TimeOut Tel Aviv Restaurant Awards – Part 1

Best places to eat and drink according to TimeOut TLV

A couple of weeks TimeOut Tel Aviv published its annual food awards issue. The winners were elected by people who live in Tel Aviv (special ballot postcards were waiting at every nominated restaurant, bar, pattiserie, cafe etc.), and by TimeOut food critics. My advice to you is to consider these winners while in Israel and to check out the chosen spots for a special dinner, a drink or a coffee…. However, please remember that TimeOut is a commercial magazine, and although it prides itself with journalistic integrity, I find, as an eater and a reader, that they allow themselves to “be nice” to those who advertise a lot in TimeOut even if the food of the advertiser is not that amazing. The ultimate example that many of my friends will agree on is Agadir, a well known chain of Hamburger restaurants in Tel Aviv. The first one, that opened over 10 years ago in Nakhalat Binyamin, was pretty good, but since they started opening one restaurant after the other something bad happened to the meet and although many find it tasty, I strongly recommend to avoid all Agadir restaurants. As a serious hamburger person, who knows how to work with meet and what a GOOD hamburger should taste like and feel in my belly, I think that Agadir shouldn’t even be amongst the nominees for best hamburger restaurant, simply because its not good and there are fantastic hamburgers in the city (e.g. Coffee Bar, Mozes, Odeon, Meet Bar, NG, Gily’s and the ones I make myself at home with meet from Delicious, the best butcher and Deli in north Tel Aviv). But Agadir advertises a lot in TimeOut, so somehow they win this category every year… Another example is Aroma, the biggest coffee chain in Israel, which is ok (compared with Starbucks its even great….) but their coffee is definitely inferior to Joe’s, Ilan’s, Arcafe, Cafe Neto, Espresso Bar etc. Still, every year Aroma is nominated (and some years it even wins the category of coffee chains) just because they advertise a lot… With all this in mind, take a look at the list of winners and enjoy the food in Israel, it is absolutely amazing….

Isragirl Presents : Refael Restaurant, Photo by ROL ©

Best Restuarant in TLV 2008 – Refael (Chef Rafi Cohen). 87 HaYarkon St. Tel Aviv o3-5226464; Second place went to Messa (Chef Aviv Moshe). 19 Ha’Arba’aa St. Tel Aviv 03-6856859

Most Trendy Restaurant 2008 – Hotel Montefiore (by the locally famous restaurant tycoons Rutti and Matti Brudo, owners of the much respected and loved Coffee Bar and The Brasserie – two of the most popular restaurants in Tel Aviv….). 36 Montefiore St. Tel Aviv 03-5646100

Best Bistro 2008 – The Coffee Bar, by Rutti and Matti Brudo (See above). I love this restaurant and I think it offers one of the best lunch deals in the city. 13 Yad Harutzim St. Tel Aviv 03-6889696.

Best Asian Restaurant – Sushisamba TLV (Chef Nitzan Raz), the only Sushisamba out of the US is a mere 5 min drive from my apartment, can you believe it? too bad I cant afford to eat there as often as I want. 27 HaBarzel St. Tel Aviv (north) 03-6444345. Second place went to The Giraffe’s Officers Club (I thought it was nice but nothing really special….). 21 Ha’Arba’aa St. Tel Aviv 03-6851155.

Best Dish 2008 – Pumpkin Carpaccio by Deca. 10 HaTa’asiya St. Tel Aviv 03-5629900. I think its a strange category to begin with (cause its too much a matter of personal taste), so I’ll name the other restaurants that was nominated in this category, obviously for other dishes: Cucina Tamar, Yoezer Wine-Bar, Toto, Orca, all five are very popular restaurants – all expensive too…

Best Meet Restaurant 2008 – NG (second year winning this category). 6 Ehad HA’aam St. Tel Aviv. 03-5167888 The restaurant is great though if you come from South America or Texas you might be disappointed. My tip to you, if you live in a country that is known for its meet, will be to concentrate on other food types while in Israel, the stakes here will never be as good as in Argentina…. Other good meet places are: A place for meet in Neve Tzedek, Stephan Brown, Meet Bar, Hadson and Poyke.

Part 2 of this post will include best chef, best Italian restaurant, best kosher restaurant, best place for dates, best ice cream, best new restaurant, best health food etc…

Check out the Restaurants of Tel Aviv, you will love them!!!

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