Food Tour of the Jerusalem Mountains - Walla! Food

2019-12-18T13:08:06.525Z

After all, Jerusalem is one of the most beautiful areas in the country, the hills are green and flowering, the forests smell of pine and pine aromas, and there is an atmosphere that there is nowhere else, but only one question always remains ...

Lake A. Virginia

"I tried to retire, but I'm addicted. Like Mick Jagger."

Food tour of the Jerusalem Mountains

Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav

Food
Recommendations and reviews
Food tours

After all, Jerusalem is one of the most beautiful areas in the country, the hills are green and flowering, the forests smell of pine and pine aromas, and there is an atmosphere that is nowhere else, but only one question is always open - where do you eat in the area? Well, no more, we went on a comprehensive tour and came back with ten wonderful answers

Crescent evil

18/12/2019

If there is one question we are asked repeatedly is "Where should we eat on the way to Jerusalem?". This is probably a question that the Jerusalemites ask in reverse, but it is still the same question. The Jerusalem Mountains area, mostly known as the Judean Mountains, is one of the most beautiful areas in the country that crosses, sometimes brutally, the busy highway 1. The hills are green and flowering, the forests smell of pine and pine cones, and there is an atmosphere that is nowhere else in the country, perhaps it is pastoral countryside, but not the detached one located in remote areas, but the one near the city, and perhaps the combination of the village's serenity and rugged bourgeoisie. But there is no doubt that the restaurants in the area know what they are doing, the service is excellent, there is a lot of quality wine, and the food is excellent and varied and offers everything from everything.

As in Paris: David Laor's Cafe and Bakery, Mevaseret Zion

The gospel comes from Mevaseret Zion. Eight years ago, David Laor opened a small French confectionery in his house in Ein Kerem, and with success he copied it to Mevaseret Zion. Over the past summer, he has also added to his small place a charming little cafe, which together with the excellent coffee, pastries and sandwiches, you can totally forget that it is located in a very nice industrial area. So you have two options at David's, or enter the little cafe in the front, where there are a few tables, fine coffee and tea and a variety of pastries alongside the coffee, which you can also take home.

The other option is to surround the building to the back and enter the patisserie, where you can convert to small French tables, eat small croissant sandwiches filled with artichoke or cheese (NIS 19), or wonderful baguette sandwiches filled with grouper cheese, strawberry jam and dried tomatoes or cheese. Rocket (NIS 38). There are also loads of wonderful pastries like pistachio and chocolate roll or cheese bag (NIS 12), apple shosun that is a bag of apple stuffing, or one filled with mangold and cashew (NIS 16). Everything is skillfully made as if it were a Parisian bakery, good coffee, fine tea and smiling service. While this is a small and slightly crowded place, it may not be suitable for very long or multi-party gatherings, but it is a must-visit for all bakery and confectionery enthusiasts, and who is not.

David Laor, work 12 from Mevaseret Zion, hours of operation Sunday to Thursday 7:30 to 19:00 and Friday to 7:30 to 15:00, 02-5793311

Breakfast in the vineyard (Photo: Dror Einav)

The vine (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Cafe inside a nursery: through the vine, olive house

A star without an asterisk

For more magazine articles

Even on a regular weekday, the cafe through the vine is almost completely full, and although all the tables are full, the atmosphere is still so peaceful and pleasant. Perhaps thanks to its huge glass windows overlooking a beautiful pastoral garden, at its end is a nursery laden with flowery and flowering orchids, flowing water and ornamental fish in a well-kept pool. In the summer, the entire garden is full of tables and people dining among all the blossoms and greenery around.

The kitchen is milky and you can enjoy a very varied breakfast with some classic breakfast dishes, be it Crock Madame (NIS 64), Pear Benedict (NIS 64), Fritetta (NIS 67), French Toast (NIS 38), and lots of sandwiches Of morning, salads and matzas. At noon, the menu changes again and offers a rather large selection of fine fish starters, gnocchi and soups, alongside fish dishes (NIS 86-114), pastas, risotto (NIS 48-66) and pizza (NIS 35-64) alongside hot sandwiches such as salmon or Mushroom pearls (NIS 46-52). Beit Olive is a beautiful pastoral town located very close to Jerusalem, even Jerusalemites who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city will find what they want, and those who are on their way to Jerusalem or outside looking for a pleasant and special place to stop.

