Truck De Luxe- Not Your Average Food Truck

In the exciting restaurant scene in Tel Aviv, people tend to get bored very easily. In previous posts we have offered the more common cafes and restaurants. However, we are always looking for new and exciting food venues that will get us foodies excited.

Close to a year ago, Truck De Luxe opened their doors (of their food truck) with many mouthwatering dishes we could only dream of. Located on Ben Ami street right next to Dizengoff square, this food truck is the more exciting smaller brother of Pundak Deluxe which is located in Jaffe. Unlike the Jaffe location, the prices are more affordable and present amazing food imagery for all you Instagram foodies. If you are a vegetarian, you might want to look elsewhere.

This is not your typical food truck- despite the kitchen being in a truck this a very fun and exciting restaurant with tables and a great atmosphere in the heart of Tel Aviv. Here you will see mashups of foods you have only fantasized about. Similar to Pundak Deluxe, you order different meat dishes by weight, but unlike the Jaffa restaurant, they offer different combos and mixes of different food that you won’t find anywhere else in town. Now onto their delicious and eye watering dishes

Their menu consists of 15 main courses, five side dishes, five first courses, 12 cuts of meat and four different desserts. The menu consists of dishes that range from 10 NIS to 50 NIS. Each dish is served fresh daily and the staff will recommend different side dishes that perfectly complement each main course. If you are looking for a tasty and simple choice, we recommend you try the Trailer Trash Bacon Burger (47 NIS). This simple burger is cooked with cheddar cheese on top and brioche. The perfect side is the mac and cheese (12 NIS). Despite thinking that a mac and cheese with a burger was a weird choice, I was totally wrong. The dish is very gentle and fun, and the top has crunchy crumbs that add a special flavor the dish. For those looking to add French fries with their burger, this is an option as well.

For those wanting a chicken dish, we recommend you try the chicken breast sandwich (39 NIS). Similar to the burger, the staff recommends we order the French bean stew (14 NIS) with the chicken entrée. This meat stew consists of two different types of meats and beans. It’s less of a stew but more of a side of meat.

 

The most extreme dish is their pancakes (44 NIS). These are not your typical pancakes; this dish is for extreme eaters. The pancakes are presented as a 3 layer tower with disassembled pork shoulder meat topped with sweet syrup. This dessert presents an unlikely but delicious mashup of food. For those who like to experiment with different types of foods, this is the dish you have been waiting for. For those who need a side dish with their pancakes, the staff recommends the mac and cheese with bacon sprinkles (16nis). A side dish I recommend ordering is their jack cheese fries (18 NIS).

For those who somehow have room to eat at the end of their meal, you must try their American ice cream which is served with caramel (15 NIS). They offer the option of adding bacon chips to the ice cream for a small charge. In summary, Truck Deluxe offers some of the most non-kosher interesting dishes you will find in Tel Aviv. You will spend less than 100 NIS, but it will keep you full all day long.

SUPER NOT KOSHER

Address: Ben Ami 13

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

 

 

 

Texas BBQ- A home away from home

Deep in the hectic heart of Tel Aviv among the traffic, bustling cafes, and metropolis lies this southern pearl. Coming from Texas ourselves just word of this “so called” Texas BBQ in Tel Aviv in Ramat Hahayal lit up our hungry hearts. We must admit we were pretty skeptical at first, but were surprised to discover this gem in our backyard.

As we first walked in we noticed the atmosphere was a little off beat as the country music was more resembling of the old time classics and less like that of the modern country that you’d most likely hear in the states and in particular, the south. Nevertheless, the service was great and the atmosphere was reminiscent of the bbq joints we so fondly yearn for. With a “Daon’t mess with Texas” sign, wooden benches, Texas shirt wearing staff, the state silhouette throughout, and last, but certainly not least the mouth watering classic bbq aroma of nostalgia, we felt right at home as if we were back in the lone star state. We were so excited walking in that we almost forgot about the food!

Sitting down with our menus we first noticed they had almost all of the options we were hoping for. For the sides there was the familiar mac and cheese, coleslaw, baked potatoes, as well as the unexpected French fries. As far as the bbq there were all the familiar options minus the pork products, but we were informed this would be making its appearance soon. There were reasonable prices from 60-80 NIS, free cornbread with any order,3 difference bbq sauces, a close attempt at the famous Utah fry sauce, and free refills of Texas sweet teas. Yeeeeeeha we were ready to order!

We decided to order sweet tea, brisket, short ribs, smoked chicken, fries, a baked potato, and coleslaw.We loved that our food came on a classic sheet of brown paper like in Texas and that it came pretty timely. As we were fixin’ to eat we unbuckled our belts and finally dug in y’all! Especially delicious, hands down, was the meat and in particular the short rib which was fall of the bone terrific.

We did however, save enough room for dessert. They didn’t have our favorite classic bbq staple, pecan pie, but we settled for the surprisingly good red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Sadly there was no room for the milk and cookies that were also an option.

Aside from the Israeli tasting pickles, and lack of our favorite Texas beers there were no complaints and just dirty fingers to lick.We sit idly by waiting for our next visit to our home away from home.

Average Price:60-80 NIS

Address: Habarzel 7

Hours: Sunday-Saturday 12PM-11PM

This blog post was guest written by two close friends of the blog Alon and Shira. Alon grew up in Haifa, Israel but lived in Houston, Texas for a few years. Alon currently studies at Ben Guiron University in Beer Sheva. Shira is a true home grown Texan who made aliyah over two years ago and is living and studying in Tel Aviv.