Heading to Israel for Pesach? Here are 18 kosher restaurants to try - The Jewish Chronicle

Some dread the food at Pesach, but I love it—especially this year, with so many friends and family planning to spend the holiday in Israel.

If you’re lucky enough to be spending Passover in Israel there’s plenty of choice for eating out.

With a week-long chol hamoed, many kosher restaurants will be open, with menus adapted for Pesach.

From high-end steakhouses to cosy cafés and beachfront dining, here are a few of my tips for must-visit kosher-for-Passover restaurants across Israel:

Jerusalem

Black Iron (No-Kitniyot)

A steakhouse restaurant near Shuk Machane Yehuda, with a menu focused on wagyu and grass-fed steaks with a few grilled chicken, fish and vegetable options. The wagyu fillet and Denver-cut are my favourite steaks. Machne Asada is a street food restaurant next door, by the same owners and a great way to enjoy wagyu meat at street food prices.

Cafe Ramban (Kitniyot)

This dairy restaurant is on the ground floor of the recently opened Ramban Hotel, a boutique hotel by the Machneyuda group in Jerusalem. In the morning, it serves breakfast for hotel guests and visitors, while the afternoon and dinner menu focusses on interesting Middle Eastern fish and dairy dishes.

Jacko’s Street (No-Kitniyot)

This is a chef’s restaurant near Shuk Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem. It offers a varied menu of vegetarian, fish, and meat dishes. For Pesach only, the restaurant will serve lunch as well as dinner. Jacko’s has a fun, lively atmosphere.

KumKum Tea House (Tzohar, Kitniyot)
A traditional British tearoom with seating in a lovely garden in Baka in Jerusalem. This is the first year KumKum will be open for Pesach. The menu will include a variety of gluten-free pizza and sandwiches and a variety of non-kitniyot cakes and biscuits for eating-in or taking home.

Palomino (Kitniyot)

An Italian restaurant and lounge bar near the city centre in Jerusalem with indoor and outdoor seating. It’s open for lunch and dinner, with non-kitniyot items on the menu. I’ve visited previously over Pesach with friends with small kids and we were all delighted with our food.

Sambation Cocktail Bar (Tzohar, Kitniyot)

A boutique cocktail bar near the Old City of Jerusalem with a simple food menu and interesting cocktails. Unique combinations include gin with Greek yoghurt and za’atar and an Israeli salad cocktail with vodka, bell pepper, cherry tomato, cucumber, black pepper and olive oil.

Super Hamizrah (Kitniyot)

An Asian restaurant in Baka, Jerusalem, from the owners of the popular Jacko’s Street. The menu is varied, and most dishes will be the same on Pesach for those of us happy to eat rice. There is a DJ at night so if you don’t want a party atmosphere, go for lunch instead.

Waffle Factory Cinema City (Kitniyot)

I still remember taking my niece and nephew to this restaurant many years ago and they couldn’t believe they were allowed to eat so many delicious treats on Pesach. The savoury dishes are as good as the sweet ones, and there is an impressive milkshake menu.

Tel Aviv & Center

Darya (No-Kitniyot)

The most interesting kosher restaurant I have ever eaten in, Darya in the Hilton Tel Aviv serves a fusion of Far Eastern and Mediterranean food. Just as impressive is the fact that the food at Pesach is as good as the rest of the year.

Dvora (Kitniyot)

Chef Eyal Shani‘s kosher meat restaurant is off the lobby of the Debrah Brown Hotel. The menu changes daily but includes several of Shani’s signature dishes. I have eaten at Dvora during Pesach a few times in the past and the only thing missing was the bread!

Ivry BaPark (Kitniyot)

A cafe in Ariel Sharon Park in Tel Aviv overlooking an ecological lake. The menu includes fresh cheese and dairy products by Ivry Dairy in Moshav Azaria, especially the delicious burrata.

Manara (Kitniyot)

Fish restaurant in the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel focusing on Levant Mediterranean cuisine using local ingredients. The beautifully designed restaurant has an appropriate nautical theme.

Rotisserie Chicken Club (Kitniyot)

A chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants serving whole and half rotisserie chicken, chicken salad, schnitzel, wings and side dishes. Branches are located in several food courts around the country, including Sarona Market and North Market in Tel Aviv, BSR City in Petach Tikva, Azrieli Holon and Drorim Mall near Netanya.

West Side (Kitniyot)

Formal style meat restaurant in the Royal Beach Tel Aviv with delicious food and good service. The menu features Middle Eastern takes on classic Mediterranean food dishes.

Northern Israel

BP Bistro (Kitniyot)

An American diner-style meat restaurant in Haifa offering a large variety of burgers, sloppy joes, as well as grilled fish, sushi, stir-fry dishes, salads, and hummus dishes. It is a great option for family members with different tastes.

Gillis Steak House (Mehadrin, No-Kitniyot)

A steakhouse in a large barn on a cattle farm on Moshav Nov in the Southern Golan. It is typically open only on Thursday night, but during Pesach, it will be open throughout chol hamoed without reservations (check social media for times). The service is incredibly warm, and the Gillis family hosts all their guests.

Eilat

Cena Eilat (Kitniyot)

An Italian restaurant and bar located at the back of the lobby of the Brown Eilat Hotel, specializing in Southern Italian food with Middle Eastern influences.

Tulum Beach (Kitniyot)
It is pretty special finding a kosher restaurant on a beach in Israel, but a kosher for Pesach beach club and restaurant is even more rare. The menu at Tulum Beach includes steaks, grilled fish, sushi, vegetarian dishes and a full cocktail menu.

Find Debbie’s complete list of Israeli kosher restaurants open over Pesach here.

Debbie Kandel is a food and travel writer and founder of Debbest Israel. She‘s passionate about helping others plan their adventures in Jerusalem and around Israel and offers tailor-made tasting tours of Shuk Machane Yehuda.

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