Israel’s Exploding Culinary Scene: 10+ Foods You Need To Try

 

The Ultimate Guide to Israeli Food

In just 2 weeks in Israel, we ate our way through the best restaurants across the country.

We hit up the two must-see cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and then made our way up north through a road trip of Northern Israel (Haifa, Galilee, Nazareth, Caesaria) – and it was incredible.

If someone had asked me to describe Israeli food before my trip, all that would have come to mind was hummus… perhaps matzoh and matzoh balls… none of which really sounded particularly mouthwatering (if I’m being completely honest).

 

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So as we packed our suitcases we figured the trip would mostly be focused on exploring Israel’s history – its religious significance, its UNESCO world heritage sights and political background.

While we did get an appreciation for those, we were blown away by Israel’s flourishing culinary scene.

The food there, is incredible – it’s fresh, it’s flavorful and it’s innovative.

Much of the diet is vegetarian based and as meat lovers we were so surprised at how easily we devoured all the vegetarian dishes! 

Here’s a quick guide for the best restaurants and must try dishes in Israel!

 

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We tried malabi and kanafeh, boureka and zaatar.

Even “known-to-us” foods like hummus and falafel had so much more flavor and crunch compared to what we have in the States. I think we ate about every hour or so in the two weeks we spent in Israel and while our jeans may have been uncomfortably tight, our stomach grumbled happily along!

We wanted to share an Israeli Food Guide in the hopes that if you’re considering a trip to Israel, you’ll be much more prepared and will know what traditional Israeli foods to order, what authentic restaurants to hop into and a little background into Israeli food recipes!

If you have any additional restaurant recommendations, please leave them in the comments below and we will hopefully check them out on our next visit!

Unfortunately Yelp is not really a thing in Israel and you’ll find the best places through friends, word of mouth and of course blogs. I do wonder if the high-tech scene has a food app that is similar to Yelp though…

 

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Israeli Food Guide | Table of Contents

 

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Before You Go: About Israeli Cuisine

Recommended Books, Shows & Films About Israeli Cuisine & Food Culture:

 

Must Try Foods in Israel

Here are just a sampling of some traditional Israeli foods you should try during your visit to Israel:

Falafel fried chickpea balls. Many local markets will sell falafel scoopers, if you want to re-create this at home.
Hummus Israeli hummus is served warm, with a topping of olive oil, chickpeas, warm pita and crunchy onion.
Shakshuka eggs baked in tomato sauce, this is a staple of Israeli breakfast.
Tahini a paste made from sesame seeds. This is pretty expensive if you buy it in American grocery stores so stock up in Israel – it’s much fresher, comes in different flavors and is quite cheap.
Kanafeh a Middle Eastern cheese pastry drizzled in sweet syrup.
Boureka I love these – small hand pastries made of phyllo dough and stuffed – try it with salty cheese and spinach!
Malabi rosewater pudding. I love this old fashioned dessert, as it can be spiced up with different fruit toppings, crunchy nuts, whatever you like.
Hafuch Coffee “upside down” coffee where milk is first poured in, then coffee then milk foam. Starbucks couldn’t make it in Israel but this drink sure is popular!
Israeli Salad tomatoes and cucumbers. I had this everywhere, from my hotel breakfast to lunch and dinner! so fresh and deliciously crunchy
Labne with za’atar Israeli food has many Middle Eastern influences, like this one! Labne is a thick strained yogurt and tastes best drizzled with olive oil and za’atar spice on flatbread.

 

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The Best Food in Tel Aviv

A Tel Aviv Food Tour

As we were visiting the city with limited time, we took the recommendation of our friend Trisha.

She’s a fellow travel blogger living in Israel and she encouraged us to take a food tour with Delicious Israel. The experience was a refreshing, insider look at Israeli cuisine.

Our guide was chock full of interesting tidbits and she gave us a great understanding of the local flavors, restaurant landscape and especially how food and history have become intertwined in a place like Tel Aviv.

Overall, it a wonderfully leisurely day through food stands, stalls and restaurants we would otherwise have never discovered.

