vegan options, seafood dishes, and a varied selection of monthly specials.

Porter & Sons take great pride in their own butcher and charcutier, which works with the best and freshest ingredients to ensure the highest quality for guests.

OCD lives up to its name, offering a meticulous dinner experience. Crafted to perfection with flavors that pop and playfulness that entices your tongue, the magic of it all lies in the structure with one seating area where everybody eats together at the same time. Sit with random people who share the same love of food and become friends: this is communal dining at its finest. This top-notch diner is one of the most talked about experiences in town, so make sure to nab those reservations early.

This intimate spot on Ibn Gvirol is the epitome of local cuisine. Showcasing olive oil, fresh fish, meat and a fabulous selection of wine, the only rule here is that it must be from Israel. Each dish is executed with sophisticated simplicity where vegetables take center stage alongside fresh cheeses, charcuterie and more.

Chef Haim Cohen is one of the most respected chefs in Israel, and Yaffo-Tel Aviv is his baby, where his love for food is released. At the center of it all is a beautiful tabun (clay oven). The genre here is contemporary Israeli cuisine with the menu composed of seafood served with rich tahini, handmade gnocchi, the freshest local vegetables, fresh-from-the-tabun focaccia and premium quality meats. This is Israeli cooking at its finest as all the best ingredients come together harmoniously on each plate.  

Chef Sharon Cohen’s Shila is always buzzing. Don’t let the white table cloths fool you into thinking this place is too fancy; the food is, but the vibe is eclectic, energetic and just what you need if you like an upbeat atmosphere with music flowing through your veins. It’s all about the fresh seafood served with a side of creativity.

Quite possibly one of the most charming restaurants in Tel Aviv is this sweet little spot, on the corner of an unassuming street off of Allenby, home to a minimalist, one-room dining room fit with a handful of tables, white doily tablecloths and glistening wine glasses. Northern Italian cuisine and handmade pasta are chef Tamar Cohen's signature passions, and after years working in Michelin-starred restaurants alongside rural eateries, we are lucky to have her pristine taste and skill in Israel.

From its crisp, white-washed facade placed unassumingly in south Tel Aviv's Levinsky Market to its gorgeous interior (hat-tip to the design collaboration between Vered Kadouri and Emma and Ofer Shahar, the minimalist makers behind Craft & Bloom), Opa is a study in meticulous details. So it is no surprise that Chef Shirel Berger's main inspirations come from the whisps and whims of the planet kingdom - the way they can be delectably fused and funneled, and equally, how they grace a stunning ceramic plate.

Set in a stunning, rose-colored hotel, originally built in 1925, that displays the White City's Eclectic architecture at its most pristine, locals and visitors alike flock to the café's garden for sun-dappled, killer Israeli breakfasts and fresh culinary experiences like the Scallop Burger smothered in tarragon aioli on a brioche bun.

Abie is not the first culinary revolution that talented chef Asaf Doktor has brought to Tel Aviv. The Dok restaurant that he opened with his brother Yotam in 2015 brought the obsession with the local Israeli kitchen into a particularly structured idea, which includes climbing trees in the neighborhood to collect oranges, and the iconic charcoal kohlrabi dish with Meiri cheese. The duo opened Ha'Achim (brothers) in 2011, which has since become a Tel Avivian go-to. 

Locals know Ha’Basta as the place to try creative, well-executed food straight from the neighboring, open-air shuk. This is the kind of place where anything you taste will hit the mark. Creative dishes and an incredible wine list make HaBasta the place to go for a hyper local dining experience.

Effortlessly fashionable, this restaurant and bar serves up ethnic cooking with the best local ingredients and a meticulous attention to detail. Eclectic spices, fresh breads from the Tabun (clay oven) and modern takes on Mediterranean comfort food, make it one of the top prize winning restaurants in the city.  

Situated on the charming and beautiful Montefiore Street, Oasis is the dimly lit culinary escape Tel Avivians have been waiting for. Featuring a wide selection of seafood as well as an exquisite range of vegetables that are cooked to perfection, get ready to have your taste buds explode.

With an ever-changing menu, numerous specials and unique dishes, Brut is guaranteed to provide satisfying sustenance. The wine bar is run by professionals, so there is no need to hesitate to ask  any questions or seek tips and advice if you are not a wine expert. 

Wining and dining at the famed Yakimono throws a spanner in the works. The conundrum? You’ll never want to eat at home again. While its walls may be small, Yakimono’s charm is hugely captivating, located just off the prestige of Hilton Hotel’s lobby. Seeing as though it’s such a special occasion every time Yakimono is featured in your evening, opt for the tasting menu with an array of Japanese dishes designed to appeal to the Asian cuisine enthusiast. Look out for the fish wasabi and loosen that tie a notch to keep Yakimono-ing. 

Located in the Tel Aviv port's indoor market, Kitchen Market offers gorgeous views of the water while dining on creative food with excellent ingredients, conveniently, from the market. Enjoy one of the top spots on the city here while indulging in contemporary Israeli food brimming with creativity. This is harmonious food that surprises and soothes at the same time.