Top 5 Vegan Restaurants in Tel Aviv

During the past few years, a new trend has hit Tel Aviv and is taking over the White City. Organic vegan food is the new “it” food in Tel Aviv.   Even though there have been many vegan options in Tel Aviv, only recently are we seeing this trend at its full force. Here are my five best favorite vegan restaurants (in no particular order) in Tel Aviv:

Anastasia

Anastasia is the most well-known vegan café in Tel Aviv. Located in the heart of the city, it offers a vibrant urban atmosphere serving delicious, healthy and unusual vegan dishes.

Anastasia was the first vegan cafe in Israel. Offering coffee and smoothies made from fresh almond milk, soy milk, and rice milk, along with a wide variety of fruit shakes and vegetable juices. You have the option of replacing their delicious coffee with natural, caffeine free coffee substitutes: palm kernel powder, cocoa powder and roasted carob powder. Their full menu includes gluten-free options and raw food deserts.

Hours: Saturday- Thursday 8AM-11PM and Friday 8AM-5PM

Address: Frishman 54

Market

Located on King George Street, Market opened their doors a few years ago. This friendly vegan restaurant offers delicious hot soups and a variety of stews. Each dish is made fresh and is geared to the vegetarian and vegan communities of Tel Aviv. It will bring you back memories of your mothers cooking when you were child.

Their menu is seasonal and with every new visit you will find a few new dishes on their menu according to the time of year. The staff is very friendly and helpful – particularly for those customers new to vegan selections.

Address: 31 King George Street

Hours: Sunday-Thursday:10AM-Midnight, Friday:10AM-4:30AM and Saturday 5:30PM-Midnight

Dosa Bar

Dosa Bar, an Indian street food restaurant, opened shop about 9 months ago and the Tel Aviv vegan community hasn’t stopped raving about their delicious and affordable vegan-friendly menu. The creation of Dosa Bar was the result of a conflict between the owners of an Indian restaurant and Israeli Top Chef participant Jonathan Roshfeld.

Dosa Bar offers four types of dosas. Those who have visited India are familiar with dosas. This is a street food characteristic of southern India and available worldwide. Dosa is a rice crepe made with black mung beans which is both vegan and gluten-free. Dosa comes in four varieties – yellow with potatoes, onions, carrots and spices (38 NIS), orange with sweet potato, carrot, onion, Indian spice and green onions (40 NIS), green with swiss chard, squash, onions and Ag’oan (44 NIS) and dosa mediterranean (46 NIS). All dosas come with sambar – a lentil soup, salton of cabbage and carrots and chutney coconut dip. You can also find desserts that are more on the sweet side such as spirulina cream, peanut butter crème and more.

Address: Ben Yehuda 188

Hours: Sunday-Thursday 12PM-11PM and Friday 12PM-4PM

Nanuchka

Nanuchka Bar & Restaurant is a lively and colorful Georgian cuisine establishment with a magical atmosphere. The second you walk in you feel you came to the right place – with their welcoming attitude with a mix of tasty vegan food. Their décor brings you back to the time of the Russian Revolution.

Nanuchka is located in a beautiful building from the 1930s located on Lilinblum street in the center of Tel Aviv.  On the first floor you can enjoy the colorful and elegant restaurant, which leads to an enchanting courtyard. The second floor has a bar with over 1,500 books with a counter overlooking the action in the lower bar. At Nanuchka, the Georgian kitchen offers authentic Georgian dishes with local raw ingredients.

Address:  Lilienblum 30

Hours: Everyday 12PM-5AM

Meshek Barzilay

Meshek  Barzily joined the Tel Aviv vegan community, relocating from Moshav Yarkona to the lovely Neve Tzedek neighborhood. They specialize in providing vegan friendly, healthy dishes. Fresh vegan breads and cakes are made daily which are highly recommended.

Meshek  Barzily cooks with fresh, seasonal and organic fruits and vegetables. The majority of dishes offer a grain of choice; quinoa, brown rice, millet, bulgur, or couscous. If you are looking for a cozy brunch or dinner ,Meshek Barzily is a great option. I recommend you reserve ahead of time and sit in the courtyard section.

Address: Ahad Haam 6

Hours: Monday- Saturday 8AM- 11PM andSunday 8AM-4PM

Café Xoho- Not Your Average Tel Avivi Brunch

 

In vibrant Tel Aviv on the weekends, the toughest decision to make is “Where are we going to grab brunch?” When choosing, there are so many deciding factors that needs to be taken into consideration. What makes this café different than the one down the street? With Café Xoho’s unique menu, which is not found anywhere else in Tel Aviv, it’s a very easy choice where to grab your beloved weekend brunch.