 

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Qat

We started first with refreshing shots of citron and green juice.

The first thing I noticed about Tel Aviv was all the colorful juice stands all over the city. This particular shop run by the Etrog Man is known for its green juices spiked with qata psycho stimulant containing compounds chemically similar to ephedrine and amphetamines. 

It’s banned in the US but Inbal let me in on a secret that Israelis swear by it for their geriatric vigor!

 

Malabi

Next we tried malabi, a delightful Israeli milk pudding, and Arab coffee and my personal favorite sabich, a veggie and falafel stuffed pita sandwich.

I had malabi many more times throughout my trip to Israel – it’s like a panna cotta in that the base is light, creamy and refreshing.

Malabi can be decorated or dressed up with different toppings for unlimited unique varieties!

 

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Sabich

Sabich was a new dish that everyone back home insisted I needed to try.

Essentially a pita sandwich stuffed with veggies, falafel and egg, the particular sabich shop she took me to too was overflowing with colorful tubs of vegetables, sauces and condiments.

The man behind the counter took great care to place in each filling sideways so that every mouthful had a layered bite of each. 

Back in my university days I used to stop by Moz for a falafel pita sandwich but the sabich in Tel Aviv blew poor Moz out of the water. I never thought I’d say that I enjoyed eggplant but the fried thin strips at this sabich joint were stellar!

I ate those first… ha.

When I asked for a take away bag, the man thoughtfully added in a couple more eggplant slices to fill up the pita back to the brim and carefully wrapped it to go. Highly, highly recommend this sabich place!

 

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Hummus

Perhaps the best part about joining Delicious Israel’s food tour was the thorough introduction to Israeli cuisine.

I learned that hummus is not just a condiment and that Israelis in fact treat it as the main meal, seeking to perfect the appropriate hummus to pita ratio. They also serve it with a chunk of raw onion, which I particularly liked!

 

What else should you eat with hummus?

Try Humshuka, a combination of hummus and shakshuka, try hummus and tahini, try hummus and fava beans – there are endless options! Just don’t forget the fluffy warm pita bread, chunks of onion and spicy sauce.

Inbal took me to the best and oldest Jewish-run hummus spot in town, Shlomo & Doron.

This place is so popular that it fills to the brim around lunchtime and closes shop when all the fresh made daily hummus has run out – typically around 3pm. The hummus was so good that I forgot to take a picture!

 

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Above all, what I appreciated most about Delicious Israel was how personalized the tour felt. Our guide Inbal has a unique gift for weaving history and food together to give visitors a unique experience to Israeli cuisine.

Below is the list of places we tried, but note that Delicious Israel offers several different market tours and has the perfect knack for tweaking each tour to suit its participants.

 

Best Tel Aviv Restaurants

Etrog Man | for fresh squeezed juices and qat juice. HaCarmel St 11, Tel Aviv

Hamalabiya | for late night malabi and cardamom spiced coffee. 28 Gedera, Tel Aviv

Sabich Tchernikovsky |  for the best sabich! Tchernikhovski St 2, Tel Aviv

Miznon Getzel | a ukranian-jewish bakery and coffee shop. 1 Gedera, Tel Aviv

Shlomo & Doron | a highly popular Jewish-run hummus place. 29 Yishkon Street, Tel Aviv

Lehamim Bakery | fresh, artisan breads like sourdough and cheesy breadsticks. HaCarmel St 11, Tel Aviv

 

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Tel Aviv Markets

Israel is known for its outdoor markets and Tel Aviv has two main markets that are popular with locals and tourists alike.

 

Levinsky Market

Levinsky is the spice market of Tel Aviv and most popular with locals compared to tourists.

Once the city’s main market, it’s where residents come to buy fresh spices, ground coffee and Persian delicacies.

The market, or shuk, has a decidedly Balkan and Persian feel due to the arrival of Eastern European immigrants in the 1930’s and Iranian immigrants in the 1950’s.

 

Carmel Market

Carmel Market is an open air market known for its fresh fruits and vendors.

