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This Viennese-style second-floor garden café in a guesthouse for pilgrims is a refined retreat from the chaos of the Old City markets down below. Lunch and dinner are available, and the deep burgundy walls, wooden tables, and classical music make this a lovely wintertime spot for light fare or dessert. Ask at reception about visiting the rooftop for a small fee: the views of the Old City are gorgeous.
37 Via Dolorosa, 9762637, Israel
Known For
- The famous apple strudel, Sachertorte
- A frothy coffee for a reboot while touring
- Rooftop views of the Old City
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Jaffar specializes in kunafe, the Nablus sweet made of goat cheese topped with syrupy semolina crumbles. You may be tempted to split your first plate, but the treat soon grows addictive. Jaffar also makes sheets of golden baklava topped with nuts. It's a landmark, visited by locals and tourists alike, so anyone in the Old City can help you find it.
Known For
- Massive portions
- Addictive desserts
- Value for money
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When aficionados of local standards like garlicky hummus, skewered shish kebabs, fried chicken schnitzel, and bean soup argue hotly about the merits of their favorite eateries, Pinati—which means "corner" in Hebrew—comes up as a leading contender. It's now a chain, but this simple downtown spot remains a convenient place to rub shoulders with locals while eating expertly prepared food. Not for long, though: your table will soon be in demand, and you will have to share at peak times.
13 King George St., 9422913, Israel
Known For
- Local favorite
- Hummus
- Convenient
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat. No dinner Fri., Reservations not accepted
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Mo Tahhan opened this cheery café in the space that was once his father's travel agency with the vision of creating a gathering spot as comfy and as fun as your living room at home. Staff often joins patrons for a chat on the bright blue couches and encourages them to add or take from the in-house library stocked with a selection of English-language books. Changing daily specials include maqloubeh, a Palestinian rice and chicken dish, or the bright orange knaffeh, the traditional cheese pastry soaked in syrup, for dessert. Excellent coffee, pastries, Wi-Fi, and in-house printers create a kind of coworking vibe during the day, but the wine list and excellent pastas also attract more serious diners later on.
42 Salah A-Din St., Israel
Known For
- Palestinian beer
- Maqloubeh, a Palestinian rice and chicken dish
- Laid-back atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Fri.
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In the heart of the Old City, this place has some of the best hummus in town, served fast to locals crammed around rickety tables under fluorescent lights. Enjoy the excellent falafel, eggplant salad, and labaneh (a slightly tart yogurt drizzled with olive oil and spices). Eat family style and don't order too much, as you can get additional portions on the spot.
63 El-Wad Rd., 9750072, Israel
Known For
- Light on the wallet
- Colorful salads
- Family-style dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, Reservations not accepted
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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This excellent authentic coffee shop in the Muslim Quarter serves traditional brewed coffee alongside a sesame cookie, as well as freshly squeezed pomegranate and other juices.
12 Via Dolorosa, 9762612, Israel
Known For
- Fresh squeezed pomegranate juice
- Sesame cookies
- Traditional Arabic coffee
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Steps from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Palestinians crowd into this tiny, bare-bones spot to tuck into hammam mehshi, or stuffed pigeon. It's a delicately flavored specialty served with salads and rice. You can also opt for stuffed chicken, grilled lamb chops, or fried liver, all made fresh by the friendly proprietor. Get here early—it closes at 6 pm.
28 Hakoptim St., 9712071, Israel
Known For
- Local spot for delicious delicacies
- Fair prices
- Friendly service
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Cholent is a dish that evolved from necessity: Jewish law forbids cooking on the Sabbath, and so observant Jews often start a stew on Friday that will be ready the following afternoon. Every Jewish community has its own recipe, but in Jerusalem the best place to try cholent is in the ultra-Orthodox quarter of Me'a She'arim, where on Thursday nights locals crowd into Deitsch for a plate straight out of Poland. You'll be served a rich brown stew with a few vegetables and a dumpling. Dress modestly, and expect to be the only patrons not wearing black and white.
32 Me'a She'arim St., 9522914, Israel
Known For
- Authentic cholent
- Age-old tradition
- Ultra-Orthodox local spot
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat. No dinner Fri.
