12th Birthday, Popina
The beautiful restaurant led by Orel Kimchi is celebrating a dozen orbits around the sun in the heart of Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood. The occasion: a new menu blending classic dishes with seasonal specialties, a tasting menu (six courses for NIS 395 per diner, with a wine pairing for an additional NIS 195), and a mature reflection on the long journey the restaurant has undergone—and continues to experience.
Among the offerings, you’ll find the legendary gin and tonic tartare, foie gras and truffle crème brûlée, shrimp-based hamburgers, short ribs and foie gras, seafood pizza, “decadent” chicken, and tuna sashimi with Meyer lemon jam and fresh horseradish. Also on the menu: beef tartare with mushroom salsa and yolk cream, duck confit pizza, and veal cheek and oxtail terrine.
Tuesday Cocktails, Lunel
The charming food bar in Tel Aviv’s Florentin neighborhood is celebrating winter in the best way possible.
Lunal’s cocktail nights collaborate with the wonderful produce of Alon Farm from Moshav Mishmeret and the equally excellent Ketel One vodka, blending agricultural freshness with Israeli winter drinks.
It kicks off on Tuesday, February 18, with a visit from Julian Bella Robbins and continues the following week (Tuesday, February 25) with Cory Lewis. Both will receive a pre-packed farm crate full of special citrus fruits and will craft a mixology menu tailored to the cold season—perfectly complementing the outstanding food by Yinon Elal.
Lunel
6th Birthday, Fabrica
Oren Amar’s excellent pizzeria in Rehovot is celebrating six years of carbs—and much more—with a special wine-soaked tasting menu in collaboration with Pelter Winery.
The Fabrica-Pelter menu will be available over three Sundays (February 9, 16, and 23) in an intimate bar seating format, priced at NIS 200 per person.
It will feature six dishes and six wine pairings, including pkaila, Padelino Niçoise, buffalo Margherita pizza, Yemenite Vineyard pizza, and Marinara of the Future, alongside Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Rosé, Dabouki, and a bottle of Shemesh Red.
Fabrica
29th Birthday, Thai House
The beloved Asian eatery, led by Yariv and Lek Malili, is marking nearly three decades (let’s not be picky about that one year) with a special menu and a celebratory toast with Recanati Winery.
Until the end of the month, enjoy dishes like Yam Sen Shan Hai Gong Gai (curly bean noodle salad with shrimp, minced chicken, celery, cherry tomatoes, red onion, spicy peppers, and sesame oil), Yam Khao Tod Pla Som (crispy rice salad with red curry, sticky rice-cured fish fillets, crispy garlic, peanuts, ginger, cilantro, red onion, and spicy peppers with cabbage leaves), and Gaeng Phet Ped Yang (red curry in coconut milk with duck, pineapple, apple or grapes, cherry tomatoes, basil, and kaffir lime leaves). The wine selection will include Chenin Blanc from old vines, Chardonnay from Tel Phares Vineyard, young Carignan, and Merlot from Odem Vineyard.
Farm to Table Arava Festival
The southern weekend returns to fuse agriculture and flavor with a variety of collaborations, intriguing meals, educational experiences, and much more.
Taking place Thursday to Saturday (February 20-22), the festival will feature, among other highlights, a joint evening with Ithiela Hayat, Hillel Gardy, and Yariv Eithani in Moshav Sapir, a dialogue dinner with Ohad Levy and Raz Rahav in Timna Park, breakfast at the Six Senses Hotel, and delicious visits to Yonatan Dahan in Nof Tzukim, Robert Bitton in Kibbutz Elifaz, and Yinon Bari in Paran. Expect workshops and food tours as well.
Farm to Table Arava Festival
Mushroom February, Asif
The excellent restaurant located on the ground floor of Tel Aviv’s Food Culture Center is celebrating winter, its people, and its products with a special earth-inspired menu.
From Wednesday to Friday (February 19-21), Omri Magid and Tamir Michaeli will host a mushroom-themed deli featuring lion’s mane, king oyster, shiitake, as well as pink and yellow oyster mushrooms, growing kits, and mycelium-based products.
Fittingly, they’ll serve tongue with mushroom sauce, handmade pasta in a creamy mushroom Alfredo sauce, and mushroom-filled bourekas topped with mushroom sauce.
A week later (Tuesday, February 25), still in a wintery mood, Moshiko Gamlielli will prepare a comforting pot meal at Café Asif, featuring fish patties and charred eggplant with peas and artichoke pancakes.