Walking through the market itself, you’ll be beckoned by various vendors competing to sell you their offerings.

Everything sold is seasonal and changes regularly from week to week – I spotted in particular some mouthwatering-ly large strawberries in mid-March. We certainly don’t have strawberries that compare in NYC! 

I also tried a warm, crusty cheese bread from a famous bread shop directly on the market alley.

 

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The Best Food in Jerusalem

From Tel Aviv, we made our way to the historic capital of Jerusalem.

While Tel Aviv’s vibrant nightlife and fantastic dining scene reminded me of home in NYC, Jerusalem was decidedly different.

 

Jerusalem Markets

Jerusalem’s most famous market is Mahane Yehuda (pronounced with a throaty machne).

The boisterous, jam packed affair is filled with spices, cafes and restaurants during the day. Then at night.. lots of craft beer spots pop up!

It’s worth walking around in the early morning before the stalls open if you want to check out the colorful street art of well known international and local figures.

There are tons of great cafes and bakeries inside Mahane Yahuda as well, if you’re looking for a WiFi-enabled resting spot.

At night, the market stalls close up while bars and clubs pop up! Abraham hostels runs pub crawls if you’re traveling solo and want to meet up with other travelers.

 

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Where to Stay in Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s main tourist highlights are Mahane Yahuda and the Old City.

I recommend staying near either, as the city’s light rail system is a straight east-west line that easily connects both ‘hotspots’. 

 

Mamilla Hotel is part of the Leading Hotels of the World with a fantastic location in Jerusalem near the Old City.

With an airy lobby, modern glass rooms and great breakfast, it’s one of the best luxury hotels in the capital. If I were revisiting Jerusalem, I’d stay here for the service and prime location.

Book rooms: Booking.com | Check rates: TripAdvisor

 

Prima Palace is an excellent value hotel near Mahane Yehuda market. It’s a slightly farther walk from the main tourist sights like the Old City, but still comfortable and clean. Plus rates include breakfast!

This hotel is quite popular with orthodox Jewish guests, as they have kosher meals and an on-site synagogue.

Book rooms: Booking.com | Check rates: TripAdvisor

 

Abraham Hostels is my budget friendly pick. It’s the place to stay for young or solo travelers who want to meet up with others and the company has hostels in places all around Israel.

It’s also a great option if you want to book tours or transportation between cities, as they run popular day trips (like to the Dead Sea, Masada National Park, etc). 

Book rooms: Booking.comCheck rates: TripAdvisor

 

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Orthodox Jewish Cuisine

I’ve always been curious about conservative religions.

Jerusalem, as one of the holiest cities in the world, naturally has a large orthodox Jewish community known as the mea shearim.

I took a walking tour with Authentic Tours to learn more the area and our guide Yana was extremely knowledgeable. The tour was a walking exploration through the orthodox section of Jerusalem and we stopped along the way into various local restaurants and bakeries to try their cuisine as well.

If you like food and history, I recommend the tour.

However, we should warn you that overall the mea sharim don’t like tourists traipsing through their area and they won’t hesitate to tell you, both through signage and to your face. While you can visit the district on your own, I think to understand the area a bit better it’s worth going with a guide. Make sure to dress conservatively!

 

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You can learn so much about people through their food and customs. 

Because much of the orthodox community arrived from Eastern Europe, the food has a strong Ukranian and Polish bent. To be honest, there was a big difference in cuisine when we compared our food journey in Tel Aviv to our food journey in Jerusalem. 

 

Below are some of the restaurants we tried in the Mea Sharim:

Avichail Bakery | a large bakery with various breads and sweets Rehov Yaavetz 8, Jerusalem 

Maadanei Hadar | a kosher deli specializing in kugel. Try both the potato and sweet noodle versions (to be honest I did not care for either) but well worth trying!

Daitsh | a kind, family run kosher restaurant with the best chicken soup, matzoh balls optional. Also serves gefilte fish if you want to try it.

