Last summer we had the privilege of flying to Israel for my nephews Bar Mitzvah while I was 6 weeks postpartum. It's safe to say that I had to sit out the family excursions because my body still needed rest, but going to restaurants? Easy! Well, as easy as it can be with a newborn and 1 year old... So we ate out... a lot!
Here are my 5 favorites spots:
Maafeh Yehuda - Gagou De Paris - Dairy - Breakfast / Brunch
📍 King George St 14, Jerusalem, Israel
This trendy spot is well worth the hype, it's excellent for brunch, breakfast or even a snack. Sometimes it's so busy you can barely squeeze through to order, but tough it out because the pastries here are insane!
They have savory croissant sandwiches and sweet croissants too. The chocolate one is probably the best I had in my life. The pistachio cream one was excellent as well!
Seriously, don't skip!
Cafe Rimon - Mamilla Mall - Dairy - Lunch
📍 Yitzhak Kariv St 8, Jerusalem, Israel
Since it's located in the Mamilla Mall, it's an excellent stop to rest your tired legs and grab some lunch. When we went it was hot, packed, and busy. In spite of how busy it was, they got us to a table in no time, and the service was great!
We really loved their hand cut pasta menu. The mushroom tortellini sauce was perfect and well flavored.
We also got the sweet potato haloumi salad which was tasty, gotta have some veggies!
I didn't really care for their toasts but you can't go wrong with their pastas.
Cafe Gan Sippur - Sacher Park - Dairy - Breakfast / Brunch
📍 Sacher Park, Jerusalem, Israel
A huge plus of this cafe is the location. It’s located right in Sacher Park so after you eat the kids can go play. It’s a great park too! I've never seen such elaborate types of areas to climb and slide down. We joked that its military training. It looked so fun, that as an adult, I wanted to play too!
Now to the cafe. Eating out with two babies is… hard. So when a restaurant makes it easier, it’s noteworthy!
They provided toys and crayons for the kids at the table and even a cute little cup. The staff was so patient and kind to us parents and sweet with the kids.
We ordered a ton of the menu and the food was good, it didn’t feel as typical as the other pasta dishes in Jerusalem, but I did feel like the food could have used a touch of salt.
Overall great experience, and 100% the most family friendly restaurant cafe in Jerusalem.
Andalucia - Tapas - Meat - Dinner
📍 Ze'ev Raban St 2, Jerusalem, Israel
My husband and I are petty picky about our meat, but this place hit the spot with their meat dishes! Note: that they only serve tapas, which are small plates, so order a lot of them ;)
We got the duck breast, ribs, paella, the steak with truffle mashed potatoes, croquettes and drinks. All the drinks are phenomenal you can’t go wrong with them. The Paella lacked crispiness but the steak made up for any shortcomings by being mouthwatering and perfect!
The duck and ribs were excellent too.
Sometimes in the courtyard they have live music, it’s a vibe out there. I highly recommend booking a table in advance as they get pretty busy, especially if you want to sit outside.
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I also have a really informal doc with recommendations from locals, organized by categories, type of food etc. If you want it, send me a dm on insta.
Enjoy!
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