Jaffa

Jaffa is crammed with dining and café option, from the cheapest and simplest local spot that has been passed from father to son to the most exquisite chef restaurant or theme café that will leave you smiling until you see the bill. The selection is endless, and there’s also an extra advantage when you take into account the scenery, old buildings, view, etc.

The Abulafia bakery (Yeffeth, 100m up street from the Clock Tower) is a famous restaurant and has become a symbol of Jewish-Arab coexistence, as it is now an institution more than just a bakery. It was the first of Jaffa’s bakeries and has gone down from one generation to another ever since 1880. It makes pita, bread, sambusak and dozens of bread-like foods stuffed with tomatoes, cheese and the like. It’s open 24/7, so it’s perfect for afterhours-munching.

Another place turned from mere food supplier for the masses to national icon is Ali Karavan Abu Hasan (14 Shivtey Yisrael, Corner of Yehuda Ha’Yamit and Ha’Dolphin).They make probably the best mesabacha hummus in the world.That’s right, you heard us – the best on this planet. It’s sour and spicy, it’s coarsely textured with whole chick peas and/or ful (cooked fava beans). This hummus place has generated immense success, which has spurred the opening of two more Abu Hasans, one for each of the father’s sons. They all make the same kind of sublime hummus that will keep you coming back. The father’s place has mostly standing room while the sons offer plenty of sitting room. Still. On Fridays it’s jam packed and you’ll have to wait in the street for an opening. If you get a choice, try not to sit next to the kitchen, as it is run like a war room, with nonstop shouts and barked orders.

What about gourmet locations? Vicky Christina is Chef Roy Harari’s tapas restaurant, located in Ha’Tachana Complex. Cordelia (30 Yefet) is famous Chef Nir Zook’s place, with its fusion cuisine. It is another of TA’s elite favorite. It’s inside a piazza that is nicknamed the Nir Zook complex, with the restaurant Noa and the Jaffa Bar right there.

As for café, it doesn’t get more traditional than Café Anton (73 Kedem), a fourth generation coffee grinder. It’s in a nice building and it even has a rooftop overlooking the surrounding Old Jaffa alleys. Café Yafo is another chic location, with Italian coffee, pizzas and fine pastries.