Fish Restaurants

Cassis is a beach restaurant with a Provencal feel, located far from the noisy, crowded beaches of downtown Tel-Aviv, but right near the sea. The atmosphere is pleasantly calm, the sea air is energizing. As you might expect, the menu features fish in all its forms: ceviche, fried, grilled, or in sauce (lots of lemon, spicy, creamy…). The filet of sea bass, a classic dish, surprises with its Jerusalem artichokes giving it a rustic, original touch. The wine menu is conventional, the desserts are reassuring. This is an ideal place for a family meal, ideally prolonged by a day at the beach.

For a gourmet stop in the historic center of Yaffo, Kalamata offers a sumptuous environment, with a great view of the church and the sea in the distance, or a prettily lit square. The portions are generous, with multiple Mediterranean influences and interesting contrasts: the grilled artichokes are crisp, while the sautéed tomatoes are tart and tender, and the sea bream carpaccio has a hint of chile to liven it up. The mozzarella imprisoned in kadaif, with home-made pistachio ice cream brings a salty, subtle note, and is at once crunchy and creamy. It’s surprising and delicious. The dishes are well executed and the spot is magnificent.

Leviathan is like a lighthouse : after crossing a very dark area, inaccessible to cars, you come to a luminous establishment, set up like a vacation home with a series of pared down but nevertheless welcoming rooms, where we are pleasantly welcomed. Don’t miss trying one of the vegetable dishes such as a very interesting tempura, at once hot and cold, crispy and creamy. However, the star of the evening here comes from the sea: the menu showcases excellently cooked fish. We are delighted with a perfectly cooked unilateral salmon, the skin of which is crispy while the flesh is pink and tender. The sea bream with artichokes is just what we need. There are a few very good ideas here, pleasant service, and a seaside, relaxed but fashionable ambiance.

Manta Ray’s pretty panoramic view undeniably adds to the eating experience. Overlooking the waves, Manta Ray navigates between Mediterranean dishes and, as one would expect, seafood. The waiter immediately suggests a mezze platter, to keep you busy while waiting for the next course. It’s fresh and fun to share. The fish dishes are perfectly prepared and cooked, the sauces are skillful, and the side dishes work well including rich, creamy gnocchi, and lovely Asian flavored red rice with pineapple. This establishment is a pleasant surprise, with its soothing sea environment and perfectly cooked fish dishes, intelligently served with multi textured sides, to our great pleasure.

Talpiot is a market restaurant with an eclectic decor joyfully blending the old and the new and a very warm atmosphere. The team is very professional, offering knowledgeable advice on wines and giving us the opportunity to discover a pleasant German white wine. As one would expect, the products are very fresh with lots of delicately prepared vegetables, subtly seasoned with spices or aromatic herbs for an often original, always tasty result. The eggplant stuffed with walnuts, sweet potatoes, and cranberries is sprinkled with cumin that brings together all the flavors and works very well. The pomelo sashimi is livened up with ginger, coriander, black radish, and a few grains of coffee, adding a bit of crunch and unexpected flavor. Other tasty, attractive dishes include shrimps with artichokes and thai pesto or mussels in beer soup. At Talpiot, each dish seems to have been prepared at length, and each ingredient seems to fit in. The menu changes on a regular basis depending on what’s available at the market.

Uri Buri, located in the magnificent ancient city of Akko, in front of the sea and the ramparts, is a traditional place and genuine institution in Israel. It is overseen by a colorful character, Uri Jeremias, a former fisherman and self-taught chef who only puts things he likes to eat on the menu and clearly has no interest in being trendy. The place is pleasant but very simple including white walls and a terrace that really has not been fully taken advantage of. The decor needs a little something to liven it up. The master of the house takes the time to make the rounds of the tables and have a word with all the guests. As the meal unfolds, we enter the universe of the Chef: excellent products, lovely flavor combinations, and perfect balances without any concession to lightness or simplicity . The octopus is served with fakus, or Armenian cucumber and is flavored with arak, the mackerel is paired with wild spinach and delicious saffron rice. For dessert, the kiwi soup with Pernod, basil and pink grapefruit sorbet is fragrant, tart, and ideal to finish on a light, delicate note while discovering the homemade ice cream. You come to Uri Buri for the quality of the products, which are never falsified or over-prepared, and because you can count on a certain consistency. This is a reassuring, comforting, timeless restaurant offering simple, instinctive cuisine, fragrant of the Mediterranean and focused first and foremost on taste.

Salva Vida, affiliated with a seaside hotel, is typical of many beachside establishments in that the decoration is not especially original. We are pleasantly greeted and the service is friendly with a real effort to explain the menu. The cocktails are good and original (mojito with anise) while the wine by the glass is very average, however there seems to be a lovely collection of spirits for a before or after-dinner drink. The tuna sashimi with figs is elegantly presented, although we would have liked a bit more figs! The Mac Crab Cheese is original, and recalls the American roots of the Chef: it is a lot to eat, rich in bread crumbs, with tasty large chunks of blue crab. The Banana Bread perdu is interesting and well prepared. It finishes off a simple, fairly classic meal, apart from the Mac Cheese with crab. The products are excellent quality, and we’re sure that the Chef will know how to surprise us with new, original creations.

