Jerusalem Restaurants

Jerusalem has an expansive range of food on offer due to its diverse culture and standing as an international city. The city has been a crossroads between North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East for thousands of years, and offers the best of Arab and Jewish cuisine.

Local cuisine

Israel’s local produce makes for excellent salads, fresh juices and vegetarian dishes. The cuisine uses local ingredients such as pine nuts, eggplant, mint, cucumber, tomato, figs and Bulgarian cheese (similar to Greek feta). The city also offers a wide selection of dishes for vegetarians, helped by the Jewish dietary laws that don’t permit milk and meat dishes in the same restaurant. Kosher dairy restaurants have no meat on their menu, though some do serve fish.

Jewish food includes smoked salmon bagels, chopped liver and a range of other dishes. Some of Jerusalem’s favourite snack foods are falafel (deep fried balls of crushed chick peas) and schwarma (thin slices of lamb). These are served in pitta bread with hummus, tehina, salads, French fries, pickles and spicy sauce.

Due to the abundant supply of fresh fruits, there are some excellent juice bars in the city, while a favourite drink in the Arab neighbourhoods is sahlab, a drink made from the roots of orchids, served hot with nutmeg and shredded coconut. Many Arab eateries also offer nargillah, which is a water pipe with flavoured tobacco.

Where to eat

Snacks are available at falafel stands across the city, though many restaurants also offer reasonably priced fare. The primary concentration of restaurants in West Jerusalem is around Zion Square and on Ben Yehuda Street including the alleyways of Nahalat Shiva and Yoel Solomon. Emek Refaim Street is also popular with diners, and is just a 10-minute walk from Liberty Bell Park. Arab specialities can be enjoyed at Abu Shakri in the Arab quarter, and the many ubiquitous local eateries throughout East Jerusalem.