Vine Road, Vine Road 1 Beit Zayit moshav, operating hours Sunday - Thursday 8:00 to 23:00, Friday 8:00 to 12:00 and Saturday 19:00 to 23:00, 02-6502044, Kosher

Rural Arabic breakfast (Photo: Dror Einav)

Shanklish (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Family and rural: Shanklish, Ein Rafa

The Takash family lives right in front of the wadi that crosses Ein Rafa, a small Arab village near Ein Nakufa. A year ago, Hana Takash left the cooking school where she taught in the village and recruited her entire family for the opening of a home and country restaurant that would serve the best of food she so well cooked from Arab cuisine. The place called Shanklish, named after the traditional Syrian cheese made from old-fashioned brick, seasoned with a unique spice blend.
The cheese, which takes two days to prepare, incorporates a variety of dishes at her home restaurant, starting with breakfast accompanied by bread and dips, patosh salad with shanklish cheese, or pastries filled with cheese, some on the border of desserts.

There are quite a few dishes of tabun, chickpeas and other dishes suitable for the whole family. The herbs of the restaurant are collected by the family's children in the surrounding hills and forests so that the meal at the place is the most local and homely. In the coming days, the Takash family is expanding the restaurant, so that in the daytime it will continue to function as a rural Arab dairy restaurant, but in the afternoon and evening it will become a skewered grill restaurant, with meat dishes, salads and spreads made by Hana's good hands and with the cooperation of the entire extended family.

Shanklish, Ein Rafa, hours of operation on Thursdays, Thursdays from 10 am to 4:30 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 to 7:30 pm, Sunday closed, 072-2811738

Not only orchids in the orchid incubator cafe (Photo: Dror Einav)

Orchid incubator coffee (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Among the potted plants: Orchid Greenhouse coffee, the top five

If you are unfamiliar with this small and magical place, get in the car immediately and go to Kibbutz Ma'ale Hamisha. There, in an old building that used to be a mythological orchid incubator, a quiet little cozy restaurant was set up, where the food is wonderful and bright and still serves as a small nursery for succulents, orchids and various pots. Danielle and Uncle Aslan established the place in their form; She is an artist who has taken her affection for orchids and plants and transformed her into a profession, and is a chef who for years has been at the head of Link's Kitchen, one of the oldest and best-known Jerusalem restaurants.

In the orchid greenhouse, besides lots of light and quiet, you can also enjoy milky, simple and elegant food, most of which revolves around Italian cuisine. There are a variety of breakfasts ranging from egg to egg in focaccia with coconut milk, portobello and picorino cheese (NIS 48), or focaccia with ricotta cheese, potato in cream, butter and truffle cream, two eggs and parmesan (NIS 52). The menu continues with a variety of pasta, pizza and salads options, such as pasta artichoke a la romana with ricotta, feta and herbs (NIS 48), classic pizza with an original steak (NIS 52), zucchini carpaccio, caramel zucchini and parmesan ( 38 shekels) and more. Everything is served beautifully with minimalism dominating, alongside excellent wines and coffee, against the soothing color of the orchids. Perfect getaway from Highway 1.

Orchid incubator, Ma'aleh Fifth, operating hours Sunday to Thursday from 8am to 11pm, Friday 8am to 3pm and Closed Saturday, 02-5347500

The stunning rural cuisine of Rama (Photo: Dror Einav)

Black Lentil Salad Sprouted Green Almonds and Seasonal Flowers, Rama's Kitchen (Photo: Dror Einav)

Rustic kitchen with stunning views: the level kitchen, dripping

In the beginning of 2017, almost the level restaurant of Rama's kitchen was burned with flames raging throughout the area and finally reached the village of Netaf. But Rama, and her daughter, did not despair. A year and a half after the fire, and with the backdrop of crowds of long-lost and dreamed customers, they reopened the restaurant. The new place is a beautiful tree-lined building with huge windows overlooking the green hills of the area, surrounded by a flowering garden and a vegetable garden, which is the source of all the greens and herbs used in the kitchen, and flowers that sometimes decorate the meticulous rural food. It is not a place to eat and escape, it is a slow meal based on a structured menu that varies between brunch (NIS 128) and lunch (NIS 184) and dinner (NIS 286).

During the meal you will arrive at the table of fine Pugas bread, which Rama prepares with ancient flour, a variety of dips and spreads, all freshly harvested herbs. There are fine fish, roast vegetables, and tree-baked pastries, all of which are great starters for the main range, which varies between hours. The variety of the day, in the morning, egg dishes or cheese nappa, or vegan roast gourd, noon fillet in sage, roast duck breast on crumbled egg yolk pasta, and smoked picnic or ragu lamb in the evening. If less suited to your long and slow meal, and the green landscape calls for you, in Rama's Kitchen, you will have a wonderful picnic basket consisting of the wonderful Pugas bread and the variety of the spreads and dips of the place, along with great herbal tea, cold or hot, plus cheeses and wines according to your request and according to your budget. The place is only open on Fridays and Saturdays so you should prepare accordingly and book a place.