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It's hard not to wolf down these pita sandwiches stuffed with seared entrecote, osso buco, or fried red mullet, and there's crispy cauliflower too. Shots of arak are available as well, on the house.
6 Beit Ya’akov Street, Israel
Known For
- Unusual pita stuffings
- Shots of arak
- Homey atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Fri. night and Sat. during the day
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Part coffee shop, part bookstore, this spot has an endless trove of literature exploring the Arab-Israeli conflict from a Palestinian perspective. Take a volume upstairs and peruse it over a lunch of a savory manaqeesh bread topped with thyme and olive oil, freshly made labaneh cheese, or salmon sandwiches. Turkish coffee is brewed fresh on an orange camping stove. Ask about upcoming lectures and movie screenings.
19 Salah A-Din St., 9711042, Israel
Known For
- Engaging atmosphere
- Hospitality
- Special events and book launches
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Share a long wooden table with university students at this restaurant named for a soup pot and enjoy an ever-changing menu of hearty soups and stews served with white bread, butter, and pesto. Shakshuka (a tangy dish of eggs, tomatoes, garlic, and onions), interesting salads, and other vegetarian and vegan options complete the menu. There's a piano in the corner, a box of old records, and a chandelier made of spoons. In winter, ask about live jazz in the evening, usually Wednesday.
4 Koresh St., 9414404, Israel
Known For
- Comforting soups and shakshuka
- Live jazz in winter
- Student favorite
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Fri. No lunch Sat.
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The sign is only in Hebrew at this hole-in-the-wall stand, which features what many say is the best sabich in the city. The Middle Eastern street food staple has thin slices of fried eggplant combined with hard-boiled egg and your choice of greens, wrapped in a laffa (flatbread) or stuffed into a pita, then topped with tehina and/or amba, a tangy, pickled mango sauce. If you haven't yet been introduced to sabich, this is is the place to be initiated. The hours? Until the eggplant runs out. There are vegetarian and vegan options.
9 Shamai St., 9463109, Israel
Known For
- Traditional street food
- The place to try sabich (fried eggplant and egg in pita)
- Open until the eggplant runs out
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Fri.–Sat.
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All walks of life share elbow space at this casual eatery's long bar inlaid with Armenian painted tiles. The hummus here is especially tasty and is served from morning until well after midnight.
3 Ben Sira St., 9418103, Israel
Known For
- Fresh hummus
- Open morning to late night
- Casual atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Fri. No lunch Sat.
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With an upstairs dining area, Lina offers a respite from the hubbub of the Old City. Hand-ground hummus is the main event here, and you can order it topped with chickpeas, fava beans, or pine nuts. You can also sample the yogurt-cheese called labaneh and wash it down with freshly pressed fruit juice.
42 Ma'alot E-khanka St., Israel
Known For
- Freshly made masabacha hummus
- Perfectly sweet baklava
- Family-run business
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, closes by 4 pm
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This farm-to-table café situated in the Hansen House complex in the German Colony neighborhood offers fresh salads, goat cheeses, and baked vegetable dishes served in a cozy setting of vintage tables and chairs. The other Offaime locations are in the Israel Museum and Beit Hakerem.
17 Yaakov Sheskin St., Israel
Known For
- Farm-fresh dishes
- Goat cheeses
- Eclectic setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Fri. and Sat.
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Locals swear by this deli's inexpensive sandwiches, which come piled high with smoked meats, exotic cheeses, or pickled herring. Meat and dairy are prepared in separate kitchens, so you have an unusually wide range of choices for a non-certified kosher eatery, and it offers vegan-friendly options as well. It's also a great place to pick up a fresh pastry, a bottle of wine, or a block of cheese, which you can enjoy at one of the deli's few street-side tables. They'll pack a picnic as well.
8 Schatz St., 9426708, Israel
Known For
- Best sandwiches in town
- Wide range of kosher options
- Street-side tables
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat. No dinner Fri.
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This cozy restaurant bar pays special attention to vegetarian and vegan entrees, alongside carefully concocted cocktails. The Jerusalem Mix, a tempeh and portobello mushroom dish served on a grilled pita with tahini is a wonder. Be sure to order the polenta fries.
7 Heleni Hamalka St., Israel
Known For
- Cocktails
- Vegan and vegetarian options
- Cozy atmosphere