Café Asif
"Funky Tokyo" Pop-Up, A.K.A
Ittai Kushmaro continues to bring excitement to Nahalat Binyamin Street, this time hosting Meidan Siboni for three days (Sunday-Tuesday, February 16-18) of intriguing Japanese-Israeli meals.
Expect dishes like bluefin tuna tartlet with black caviar, a sashimi platter with fresh wasabi and fermented horseradish, crispy sushi rice cubes with toro tartare, seaweed aioli, and leek chips, miso soup with Josper-grilled corn and blue crab meat, sea bass in beurre blanc miso sauce, duck sando, sweetbreads with baby leeks and Israeli truffles, Denver cut beef with koji and garlic chives, and profiteroles filled with rice pudding and sake with crème anglaise and matcha.
At the same time, A.K.A will host an omA.K.Ase bar dinner, offering a closed-menu experience for just twelve guests, featuring eight courses, an opening shot, and a vodka-based cocktail.
Volcani Institute at Port Market
The winter surprise collection from the agricultural research institute arrives for a weekend (Friday, February 21, 10:00-12:00) of intriguing tastings at Tel Aviv Port.
Look forward to new strawberry varieties, including dessert strawberries and burgundy strawberries with a berry-like taste, seedless citrus fruits, za’atar (wild hyssop) Doya for fresh consumption, Ido and Einat peanut varieties with healthier traits, Excel, Barnea, and Lavi olive oils, and traditional wheat-based breads that were common here a century ago and are now making a comeback—all in a friendly format of free tastings, Q&A sessions, and consumer feedback.
Port Market
Aberto & Recanati Winery
No special reason needed, but the excellent restaurant at the Lear Sense Hotel in Gedera offers a great excuse to visit this Tuesday (February 18, from 19:00), with an experiential collaboration with the northern Israeli winery.
International Wine Day celebrations will bring Assaf Azar from Recanati Winery to Aberto, highlighting a special dinner featuring eight wine pairings alongside dishes from chef Itai Shelo’s kitchen, including boutique selections and single-vineyard series from Atelier. A special menu will honor this pairing. Cheers, of course!
Aberto
Exceptional February
Inclusive Society Awareness Month for people with and without disabilities has given rise to a culinary initiative that is much more than just food, aiming to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion.
As part of this initiative, Exceptional February, led by the Community Centers Company, special dishes will be offered in restaurants across the country, inspired by the initiative and the individuals themselves.
Among these dishes, you’ll find veal schnitzel with mashed potatoes inspired by Oria Ifargan at Talbiya restaurant in Jerusalem, a warm blini stuffed with braised short ribs inspired by Merav Shviro at Malka restaurant in Tel Aviv, a Mediterranean taco with pulled meat and avocado cream inspired by Erez Yitzkan at Ouzeria, a spinach and cheese lasagna inspired by Ophira Zandani at Delicatessen, a butcher's cut with potato gratin inspired by Yossi at Emek Brasserie, as well as a special dish served at Sodexo catering locations and Fattal hotel chain restaurants.
Additionally, social media influencers will cook alongside individuals with disabilities as part of an Osem Cooking initiative, and joint workshops and activities will take place in various community centers—from a conversation between Hila Alpert and Ella Karol about sensations and flavors, to mutual culinary experiences between Erez Komarovsky and Roahe Theaha, or a commemorative dialogue through cuisine between Avivit Priel Avichai and Ben Nahum.
Japanese Night – Kululu
The Asian fusion pop-up by Dor Michael Shuashi and Tal Gantz is making a return—twice, actually—on Tuesday, February 18, and Monday, March 3, at Petah Tikva’s lively cocktail bar.
On the menu, you’ll find dishes like the "Salmon Meli De" roll (fresh salmon, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in seared salmon with lime slices and shatta), "Bai Yeh" (white fish, cucumber, avocado, topped with seared white fish, lime, and shatta), "Tataki Roll" (purple sticky rice, cucumber, avocado, sweet potato, topped with red tuna tataki), and a tuna ceviche roll.
To drink, expect creative mixes like the Tokyo Sour (whiskey, yuzu-ginger syrup, lime, mint, and tonic), Sakura (gin, Cointreau, soy sauce, wasabi, cucumber syrup, lime juice, and togarashi), and Spicy Mango, featuring chili-infused tequila.