Helman Bakery | a small bakery with excellent cinnamon streusal. Natan Strauss St 18, Jerusalem

 

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Best Restaurants in Jerusalem

We had a couple nights in Jerusalem so we also explored local restaurants and markets.

Here’s a list of recommendations for Jerusalem food, both places we’ve tried and suggestions from friends. You can also visit this post to learn more about food in Isreal.

 

Tmol Shilshom | a cozy cafe serving great teas, drinks, coffees and delicious pastas for dinner. Yo’el Moshe Salomon St 5, Jerusalem

First Station | this is an outdoor mall at the site of the city’s old train station. tons of restaurants, stalls and shops to browse here! David Remez St 4, Jerusalem

Pasha’s | this is the recommended spot for Palestinian classics like fattoush (bread and fresh vegetable salad) and baba ghanouj 13 Shimon Hazadik St, Jerusalem

Abu Shukri | this is perhaps the most famous hummus place in the old city of Jerusalem, located in the muslim quarter. El Wad ha-Gai St 63, Jerusalem

 

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The Best Food in Northern Israel

Galilee, Haifa, Acre, Nazareth, Caesaria

Visiting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were fantastic, but if you can, we definitely recommend seeing more of the country!

We spent a week up north, specifically to explore Northern Israeli cuisine and culture. We based ourselves in Haifa, an old Israeli port town about 2 hours driving distance from Jerusalem. 

 

Northern Israel is quite lush and green, with beautiful rolling hills and many sea ports.

Another reason to visit? The region is quickly making a name for itself as Israel’s own Napa Valley!

I really enjoyed the experience of tasting authentic Arabic cuisine and we definitely sampled our way through the region’s culinary offerings as frequently as every hour or so. There is nothing like Arabic hospitality. 

Of course, we made some time to see some of the mystical sights in the region, like the Rosh Hanikra grottoes and Ba’hai gardens.

You can read more about our Northern Israel trip and my notes for planning your own Israel vacation here (coming soon).

 

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Where to Stay in Haifa

As I mentioned, we used the bustling port city of Haifa as our base for the week.

I would recommend doing the same, as it’s a large city with plenty of hotel and restaurant options, and quite convenient for little day trips. From here, we visited nearby cities like Nazareth, Galilee, Caesaria and Acre.

 

Recommended Hotel: Dan Carmel Haifa

We stayed at this gorgeous luxury hotel. It’s situated on a hilltop above the city, giving incredible views of Haifa below!

Our rooms were so spacious and comfortable, especially compared to the slightly more cramped quarters we had in the other cities.

For the religious, they offer shabbat service and meals.

Book rooms: Booking.com, Hotels.com | Check prices: TripAdvisor

 

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While there are some beautiful sights in Northern Israel, I’d say the food was just as, if not more, impressive. Give yourself some extra room (in both your itinerary and pants) to feast!!

 

Best Restaurants in Northern Israel

In no particular order, here is a list of places we loved:

 

Sealife Hotel Galilee

We had an incredibly lunch here. We loved the fall off the bone lamb and sticky glazed chicken. There was also a huge assortment of veggie-based appetizers. 

 

Vortman Winery | Haifa

This is a beautiful small wine shop on a private family estate. Share a bottle of white with some friends on the expansive backyard patio.

 

Haifa Street Food Tour | Haifa

We took yet another food tour. This one led us through the best of Haifa’s eateries, stopping at local bakeries, fresh markets, beer taverns and Israeli and Middle eastern classics.

Our guide Jessica did a great job navigating us through different districts, different ethnic establishments and ensuring that we sampled desserts, hearty mains and even beer.

My favorites were the various bourekas at Borekas Bachar, the extra crunchy falafel balls at HaWadi Mishel and the savory dumplings & meatballs at Meir’s Ptiliot. (pictures below) 

 

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Mary’s Well | Nazareth 

Nazareth is perhaps most famously known as the birthplace of Jesus, but this town deserves a new reputation as a culinary capital.