The kitchen of Rama, Nataf, operating hours on Thursday 19: 00-00: 00, Friday 9: 30-15: 30, Saturday 12: 00-17: 00, 050-3700954

Wine and cheese in front of the fireplace at Castel Winery (Photo: Dror Einav)

Castel Winery (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Family and Local: Castel Winery, The Eight Hand

The Jerusalem Mountains area is packed with wineries, perhaps more than any other area in the country, there are simple, wineries full of magic, and there are large and impressive wineries. The most famous of them is Castel Winery, which a few years ago, and after 23 years in Ramat Raziel, moved to a beautiful new abode in the eight-hander, just above the vineyard coastline. Although not considered one of the largest, Castel Winery is one of the best-known family wineries in the country, and a visit to its new structure allows a glimpse into the rigorous process of wine preparation, the one that founder Eli Ben Zaken started years ago, and his sons who included and developed over time. In the winery's cellar cellar is particularly impressive, and a cozy living room where they host groups and individuals on pre-registration only, for great wine tastings and cheeses, where you also hear the intriguing family story that is part of the story of the entire Israeli wine industry. If you're lucky and cold outside, the fireplace will also light up for you.

Castel Winery, Eight Hand, 02-5358555

Farmer - Delicatessen Plus (Photo: Dror Einav)

Farmer (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Delicatessen, restaurant and music: Farmer of the Land, Beit Nekofa

The Farmer of the Country is a relatively new and charming project by Nissim Suissa, a young man from Nekofa who has traveled in Spain for a long time and returned to Israel with the idea of setting up a country-class delicatessen, alongside a restaurant that will serve light breakfasts of morning and noon, and in the evening will become a live music bar. For the benefit of this project, Suisse recruited his twin sisters Maayan and Ruth, who are behind La Jumel, a French-style patisserie coffee. At Les jumelles (French Twins), the confectionary and ruthless French breakfasts serve fine French breakfasts, croissant sandwiches with high quality fillings, toasts and stews, and hot dishes such as arancini, classic potato gratin, chestnut ravioli and of course many desserts, all of which are also possible Buy home.

The farmer of the country took miracles to another, he connected dozens of suppliers of cheese, specialty vegetables, honey, jams, wines, oils, and lots of other products, and brought them all to one place, but he did not settle for that. Of all these excellent products, he assembled a huge menu of bruschettes, fine fish, original salads, cheese and fruit plates, fine cheese sandwiches, and even excellent fish-burger, and of course his sister's baked goods, and beverages such as infusions, juices, coffee and more, which will take your time Instead of even more.

For all you can taste, you can buy a home in its delicatessen, and when you are there, find out with miracles when evening performances are held on the premises, so you can also taste the excellent wines found in the countryside atmosphere.

Farmer's Land, Coop Trail 3 Beit Nekofa, Hours Sunday to Thursday 9:00 to 23:00, Friday 9:00 to 16:00, 02-5453397

La Jumel, the founders of 1 Beit Nekofa, hours of operation from Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 to 18:00, Friday 8:00 to 13:30, 02-9309991, Kosher Mehadrin

Naya Asian Mountain Restaurant (Photo: Dror Einav)

Naya (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Asian Mountain Restaurant: Naya, Nekofa House

Right next to the farmer's land, on the main road for the settlement of Beit Nekofa, is the Naya Restaurant, one of the most beautiful restaurants in the country. The restaurant has two huge investment spaces, the central interior space in which an open kitchen is decorated with lots of dark wood, delicate lighting, exquisite Asian lines furniture, beautiful dishes, a huge and impressive wine fridge, dark walls, chairs and wooden benches, and everything that comes in a delicate light From the huge windows overlooking the view. The second space is a kind of light-filled balcony designed with lots of straw, delicate colors and armchairs with cushions. The perfect place to sit down and order from a variety of Asian dishes on the menu to which Thai and Chinese cooks in the open kitchen.

The restaurant is kosher but its builders have met the kosher Asian challenge with grilled dishes with Asian sauces and herbs, steaming soups with aromas of Thailand and the Far East, quite a few noodle-based dishes and many types of Asian curries and vegetables, as well as Chinese, Japanese or Japanese stews Steamed rice, the best of tradition. There is a huge, highly invested sushi menu, with lots of interesting Nigerian and rolls, and a whole menu of fine fish for the genre enthusiast. Bania has also taken the cocktail menu seriously, as well as a huge wine list. In the afternoon you can get a deal of a lucrative lunch business, and in the evening there is no competition there, the kitchen is lively, the bar never ceases to drink, and the romance of the Jerusalem Mountains unexpectedly blends into the Asian vibe they managed to create on the spot.

