My Israel Food Guide And Hidden Gems Along the Way!

I came home from two weeks in my homeland armed with my Israel food guide and a couple of extra pounds around the middle. Great meals, memories of exciting flavours, and a ton of inspiration!

A plate of hummus topped with sautéed mushrooms, herbs, and spices, served with a spoon.

Last night, I landed in Montreal after two weeks in my homeland, Israel. Bagged quaking under the weight of a kilogram of hummus and some of the best vegan cheeses I ever tasted, I was greeted by a friend, a bouquet of flowers, and an empty apartment.

So stay tuned for great things to come and be sure to check out my visits to the Levinsky food market, Herbert Samuel in Tel Aviv, and visit to Machneyuda in Jerusalem!

I came home armed with snaps from Israel from great meals, memories of new and exciting flavours, and a ton of inspiration for my food blog At the Immigrant's Table.

Snap 1: Hummus Abu Adham

Location: Carlebach St 7, Tel Aviv-Yafo, 6713211

A table set with pita bread, hummus, pickles, onions, sauces, and a bottle of dressing.

The first great meal I had on this trip! So I open my snaps from my Israeli cuisine guide with arguably the best hummus joint in Tel Aviv: Hummus Abu Adham.

I arrived there with a friend on a Wednesday evening to what looked like an empty restaurant, only to watch the people come pouring in within half an hour of our entry.

This may not be the cleanest or fanciest joint on earth, but what it lacked in charm it made up for in great hummus. Smooth, with foul and mesabacha (which they call mesahwasha, and which you can learn to make like a pro by buying my Middle Eastern e-book).

Snap 2: Albi

Location: Olei Zion St 6, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Grilled eggplant topped with sauce, herbs, cherry tomatoes, and yellow pearls on a white plate.

Next followed a visit to Albi, a new Middle Eastern restaurant in Beer Sheva. The roasted eggplant here came drizzled with tahini, colourful cherry tomatoes, garlic and whole chickpeas. See my roasted eggplant dip recipe (zaalouk), even though its not quite as good as the real thing!

The hummus came topped with plump, juicy sauteed mushrooms. You can imagine my response to some of the best food in Israel. It even inspired me to make my own Israeli Hummus recipe: smooth and silky made with chickpeas and a middle eastern flair.

Snap 3: Wadi Attir

Rows of small green plants growing in dry, sandy soil under a clear sky in a rural farmland area.

Several goats stand behind a metal fence in a pen, looking curiously toward the camera.

I visited Wadi Attir, a Bedouin sustainability project aimed at teaching the young generation healthy eating and agricultural habits, all based on traditional Bedouin practices.

We saw goats and fields of medicinal herbs, and I learned that farms where animals have lots of room to roam and eat actually smell nice. Word.

If you are Canadian local like myself or visiting Ontario, check out my Ontario Farm Food Care Food Tour Review for a similar experience.

Snap 3: The Butchery Be'er Sheba Restaurant

Location: Ha-Histadrut St 22, Be'er Sheva

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A fresh salad with mixed greens, cucumber, red onion, dried cranberries, seeds, and dressing in a white bowl.

I ate in a fancy steakhouse in Beer Sheva, and as a vegetarian thought that the best thing on the table was a crisp green salad with cranberries.

After I came back, I tried to recreate recipes for easy springtime Middle Eastern entertaining inspired by my Israel Food Guide.

Snap 4: Tevale

Location: Bograshov 106 , Tel Aviv

A hand holds a bowl of smoothie topped with seeds and nut butter; bread and spreads are on a wooden tray above.

Triangular wooden plate with bread, dips, salad, and fruit bowl on a black table.

I had an amazing vegan breakfast at Tevale in Tel Aviv, a chain of vegan cafes and restaurant.

First off, the fact that Israel has a chain of vegan restaurants is, in itself, incredible.

Second, their chalva acai smoothie bowl was possibly the best blended food I ever had.

Snap 5: Wine Tasting at Beer Sheva

Woman smiling with a glass of wine at a nighttime wine tasting event, bottles displayed on the table.

A woman pours wine at a Barkan Vineyards booth, surrounded by bottles on a counter at night.

I ended the trip and my snaps from Israel foodie guide with a visit to the Wine Festival in Beer Sheva, an annual event now in its second year. Located by a renovated railroad car from the turn of the last century, the setting couldn't have been more magical. Loads of twinkling lights, paved cobblestones and trees.

With an entry ticket of 50 NIS (equivalent to about 15 USD or 20 CAD), it gets you unlimited tastings and a brand new wine glass, so it is quite a deal.

Some Non-Food Related Snaps:

Snap 6: Hiking

Palm trees and dry bushes in a desert landscape with distant sandy hills under a clear sky.

Three people relaxing in a rocky natural pool, with others sitting on rocks in the background.

In non-food related snaps from Israel, I hiked in a dessert oasis and swam in a natural pool with a beautiful waterfall.

Not pictured here, but worth noting:

An amazing meal at the Otentit in Beer Sheva, a great market-driven restaurant with food that tastes like your grandma made it but that looks like it came from the kitchen of a 5-star chef restaurant.
A latte from LoveEat in Tel Aviv, one of my favourite spots to grab a coffee and sit down for a long study session or business meeting.
And gluten-free chocolate cookies from Seeds, a vegan patisserie in Tel Aviv.

A tiered fountain with sculptures, surrounded by water, with modern buildings in the background.

How have you been the last two weeks? Let us know at We Travel We Bond Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram page!

Snaps from Around Israel: My Israel Food Guide