The vibe at Kitchen Market, which has a panoramic view of the port, is high energy. The look and tone of the place is perfectly in phase with the location and the concept of cuisine based on products from the market just below . The extremely fresh products and carefully presented dishes, which we expected to be much simpler, are very promising. And happily, the taste lives up to the visual build-up. The fish dishes bring a real whiff of the sea and the original combinations and creativity of the chef intensify the pleasure. Here, you are treated like a close friend. The ingredients are mainly locally sourced with organic vegetables from Moshav Nataim and fruit from the Aravah valley.

When Jerusalemites go out to restaurants they care about the food, obviously, but sometimes it seems that they care even more about the hospitality. Yes, the people of Jerusalem like to feel that they are being taken care of, that they are pampered by their hosts, that they get their money’s well worth – And it is hard to think of better hosts than chef Ilan Garousi, the head chef and owner at “Satya”. It’s a place that’s hard to define – not exactly a chef’s restaurant, not exactly a Bistro – the menu changes often and will always feature some local classics, such as the chopped liver, the spicy Tuna tartar or the short ribs and eggplant Bruschetta or the Veal Schnitzel. But there will always be some modern takes as well – Thai lettuce wrappers with a spicy, citrusy raw fish salad, a local take on “Jerusalem mix grill” (made here with seafood instead of chicken parts) or a fried fish sandwich that echoes the “Balikekmek” stands of Istanbul. Most importantly, there will always be something extra here, be it a bread basket with some small “meze” plates, a round of chasers for the table or a small dessert. Satya is only open for dinner (and for lunch on Saturdays) and reservation are a near must, as the place is extremely popular with the local.

Yossi Shitrit (also chef at Kitchen Market) presides over Mashya, affiliated with a hip, designer boutique hotel in Tel Aviv. Mashya’s kitchens open onto the dining area and an immense green wall. The ingredients are ultra fresh, while the dishes are beautifully presented, and accurately seasoned. The Chef is consistently faithful to his own vision: dishes which could seem traditional are totally reinvented thanks to his own special twist: such as the grilled eggplant, fresh herbs, or fried kale …the five spice chicken, which looks rustic, is surprisingly tender and deliciously regressive . The menu is short, efficient, and balanced, reflecting the Chef’s creative approach and skillful handling of textures and flavors.

Located along one of the big boulevards of Tel Aviv, Shila welcomes customers on the sidewalk but the place is very well organized and friendly. We like the excellent selection of French wines and the delicious cocktails. Here, offerings range from extreme simplicity such as the oysters from Oleron, a marvelous surprise that we savor with a bit of lemon and a glass of Chablis, to harmonious, attractively presented dishes such as the tastily seasoned, lovely to look at cristal shrimp carpaccio, and finally spectacular dishes such as the lobster, served with Saint-Jacques, shrimps, crab meat, and gnocchi. It is excellent but quite a lot to eat. After this gargantuan dish, we still very much enjoy the dessert: a truly delicious fig tart with coconut ice cream. Its subtle flavor is enhanced by an infusion of mint-citronella and ginger. The products are magnificent and irreproachably fresh. The chef excels in highlighting ingredients without overdressing or multiplying them. When you have high quality, it is best not to overdo it, as demonstrated by the simple, but highly effective dessert.

Eucalyptus is hidden in the ultra romantic, gorgeous Artist neighborhood, not far from the Jaffa gate, hidden behind a magnificent plant covered façade. The dining room is simply but tastefully decorated with a few vintage objects including an old typing machine, and an antique iron. Don’t miss one of the three tasting menus, in order to try one of the Chef’s many signature dishes. The starters are on the modern side with re-interpreted classics such as fish falafel, a delicate combination of chick peas and mullet fish, or the Middle Eastern fish ceviche. However, the main dishes are more rustic such as an original duck confit pastilla, made with phyllo dough, and served with creamed carrots and a touch of tehina, or the deliciously delicate sweet and savory figs stuffed with chicken, with a slightly acidulated wine sauce, which perfectly balances the whole dish. There are also more traditional comfort dishes such as makloubah, siniya, or lamb’s neck, cooked as you expect them to be : long-simmered, spicy, and fragrant . The Chef is extremely knowledgeable about herbs and spices, which he skillfully combines in clever blends judiciously sprinkled on his creations. We really love the back and forth between modernity and tradition, resulting in a generous, flavorful gourmet experience served in a joyful atmosphere.

Toto is a beautiful place, located at the bottom of an office building. The host welcomes us discreetly and efficiently, the background music is soft, the tables are spacious and the chairs comfortable. Clearly, at TOTO they understand how to welcome guests elegantly. The service is very efficient without being excessively formal, the sommelier is involved and extremely helpful in guiding us through the exceptional wine menu including a wide choice of renowned Burgundies, and other wines from Europe and Israel. Wine prices are high. Classical eggplant is reinterpreted and revived with its tasty smoky flavor, the black sesame tahina which adds character, the cheese and cream for smoothness and richness, and the delicate fresh tomato sauce. The blinis, served with smoked salmon, are delicious potato pancakes: the potato gratin is moist, perfectly balanced, and not overly fatty. The shrimp brochettes are quite large and impressive, and the gnocchis with chestnuts and truffle melt in your mouth, creating the perfect balance of flavors. For dessert, the apple crumble is genuinely original with maple syrup whipped cream, and the millefeuille with caramel is positively irresistible. We love the very special soothing vibe of Toto, the feeling of being a bit “outside the city”, and the sense that people know each other here (which however does not feel snobbish). And of course, we love the delicate creations, surprising pairings, and new flavors.