Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is a spiritual city with deep Jewish roots and home to the oldest port in the world, Jaffa. The city is filled with wonderful restaurants serving up delicious local cuisine and some of the best nightlife in Israel. There are bustling open markets dotted around Tel Aviv that will appeal to any food lover, Shuk Hatikva, and Shuk Hacarmel where your senses come alive with the tantalizing smells of spices and tastes that await you are out of this world.

In Tel Aviv there is a great selection of restaurants that fit every appetite and budget, Catit is an expensive restaurant where one of Israel’s top chef’s Meir Adoni serves up delicious hearty meals. Port Said restaurants where Chef Eyal Shani is famed for his poetic criticism as a judge on Israel’s Master Chef. Benedict is a chain restaurant serving up some of the best brunches in Tel Aviv with fluffy pancakes topped with condensed milk and toasted coconut.

Must Savor Specialties: Shawarma; typically grilled lamb, turkey, or chicken paired with spices, hummus, and vegetables stuffed in a pita. Schnitzel; fried chicken. Falafel served numerous ways; fried chickpea balls with a soft pita and rice. Shakshuka; a dish of poached eggs on top of a spiced tomato stew. Burekas; cheese, potato, and mushroom-filled filo dough pastries. Hummus; thick, creamy and nutritious complement to a slew of dishes, served plain or garnished with fresh pita. Krembo; fluffy marshmallow cream served with a biscuit base encased in a hard chocolate shell.

Haifa

Haifa is a great city filled with a rich blend of cultures, and a wide range of cuisines spread throughout its many neighborhoods, and bringing together the best flavors of the middle east. Food in Haifa is easily accessible with some of the best street food in the country found on every street corner and one of the best Falafel restaurants; Falafel Hazkenim meaning “Old guys falafel” in Hebrew. The city offers many options when it comes to eating, dining at a restaurant on Carmel Mountain with a view, Snacking on yummy street bites, home-cooked meals served in traditional authentic family-owned restaurants are just a few of the options when visiting this bay city.

Must Savor Specialties: The best Falafel in all of Israel, falafel balls are protein-packed chickpea fritters flavored with heaps of fresh parsley, coriander, cumin, cilantro, and onions, then deep-fried and served with tahini dip. Shawarma slow-roasted shaved kebab meat combined with vegetables and stuffed in a pita, Middle Eastern Street Food, Bourekas filled with a slowly stewed egg, pickles, and zaatar spice or the Bulgarit cheese version oozing with soft flaky phyllo dough. Israeli salads with finely dices tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers and topped with olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Rugelach are crescent-shaped pastries made with either sour cream or cream cheese with fillings such as nuts, raisins, or fruit preserves.

Jerusalem

The city of Jerusalem has an incredible history and enriching cultural experiences as well as fantastic food experiences. There is a myriad of kitchens featuring ethnic dishes, gourmet food, and fast and tasty street food delicacies. There are many great shuks (marketplaces) dotted around the city where some fantastic food can be found, Mahne Yehuda Market is a bustling place filled with tiny restaurants serving Turkish, Kurdish, Persian, Iraqi, Romanian, Polish, and other ethnic dishes. These famous shuks are filled with amazing smells of fresh spices and lined with endless vendors selling a wide variety of food, a truly unique experience.

Must Savor Specialties: Hummus and Falafel, Schwarma made with lamb, chicken, beef, veal, and buffalo is a must in Jerusalem, stuffed in a fresh pita and topped with vegetables, tabbouleh, fattoush, tahini, hummus, and amba, mushroom truffle risotto with lamb, Kanafeh is a Middle Eastern cheese pastry soaked in sugar syrup, made with three types of kaymak cheeses with pistachio and rosewater, Jerusalem bagels covered with sesame seeds, baklava, rugelach, babka, and other delicious pastries.

Nazareth

The ancient city of Nazareth offers some great authentic Arabic restaurants as well as Mediterranean cuisine with a modern twist. Many of the city’s restaurants are run by young, ambitious chefs and the city is renowned for its sophisticated restaurant scene with a fantastic selection of contemporary food with strong Arabic influences. There is plenty of traditional home cooking found throughout the city and some amazing Arabic pastries and local sweet shops. The markets are a great place to sample specialty foods. Dining out in the city of Nazareth is a culinary delight with stylish atmospheric venues serving exotic tastes of Arabic and Israeli cuisines.

Must Savor Specialties: Some of the main products used in local Jerusalem gastronomy features seasonal vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs, dairy products, and soy. Meat and fish are popular dishes especially Forshmak; a salted fish finely chopped then baked with sour cream and potatoes, Tzimmes; a sweet stew made with vegetables and legumes with carrots, chickpeas, and beans, Jachnun pastry; a small, sweet roll made from phyllo dough, hummus and pita, Shawarma, Falafel, Bureka, Baklava.