Restauranter and Chef Luna Zreik serves honest and authentic Arab cuisine made by fine Christian women. Every week the women of her community come together and offer up their coveted recipes for her kitchen and customers. This is the secret of Luna’s successful operation, the roots of her community. Luna’s dream restaurant has been a long time coming. She originally went to school for special education but after a decade in the field decided to drastically alter the course of her life and opened a chain of cafes bistros where Luna currently stands today. After she felt she knew everything there was to know about the managerial side of things, Luna manifested her dream restaurant incorporating recipes she had been keeping in her head for years.
Restaurant Tag: Moroccan
Frikasse Zehava
Another choice spot in Tzfat for some amazing food is Frikasse Zehava. For the last twenty-three years, Zahava, owner and frikasse expert, has carried on her parents’ tradition of making these golden Tunisian delicacies. Zehava’s Frikasse is undeniably kosher, meaning she received a kosher certification from Israel’s rabbinate making her kitchen kosher till the end of time. Her frikasse is served with shakshuka, couscous, spicy peppers, white potatoes, roasted eggplant, caramelized onions, and hard-boiled eggs.
HaMotzi
Chef Avi Levy’s inspiration for HaMotzi came from his childhood in the Musrara neighborhood in Jerusalem as well as his global travels. HaMotzi offers an authentic culinary approach to traditional North African (specifically, Algerian) cuisine while combining local elements. Some of the restaurant’s iconic dishes include cigars stuffed with sweetbread and asado; pastille, a chicken, almond and saffron pastry; and bullette, a pan of crispy Algerian meatballs with cabbage and steamed onions.The copper pots and antique ovens that adorn the walls and ceiling are actually artifacts collected during Chef levy’s travels as well as from his grandmother’s childhood home. Chef Levy’s mother Miriam is a pillar of the restaurant. She is the official pastry chef and comes in daily to make all of the restaurant’s desserts from scratch.
Mashya
Co-owned by young hospitality hotshots Asaf Lees and Alon Fridman, this Tel Aviv fine-dining venue is taking the city by storm. The man in the kitchen is Guy Arish, a gourmet guru who completed his culinary apprenticeship at a Spanish Michelin-starred restaurant called Mugaritz.
Guy combines the cultural and chemical—including fermentation—aspects of food to produce stellar Mediterranean-style cuisine. To complete the chic Med theme, the soft-lit venue features sleek ceramic and metallic tableware, with lush vines draping over the walls.
Bechor and Shoshi
Standing its ground for already 35 years, Bechor Et Shoshi is a Libyan delight. Bechor and his daughter Shoshi prepare an array of authentic dishes, exploring different flavors every day. For the brave and the persuasive, Shoshi may just delve into her cookbook to prepare some of her original and exotic dishes. It is recommended to arrive early though, so as not to miss out on the daily specials!
Ha’Katzeh
The restaurant Ha’Katzeh is comparable to a fast food drive-in but with a twist- they offer high quality Moroccan cuisine! Since 2002, this restaurant has been frequented by local residents of the area. What began as a coffee shop has become a main stop for those heading North or South, looking for some good, comfort food to warm the soul. Ha’Katzeh has a pleasant atmosphere, and is welcoming to all!
Yakuta
Babar, one of the owners of Yakuta, began his journey in the kitchen at the age of six. He used to sit and watch his parents and grandparents cook up a storm of traditional North African cuisine. The original restaurant opened in 1965, and since then has moved a few times until it found its current location. Babar believes in preparing each dish to suit the individual customer’s personal preferences. At Yakuta, there is a huge menu, including favorites such as tajine dishes served in earthenware pots. Like any great restaurant in Israel, there is of course a selection of fresh salads on the side!
Ha’Kochav
In the industrial area of Kiryat Bialik, one can find a real worker’s tavern, open from eleven in the morning, until three in the afternoon. At this family-run restaurant, one can find a large selection of North African dishes, specifically from Morocco. When eating at Ha’Kochav, the only dilemma is what to choose, the couscous or the mafrum?
Ochlim B’Shuk
11 years ago, Naomi and Aharon opened Ochlim B’Shuk in the center of the Jerusalem market, Machne Yehuda, where around the clock there are pots steaming on kerosene burners. Everyday, there are at least thirty different pots brewing on the stovetop at this local hotspot, and upon opening each pot, one will be introduced to a different world of the explosive flavors of Syrian and Persian food.
Halva Kingdom
To believe that chalva is simply chalva would be a monumental understatement. Until one visits The Chalva Kingdom, you really do not know what good chalva is. From organic to whole grain sesame to pistachio the options are endless. Behind the mountains of sweets, one can catch a glimpse of the famous chalva king, taking pride in his confections.