Check out the religious sights but spend an equal amount of time sampling creative Arabic fusion kitchens. Some of my favorite stops were: Avra Cafeteria (for Greek classics like moussaka) and Rosemary’s (voted #1 restaurant in town several years running).

 

Oud Restaurant at the Legacy Hotel | Nazareth

This restaurant is located inside Legacy Hotel and the meal was simply incredible.

Oud specalizes in combining Mediterranean flavors across Arabic, Armenian, Turkish and Greek food through innovative cooking techniques! 

My favorites were the waldorf salad, hummus two ways, crunchy shrimp, spicy merguez sausage, fried halumi cheese and il basha with asakro, tagine pots filled with kubbe dumplings and shushbarak served in a warm yogurt sauce. (pictures from our meal above)

We also split a platter of 4 amazing desserts – various panna cottas and malabi flavored with fruit, honey etc.

Unfortunately I can’t seem to find the menu to pull up the exact names..  This was definitely one of those meals where the food is polished off so quickly that I barely have any photos!

We briefly peeked into the colorful rooms at the Legacy Hotel and they have an excellent view of the Basilica of the Annunciation and Nazareth city, so if you’re looking to stay in town this would be an excellent hotel choice.

 

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Morad Winery | Carmelim

This was a unique stop on our trip!

Morad was founded by a husband and wife team obsessed with wine. They specialize in fruit wines and we watched a heartwarming video about the company’s founding.

And of course, we sampled many, many of their delicious fruit liqueurs. My favorite (and their best selling) is the passion fruit liqueur.

 

Mariposa | Caesaria

Our last meal was also fantastic. This phenomenal restaurant is located at Caesaria Golf Club, Israel’s only international golf club.

It has a more international menu centered around seafood, with exceptionally fresh crudo and pastas. We had a bunch of appetizers and desserts to share and everything was wiped clean pretty quickly

 

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Planning a trip to Israel?

At this point, I realized I have many, many more food photos but the post started to get a bit long! We hope this food guide to Israel was helpful and if you have restaurant recommendations, let us know!

 

Israel Vacation Checklist

 

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30 Comments

  1. Lora Wiley
    April 19, 2017 / 6:12 pm

    What a fantastic and comprehensive post. From street and fast food to fancy restaurants, Israel is definitely worth a visit for the food alone.

    • Sher
      Author
      April 20, 2017 / 10:37 am

      Thanks Lora! I totally agree – they spoiled us with choices!

  2. Ajay Sood
    April 20, 2017 / 10:04 am

    Oooooh! What a multi-course yummy post! All tastes have come storming back! Fantastic!

    • Sher
      Author
      April 20, 2017 / 10:38 am

      Thanks Ajay! It was great to meet you and see the master photographer in action :)

  3. Mike
    April 20, 2017 / 10:14 am

    Awesome photos! Everything sounds delicious! We had very little food provided on our FAM and what was provided was not photo worthy or worth writing about. ?

    • Sher
      Author
      April 20, 2017 / 10:39 am

      Ugh, that’s so disappointing.. I wish everyone had had a great experience. The country has so much to offer.

  4. Laura Lynch
    April 20, 2017 / 10:31 am

    What a great overview of the food you ate in Israel! Your photos bring it all to life and showcase exactly how delicious everything is. I would go back for the food alone, in a heartbeat.

    • Sher
      Author
      April 20, 2017 / 10:40 am

      Hi Laura! It was so nice to have met you during the trip. Loved your write up of Haifa as well!

  5. Vicki Winters
    April 20, 2017 / 1:12 pm

    Yes, we did. We stuffed our little faces. This is such a wonderful post with sooooo much information. Thanks for sharing….your foodie friend, Vicki

    • Sher
      Author
      April 20, 2017 / 8:43 pm

      So great to meet you Vicki! Looking forward to seeing you around NYC :)

  6. Joyce
    April 20, 2017 / 10:05 pm

    All of the food sounds and looks sooo amazing! I can’t wait to go on food tours if I ever get to go to Israel! Thanks for such a comprehensive guide!!

