JANNA GUR brings you the taste of Israel

Breakfast in Tel Aviv
My ten personal favorites

At almost any given moment someone in Tel Aviv is starting his or her day with coffee, eggs and a chopped salad. Breakfast in Tel Aviv is serious business, and the major players are no longer just cafes and hotels (famous for their lush Israeli breakfast buffets).

Some of the best restaurants in town have joined the breakfast club of late. With fully equipped kitchens, professionally trained staff and serious egos, restaurant chefs have taken breakfast up a notch, transforming the basic deal (coffee, juice, eggs any style, bread and Israeli salad) into inspired culinary creations. Breadbaskets feature the likes of mini brioche and sourdough rolls. Yogurt has magically morphed into fancy yogurt parfaits, served with exotic fruit salads and home made granola. The Israeli salad is meticulously chopped to order, and served with a side dish of top quality tahini spread. Accompanying cheese platters include samples from leading boutique dairy farms. Forget humble scrambled eggs or a basic omelet - current local favorite is the re-invented shakshuka, a simple Lybian egg dish that has been transformed into a veritable gourmet concoction, featuring anything from seafood to mushroom ragout.

Such an elaborate meal deserves at least a fully dedicated hour to consume. And so a sub-category of Tel Aviv breakfast was born – weekend brunch, served on Fridays and Saturdays. In many restaurants weekend brunch has become the most in-demand meal of the week, with local foodies about town trading information about the best brunch spots. In tune with the indulgent weekend mood, the meal often starts with a champagne cocktail and ends with dessert, but the sweetest part of the deal is the check, which rarely exceeds NIS 70 (about USD 18), including a dreamy cappuccino.

Even though most hotel stays include breakfast, and usually a good one, it’s worthwhile to get out of the hotel at least once and join the locals. Here are ten of my breakfast/brunch favorites – restaurants that combine yummy food with lovely ambience.

Dallal
This picture perfect restaurant in the charming Neve Tzedek quarter offers great food at all hours. Their breakfast is generous and well prepared, but what sets it apart is the bread basket, probably the most sinful in Tel Aviv, chock full of plump brioches, tiny bread rolls, pistachio financiers and other delights. Once finished, take a short stroll along Kol Israel Haverim Street to visit the Dallal Bakery. The counter, (reflected in a huge, strategically placed gilded mirror) is the birthplace of the restaurant’s breadbasket, displaying a plethora of potential diet busters. On second thought – it might be wiser to stay away.

Breakfast served Sun-Thu 09:00-12:00
Weekend brunch served Fri-Sat 12:00-17:00
10 Shabazi St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-5109292

Tazza D'Oro
Named after a famous Roman café, this Neve Tzedek landmark serves coffee that’s just as good as its Italian namesake, with food far better than anything you’d get in an Italian café.
The chef, Yossef (Yosifon) Mesilati got his culinary education from his Tunisian mom, and his cooking reflects his North-African/Italian heritage. Don't miss out on the excellent shakshuka – the Spinach and Swiss Chard shakshuka is especially outstanding, along with the mushroom ragu variety. Cheese bourekas is another must-try house specialty.

Breakfast served Sun-Fri 09:00-12:00
Friday Brunch served Fri-Sat 12:00-17:00
6 Echad Ha'am St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-5166329

La Bon Patisserie
French accent laced Hebrew welcomes customers to this little Parisian ex-pat hot spot. Albert Dejan, who worked in the finest Parisian patisseries, and his fiancée opened this tiny café about a year ago on fashionable Basel Street. Theirs is a rather coquettish French take on the Israeli breakfast – a plate of sweet and savory pastries, including mini quiches (in lieu of the omelet) and a token mini-bowl of Israeli salad. Or you can just have a coffee and croissant.

Breakfast served on Fridays 14:00-08:00
40 Bazel St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 077-5506010

Manta Ray
One of the first restaurants to open its doors to the morning crowd, Manta Ray still serves one of the most in demand Tel Avivian breakfasts. Grab a table on the beachside terrace and laze the morning away. Service tends to be slow, but hey, it's Friday with a sea view, what's the rush?

Breakfast served all week 09:00-11:30
West Beach, Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-5174773

Comme il Faut
Strategically located on the waterfront of the touristy Tel Aviv Port, this restaurant is part of the women-oriented complex which also houses Comme il Faut’s flagship designer clothing shop, an art gallery, a women-only spa, and even a women-oriented sex shop called Sisters. You can enjoy your meal in the spacious and airy dining hall or on the terrace by the sea (on cool days waiters distribute blankets for snuggling up). Health food fans will be delighted with the homemade granola with goat’s milk yogurt and one of the best Israeli salads in town.

Breakfast served Sun-Thu 09:00-12:00, Fri-Sat 09:00-13:00
Tel Aviv Port, Hanger 26. Phone: 03-7171500

Hotel Montefiore
Only a handful of buildings in Tel Aviv deserve be called "mansions", and this is one of them. The newly renovated three-story townhouse is home to an exquisite boutique hotel and one of the hottest restaurants in town. The décor transports you to the French Colonial Vietnam, which is also reflected in the menu. The breakfast menu is a delectable mishmash of continental classics and local must haves. Go for the decadent: Pain Perdu (French Toast) or Eggs Benedict.

Breakfast served Sun-Thu 07:00-12:00, Fri 07:00-17:00
36 Montefiore St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-5646100

Carmella Bistro
Only eight years old, this handsome restaurant next to the Carmel Market and Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall is already a local institution. Their newly opened Beer Garden makes their brunch option even more appealing. Served from noon on weekdays and from 10am on Fridays, the home baked bread and myriad of delicacies will leave you full until dinner. Among recommended specials are pretzel sandwiches, shakshuka with beef sirloin slices and homemade taramasalata (fish roe spread).

Brunch Served Sun-Thu 12:00-18:00, Fri 10:00-16:00
46 Ha'Tavor St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-5161417

Adora
A deceptively modest façade hides one of the most creative and critically acclaimed restaurants in Tel Aviv. Young and talented Chef Avi Biton, offers modern Israeli cuisine, with a strong ethnic slant. His Saturday brunch fills up very quickly, and it’s no wonder, given the prices (around NIS 60) and quality of the food. It’s most fun to come with a few friends, order all items on the menu, and share the delicious salads, entrees, shakshukas and more.

Brunch served Sat 09:00-13:00
226 Ben Yehuda St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-6050896

Atnachta
If, in the middle of the shopping spree on Dizengoff Street, you suddenly feel a wave of nostalgia for Jerusalem, this is just a place for you. Owners are born and bred Jerusalemites who, together with gifted chef Elran Goldstein, have brought the flavors of Mahane Yehuda Market to Tel Aviv’s main shopping drag. As one might expect from Jerusalemites, the hummus is great, but the main attraction is a brick oven (taboon), which yields not only yummy flatbreads but also puffy and aromatic baked omelets.

Breakfast served all week starting 08:00
190 Dizengoff St., Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-5686872, 03-5226001

Rokach 73
Tucked away behind tennis courts, across from Yehoshua Park, this restaurant boasts free and plentiful parking – a major Tel Aviv attraction in its own right. Their brunch, served only on Fridays and Saturdays, starts with a cocktail, continues with delicious hors d'ouvres (don't miss poached pears with blue cheese), is followed by selection of omelets and tortillas and you can even finish off the meal with dessert.

Brunch served Fri-Sat 8:30-12:00
Rokach 73, Tel Aviv. Phone: 03-7448844