Café Xoho, located on Gordon Street, is conveniently located a block from the beach. They opened their doors 7 years ago, opened by  a new immigrant from Hong Kong with Canadian parents.  Before, we dig into their tasty and unique menu, what’s unique about Xoho? First, their staff is all female and super friendly. To makes things easier for the non-Hebrew speakers, they all speak fluent English. They provide top notch service that most customers coming from abroad are accustomed to. For those who grew up on the west coast, the atmosphere reminds you of a very hip and relaxed café. On Fridays they shut down the Wi-Fi, but every other day of the week it is a great place to work from.

Unlike most Tel Aviv cafés, their menu is filled with breakfast dishes that you grew up on and/or dishes not available in Israel.  First thing first, they offer fresh grounded coffee which they make fresh and it will start your day right no matter what the rest of the day offers. When looking at their vegetarian and vegan-friendly menu, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the Mexican breakfast dishes. As a Mexican food enthusiast, this got me excited.   My Mexican dish of choice was the breakfast burrito, which is filled with an omelet, chipotle cream sauce, pico de gallo, labneh and black beans (40 NIS).  Other Mexican options are a tasty Mexican salad and Quesadillas.

Despite my love for Mexican food, what keep bringing locals back is their delicious bagels. Some will say they offer the best bagels in the Middle East.  For those Americans who miss their Sunday bagels with some shmear, you have come to the right place. They offer three different delicious dishes on a bagel.  The classic salmon is a favorite, served on a fresh, warmly toasted bagel with the perfect amount of cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers and fresh salmon (42Nis). Two other bagel dishes I recommend are their Tuna Melt and Pizza bagel, for those looking for their American bagel nostalgic breakfast memories.

For those who are looking for vegan dishes, Xoho has you covered. I recommend you try the Xoho Veggie Burger, even if you aren’t a vegan you will enjoy this dish. If you still have room, you must try their homemade cookies and cake. Ask any of the many friendly waiters or have a look for yourself which daily desserts they are offering as they change their desserts daily.

Café Xoho presents brunch goers with a unique and tasty food experience. Just don’t forget that you can’t make reservations, so on the weekend try to get there before midday to avoid waiting in line.

Not Kosher (Open on Saturday)

Address: Gordon 17

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 7:30AM-6PM, Friday 7:30AM-6PM, Saturday 10AM-^PM and Sunday 7:30AM-6PM

Market- A Tasty and Healthy Option In The Heart Of Tel Aviv

Recently, healthy eating has taken over Tel Aviv.  The vast majority of cafes in and around Tel Aviv have started to offer more and more vegetarian and vegan options on their menu. One of the newest vegan restaurants in the center of Tel Aviv is called Market.

Market opened their doors around a year ago and is located on King George Street. This friendly vegan restaurant offers delicious hot soups and a variety of stews. Each dish is made fresh and is geared to the vegetarian and vegan communities of Tel Aviv. It will bring you back memories of your mothers cooking when you were child.

Their menu is seasonal and with every new visit you will find a few new dishes on their menu according to the time of year. The staff is very friendly and helpful – particularly for those customers who aren’t used to the vegan selections.

We recommend ordering the Indian dish with rice (27 NIS ) – lentils and vegan curried sweet potato served on a plate of rice. This dish is absolutely delicious and will satisfy. Whether it’s the sauce, which tends to be spicy from the curry, or perhaps the rich coconut milk, with soft lentils and rice, we know the final product is amazing.

At Market you can’t go wrong with any dish – it’s both affordable and very tasty. For those visiting Market in the winter months, Market offers very tasty stews. In particular, I recommend the Moroccan Stew. This stew is served with tomato sauce and green beans. Their homemade couscous with vegetable soup is outstanding as well. Overall, Market has tasty, delicious, and healthy options at great prices.

Price:20-40NIS

Address: 31 King George Street

Hours: Sunday-Thursday:10AM-Midnight, Friday:10AM-4:30AM and Saturday 5:30PM-Midnight

Etnachta- An Affordable and Delicious Breakfast for two in Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv brunch scene has taken the city by storm. Whether you are looking for a casual mid week meal or looking to take advantage of a relaxing weekend brunch, there are many options in the city. Unlike the majority of the brunch options in Tel Aviv which tend to be a bit overpriced for breakfast food, Etnachta offers the best deal for a breakfast for two.