  7. Svetoslav Dimitrov
    April 25, 2017 / 5:03 pm

    Humshuka!

    How on Earth did I miss that? I’d have taken all of my clothes out of the suitcase and filled it with this delicacy!

    It goes without saying that this is a brilliant post! But it was not brilliant that I saved it for before going to sleep as my saliva started to fill my hungry palate.

    I pinned it to come back and salivate again.

    P.S: My home-made hummus with special ingredients may rival some of the finest Israeli creations :)

    Thanks for this article, Sher!

  8. Megan Indoe
    April 25, 2017 / 5:20 pm

    Wow, what an impressive food guide! This is making me want to go back to Israel right now just for all these places we missed! Delicious Israel tour was awesome! I want to try that crepe cake in your photo!

  9. Grace Silla
    April 28, 2017 / 11:47 pm

    I recognize so many of those foods – in Syria we use tahini in everything and we eat za’tar and of course falafel. Kanafeh is super popular and SO delicious. Also, we call boureka barek b’jibna which just means with cheese – my dad makes them with cheese and parsley!

    • Sher
      Author
      April 28, 2017 / 11:53 pm

      Oh very cool! The food was soooo good and my first introduction to middle eastern / arab cuisine! I definitely hope to explore more of the region :)

  10. Diana
    April 29, 2017 / 11:37 am

    wow, what a comprehensive guide! I love Israeli food and dying to visit soon! My Israeli friend always tells me to go visit but I may for real this time.

  11. Christie
    May 10, 2017 / 11:10 am

    Wow, these photos are absolutely beautiful!! What camera do you use, out of curiosity? Now I totally want to visit Tel Aviv! Pinning this for later.

    • Sher
      Author
      May 10, 2017 / 12:36 pm

      Hey Christie, thanks for the kind words! I use a mix of iphone / canon mk iii for my blog photos :)

  12. Sheree
    July 1, 2018 / 3:22 am

    The falafel in Israel was *out of control*! Like you, I wasn’t expecting all that much, but I don’t get to eat falafel often at home (because it’s often cross-contaminated with gluten, and I’m coeliac). We discovered this incredible little hole-in-the-wall right behind Shuk Ha’Carmel that proudly advertised “Falafel Without Gluten”, and it was the best I’ve ever had in my life, before or since. My mouth waters now just thinking about it! This is a fantastic guide to eating in Israel, thank you so much for sharing :)

  13. Gila Levitan
    July 23, 2018 / 4:42 pm

    You have covered Israel comprehensively but as a tour guide in Israel I would add a few places in the Old City for next time like Mutabak at Zalatimo…let me know if you ever come back!

  14. Sarah
    January 20, 2019 / 5:24 am

    I love your blog and the diversity of the places you visit, but this one is shocking. How can one be so indifferent to the highly controversial and politicized area of Jerusalem and entirely dismissive of Palestine? I don’t mean to offend, but I feel there needs to be more consciousness in travel blogging. Both the post and the comments are painful.

    Thoughts and best wishes from Canada.

    • Sher
      Author
      January 20, 2019 / 2:59 pm

      Hi Sarah – I’m very confused by your comment. Nowhere was I dismissive of Palestine (I haven’t even had a chance to visit the Gaza strip) and I don’t see anywhere in the post where I was indifferent to their suffering. The article is about foods I tried throughout Israel and restaurants I felt were great to try. It has nothing to do with politics or the country’s government policies.

  15. Karin Jordaa
    April 1, 2019 / 5:33 pm

    What a lovely read! Thank you for all the info & amazing pictures. Can you tell em which one of the Delicious Israel tours did you do? I see they have a variety. I arrived in Israel yesterday & will be in Caesarea for the mext 2 months & would love to fit a food tour into my schedule
    I love this place already!

    • Sher
      Author
      April 1, 2019 / 5:39 pm

      Hi Karin, ooh you’ll love Israel! I wasn’t sure which tour to take either, so I messaged them and they put together a mix of the different markets. Reach out to them and let them know you found my post and want to do something similar, they can arrange it!

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