If we remove all the surrounding war noises and their consequences (meaning, it's impossible to remove them and it's forbidden to ignore them), we are left with the buzzing and disturbing noise of the cost of living that simply bursts in our faces over and over again. Products at the supermarket that once seemed trivial now appear as "I’ll treat myself and add some Italian canned tomatoes and good tahini to the cart, whatever happens, you only live once."

Let’s not even start talking about restaurant prices – not the high-end ones – but fast food, falafel dishes that now barely scrape the 30-shekel mark on a sunny day, and shawarma addicts know how much a juicy laffa costs today. Saying goodbye to a 50-shekel meal is already something we’ve normalized a long time ago.

Especially now, or perhaps precisely now, the folks at Benedict (do we need to mention "a national restaurant chain specializing in breakfast," or does everyone know?) have decided to dedicate four weeks to dishes priced at just NIS 30.

Every dish on the table, only NIS 30. Benedict (credit: GAL CALDERON)
Every dish on the table, only NIS 30. Benedict (credit: GAL CALDERON)
"Once a year, we dedicate the month to a concept that’s already been called 'February Around the World,'” says Yair Kindler, one of the founders of the chain. "Sometimes these have been breakfast dishes from across Europe, one year we focused on South America, and so on. Everything changed last year when the war was in full swing. We wanted to dedicate the month to Israeli breakfasts, with the goal of focusing inward, on Israel."
Corn in chipotle sauce and parmesan from Benedict (credit: Rotem Drob)
Corn in chipotle sauce and parmesan from Benedict (credit: Rotem Drob)
Kindler continues, “This year, we looked around and understood what troubles Israelis more than anything else (as we mentioned, minus the war noises, of course). So we decided to go with the 'Around the World' concept again, but gave instructions to our chefs to find dishes that could be priced as calmly as possible, to bring our customers joy. We decided to create a special menu composed solely of dishes that will cost only NIS 30. We want our audience to come in without thinking about what they’re ordering from the menu, to come and order a few dishes to share so everyone can have fun and enjoy.”
Scordalia Potatoes dish, Benedict (credit: Rotem Drob)
Scordalia Potatoes dish, Benedict (credit: Rotem Drob)
The February special takes place from Sunday to Thursday after 5:00 PM. "It’s the time that’s more convenient for us to stretch our limits and also serve cocktails at especially indulgent prices," says Kindler.

On the menu, you will find dishes like the Babel Tower, which is an Iraqi sabich, an indulgent dish like the Pancake Burger – a smash burger and cheddar cheese on a pancake, chipotle aioli, fried onions, a fried egg, chopped chives, and maple syrup on the side, as well as a Salmon Cream Cheese Pancake served with smoked salmon on a pancake, cream cheese, a poached egg, beet hollandaise, and chopped chives.

The menu continues with a Scordalia Potatoes dish, meaning fried potatoes on scordalia spread with hot chili pepper in oil and chopped chives on top, and Corn Ribs – shredded corn in a smoked chipotle sauce and parmesan, and even "Polentina," which is corn polenta with a poached egg, grilled portobello mushrooms, green onion oil, grated parmesan, and chopped chives.

In the pancake section, you can also be calm, as the menu contains several indulgent pancake towers, like blueberry pancakes or Kinder pancakes drowned in chocolate and white chocolate, with a Kinder finger inside that melts slowly.

Benedict, February Around the World, Sunday to Thursday from 5:00 PM.