Etnachta is located on the always trendy Dizengoff Street between Ben Guiron and Arlozorov Street. They opened their doors in the late 2007 and have been a great option since their opening. What makes them different then all the other cafes in the area is that they offer amazing deals when you download their application to your smart phone. Their current deal is breakfast for two for only 69 NIS. Similar to most cafés, they offer the usual eggs of choice, coffee, different spreads, bread and cheeses. What I really enjoyed was the fresh and large salad of choice that you get with your breakfast special. By far their breakfast was the best deal I have seen in Tel Aviv for those looking for a fresh and healthy breakfast to start their day.

Similar to majority of the cafes in Tel Aviv, they offer a variety of food options throughout the day. Their menu is highlighted with fresh salads, sandwiches, Italian food, hamburger and schnitzel. If you are lucky to be free in the early afternoon, they offer a great lunch special which entails a main entrée, cold drink, choice of salad for only the price of a main entrée. For those looking for a healthier choice, their quinoa salad (45 NIS) is one of the best in the city and I recommend putting tehina as a sauce for the salad. Their roast beef sandwich, available as part of their lunch special, is the perfect mix of being not too heavy and totally delicious. Their other lunch options are not overpriced and are all very,  so it’s hard to go wrong when deciding which to order. That being said, this review is about their breakfast. This is a truly affordable dining option in Tel Aviv. Don’t forget to download their app to receive their deals.

NOT KOSHER

Average price per person: 45NIS

Address: Dizengoff 190

Hours: Sunday-Saturday 7:30AM – Last customer

Taam Hachayim- CLOSED

In the past few years, a new trend has hit Tel Aviv and is taking over the White City. Organic vegan food is the new “it” food in Tel Aviv.   Even though there have been many vegan options available in Tel Aviv, only recently are we seeing this trend at its full force. Since the Mid 1980’s, Taam Hacahyim has been one of the trend setters in the vegan café scene in Tel Aviv.

Located on busy Ben Yehuda street right near the beach, the café is owned and managed by the Hebrew Israelite community. The restaurant is very spacious; it is divided between the restaurant itself and an intimate art gallery. They offer organic vegan food, low in sodium, which is made  fresh daily. Their extensive menu of hot dishes include such delicious options as lasagna, tofu dishes, soups, salad combinations, raw dishes, veggie burgers and sandwiches.

There is a set meal option which I recommend, includes a main course (choosing between vegetarian shawarma, steak vegan, tofu teriyaki and others), rice or potatoes, salad and a roll.  Try one of the pies – among my favorites are the tofu pie with is served with tomato sauce, and the spinach pie with fresh vegetables with your choice of  garlic sauce, tofu, and mustard.

They offer some  amazing vegan desserts that both healthy and delicious.  Among them are soya ice cream, chocolate cake and their tasty smoothies.

What keeps bringing back people to this restaurant is the atmosphere. The staff is super friendly and helpful in every way possible, going out of their way to help “non-vegan” customers with their order.

The restaurant vibes works perfectly with the organic vegan food that they serve. Every Thursday night at 8PM, the restaurant host Jazz and Blues concerts.

Order: The Tofu Pie served with warm tomato sauce. This dish will have you coming back for more.

Average Price:50 NIS

Address: Ben Yehuda 43

Hours: Sunday-Wednesday 10AM-9PM. Thursday 10AM-Midnight and Friday 10AM-2PM

Kosher

Taam Hachayim- Not Your Everyday Vegan Cafe

In the past few years, a new trend has hit Tel Aviv and is taking over the White City. Organic vegan food is the new “it” food in Tel Aviv.   Even though there have been many vegan options available in Tel Aviv, only recently are we seeing this trend at its full force. Since the Mid 1980’s, Taam Hacahyim has been one of the trend setters in the vegan café scene in Tel Aviv.

Located on busy Ben Yehuda street right near the beach, the café is owned and managed by the Hebrew Israelite community. The restaurant is very spacious; it is divided between the restaurant itself and an intimate art gallery. They offer organic vegan food, low in sodium, which is made  fresh daily. Their extensive menu of hot dishes include such delicious options as lasagna, tofu dishes, soups, salad combinations, raw dishes, veggie burgers and sandwiches.

There is a set meal option which I recommend, includes a main course (choosing between vegetarian shawarma, steak vegan, tofu teriyaki and others), rice or potatoes, salad and a roll.  Try one of the pies – among my favorites are the tofu pie with is served with tomato sauce, and the spinach pie with fresh vegetables with your choice of  garlic sauce, tofu, and mustard.

They offer some  amazing vegan desserts that both healthy and delicious.  Among them are soya ice cream, chocolate cake and their tasty smoothies.

What keeps bringing back people to this restaurant is the atmosphere. The staff is super friendly and helpful in every way possible, going out of their way to help “non-vegan” customers with their order.