Naya Restaurant, Beit Nekofa Coop Trail, Hours Sunday to Thursday 12:00 - 00:00, and Saturday 19: 00-00: 00, 02-9900070, Kosher

Muma's Kaunas (Photo: Dror Einav)

Muma (Photo: Dror Einav, Dror Einav)

Inside the historic barn: Restaurant Muma, Kiryat Grape

Inside a rare, anciently preserved historic building that used to be one of the oldest farms in the area, the Muma Restaurant, which is still in front of the food and alcohol offered on the site, opened an impressive space full of atmosphere. Antique and eclectic items collected, old pictures, huge candles on milk-filled candlesticks, vintage and second hand items from around the country and from the time of statehood, a winter-lit fireplace, faded leather sofas, and music that immediately draws you to another world. Muma is the family nickname of Leah Abushdead, wife of Itamar bin Abi, the son of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. She is told that she was a sharp and witty, full-story woman, and that she was a gifted culprit and her recipes are based on some of the dishes created by the next generation of the family served in the dark and intimate space. .

You will find light bar dishes that are suitable for Castel winery wines, such as heavy feta with honey and butter and fig jam (NIS 42), or a real, soft Yemenite Cuban served with good dips (NIS 48), plus lots of salads, or roasted vegetables, Cheese and meats, a relatively small size suitable for sharing and opening a table with friends and lots of alcohol. There are also bigger and more serious mains, whole fish, pastas and meat slices (NIS 64-132). In some evenings you will find interesting music performances, and if less suited to dinner around a table according to all the rules of the day you can relax on the couches by the fireplace and in the lounge area of the restaurant where a slightly less formal and more liberated experience.

Mooma, Grape Kiryat, operating hours on Sundays: 18: 00-00: 00, Thursdays are also open between 13: 00-17: 00, and Fridays: 12: 00-16: 00 and 18:00 -00: 00, and Saturday 12: 00-16: 00 and also 19: 00-00: 00, 02-6459727

Open a table in Majda (Photo: Reut Sahar)

Meal in Majda (Photo: Reut Crescent, Reut Crescent)

Between Greek and Arabic cuisine: Majda, Ein Rafa

Michal and Yaakov opened the Majda Restaurant in Ein Rafa with much inspiration from Greece's rural family taverns, the courtyards and the huge grill, with the traditional recipes packed with fresh vegetables and herbs, and the unique family atmosphere. Majda is a restaurant that connects Greek, Mediterranean, and Arabian cuisine with plenty of olive oil, yogurt, tahini, and local herbs. The menu is handwritten, changes from time to time and offers quite a few small or medium salads or salads, loaded with cheeses and fruits this season, along with country dishes such as borax mangold and meatball (NIS 60), a vine-wrapped bass fillet (NIS 138), a Cuban Chinese An Arab pie of burgul and meat (NIS 90), or a goose shank that goes apart from the bone and is served on an open pita (NIS 125). There are also wraps, shreds, patties or stuffed, and many other dishes that are a little bit of everything and are handmade and safe and served in the green and flowery courtyard, on the tables scattered under the vines, with dishes and chairs that are eclectic and blend into the pastoral, family-friendly atmosphere. The restaurant is only open on Fridays and Saturdays so you should plan.

Majeda, Ein Rafa, hours of operation 12: 00-22: 00 and Saturday 11: 30-16: 00, 02-5797108

Photo: Dror Einav

Other places worth checking out in the area

Efrat Bakery

The cafe, the pastry shop and bakery in Kiryat Grape, in a large and cozy space, with a variety of delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and plenty of goodies to buy home.

Kiryat Grape, operating hours Sunday to Thursday 7:30 to 20:00, Sunday to 17:00 and Friday to 15:00, 02-6735529

Salva's house

In the Salva homeyard, a variety of authentic Arab foods are served in a pleasant pastoral atmosphere such as maclub trays, homemade salads, crasses - Arabian dough filled with vegetables, meat or goat cheese, stuffed and more.

Ein Nakuba, operating hours Friday and Saturday 12: 00-19: 30, 0543355353

The johnnon of joy

A very homely place that only operates on Shabbat and offers traditional and Oriental Yemenite food with dishes such as chickpeas, meat stews, home baked goods and Jhannon of course.

Givat Ya'arim moshav, operating hours on Saturdays 9: 30-17: 00,052-8483047

Flem Winery

A beautiful winery that hosts guests in advance in its beautiful structure overlooking the vineyards, tasting wines and receiving explanations, and you can also indulge in an excellent cheese platter.

Eshtaol Session, 02-9929923

Source: walla

All life articles on 2019-12-18