The restaurant vibes works perfectly with the organic vegan food that they serve. Every Thursday night at 8PM, the restaurant host Jazz and Blues concerts.

Order: The Tofu Pie served with warm tomato sauce. This dish will have you coming back for more.

Average Price:50 NIS

Address: Ben Yehuda 43

Hours: Sunday–Wednesday 10AM-9PM. Thursday 10AM-Midnight and Friday 10AM-2PM

Kosher

Cafe Kaymak- Unique Vegetarian Cafe in the South of Tel Aviv

During the past few years, healthy eating has taken over Tel Aviv.  The vast majority of cafes in and around Tel Aviv have started to offer more and more vegetarian and vegan options on their menu. While many cafes only offer limited vegetarian options,  Café Kayamak offers one of the best and varied vegetarian meals in Tel Aviv.

Cafe Kaymak, who opened their doors in 2009, is a vegetarian coffee shop that specializes in ethnic cooking. Recently, this small coffee shop has became a popular, trendy spot for the younger crowd in Tel Aviv. All their fresh ingredients are bought directly from the nearby shuk.

Cafe Kaymak is famous for its breakfast dishes and its Friday mornings specials. Saturday nights the coffee shop hosts a live music show. The name of the cafe come from the word ‘Kaymak’ which is Turkish slang for the French term ‘creme de la creme’.

The Café can sit up to 30 customers at one time. The staff is very friendly but don’t expect a quick meal. Like their regular customers, the staff tends to be laid back and your order might take longer than expected.

Though their menu changes every day, there are a few dishes that are offered daily. Some of these dishes include cooked Jerusalem artichoke casserole, different stews such as lentil stew with dried fruit, black bean stew with soy protein and roasted pumpkin. Among their most popular dishes are their Indian style dishes,  which are based on cashew cream, cream and/or peanuts. They offer healthy delicious desserts with their most famous dessert being the Carrot cake.

Recommended dishes: – Vegan bean soup served with rice and their famous hummus Abu Dhabi.

My favorite dish: Their couscous is cooked to perfection with different fresh vegetables . You will think that you are back in Morocco eating local couscous.

Price:30NS – 40NIS

Address: Levinsky 49, Shuk Levinsky

Hours: Sunday–Thursday 8:30AM-1:00AM, Friday 8:30AM-4:00PM and Saturday 7:30PM-11:30PM

Cafe Nona- an excellent, affordable cafe/bar that is open round the clock (24/7)

While walking down the busy street of Ibn Gabirol, there are so many different cafes to choose from. One may ask what makes one café better than the other?. Unlike most cafes around Tel Aviv, Café Nona presents a unique concept – a 24/7 café made popular in the U.S.

Café Nona is situated a little south of Rabin Square and is well known for its drinks specials until 2am. Indeed, Café Nona is open 24 hours  a day, though you can only receive both a hot and cold beverage included with your breakfast order until midday. This doesn’t surprise me, Café Nona has a long reputation for being somewhat laid back in its approach to serving their customers. This is not your café if you are short on time. Despite the slow service, the staff is very friendly and helpful.

Café Nona presents a breakfast unlike most Tel Aviv. Instead of offering the typical different style of  eggs, they present a ‘baked’ eggs option  that is served with a choice of added ingredients, either spinach, feta, tomato or mint. Confused by this new option of baked eggs, I agreed to order one of my eggs baked, which was delicious. All their different breakfast options are presented with fresh bread and a small salad. Their breakfast dishes are available all day, unlike many Tel Aviv cafes.

Café Nona offers many delicious dishes for lunch and dinner. Among them are sandwiches, salads, schnitzel, or their local bourekas. They offer a business lunch meal which I recommend. Even though most of their non-breakfast dishes are typical Tel Aviv café food, they are great at an affordable price. I recommend ordering the bourekas special if you’re looking for a light bite. The bourekas special was served with salad, tahina, pickles, shredded tomato and an hardboiled egg. I recommend trying their fresh fruit beverages as well.

Café Nona has a full bar at  a great price. Currently, they are offering 50% off all drinks Sunday throughThursday. The bar has different types of cocktails and can make any kind of drink you might want. The bar staff is very friendly which usually comes with free shots of Whisky, Arak or Vodka. Though their dishes are excellent, the main reason for recommending Café Nona are the great prices at the bar.

Best Dish: Order the schnitzel. Café Nona schnitzel is one of the tastiest schnitzels in town. The schnitzel is served with mashed potatoes, tartar sauce and a sliced pickle.

Salad Order: The two best salads that they offer are the tuna and the goat cheese salad.

Average Price:45 NIS

Address: Ibn Gibraol 44

Hours: All day every day