If you’re searching for a new go-to dining spot in Tel Aviv, 3426 is well worth a visit. Tucked inside a restored fish market that serves as a hub for chefs, artists, hospitality dreamers, and architects, this pop-up comes to life on Saturday afternoons and Wednesday evenings, offering a unique dining experience unlike any other in the city.
Before digging into what’s on the menu, it’s important to highlight the origins: 3426 is a larger community that has brought together creatives across a variety of industries, including an elite group of local chefs and sommeliers under the name ILU, which stands for “What if?” in Hebrew.
ILU began as a private catering business that morphed into a consulting company. Founders Adam Szold and Yuval Leshem (previously head chefs at Eyal Shani restaurants and the duo behind Beit Hanna HaRabi’s café concept and menu) sought to bring to life something completely different than what exists in today’s Tel Aviv food scene.
After friends Avital Gourary and Natanel Elfassy, founders of architecture studio AN+, introduced them to the historic fish market two years ago, the idea of 3426’s pop-up dining experiences took shape.
The group reimagined the space into an environment that seamlessly blends old and new. By preserving its industrial structure and introducing natural light and sustainable materials, they brought to life an experience where food, creativity, and design coexist and inspire one another.
As Gourary puts it: “It felt like the perfect place to connect heritage with creativity and craft. The massive concrete walls surrounding the site and the raw brutalist character hinted at its architectural potential.”
That potential has been made clear. Diners will be in awe at just how massive and unique the setting is, being both historic and forward-thinking.
Szold and Leshem, along with chefs Omer Alony and Galia Schipper, knew they didn’t want to open a restaurant just for the sake of it but instead invest in a concept where the fusion of creativity and community meld seamlessly.
AS YOU sit down to dine within the massive gallery that once housed an immense refrigerator, you won’t feel like you’re in Tel Aviv. Peruse the exhibitions adorning the walls, and once you get over the mile-high ceilings, be ready to order.
By the way, the chairs you’ll be sitting on? Most of them come from AN+’s studio in the other room, gently returning to their places once service is over.
Fish-forward (perhaps as an ode to the origins of the space) and playful (yes, there’s a deconstructed peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the menu), Alony leads brunch service with a menu you’ll want to come back for.
Sip on a Mediterranean spritz (NIS 52) and make sure to order the green omelet with ricotta (NIS 53), halloumi and avocado salad (NIS 54), and the star of the show – a plate of pickled fish and latkes (NIS 98). Leave room for that peanut butter and jelly sandwich on soft Japanese bread, and maybe even the French toast with maple syrup, mascarpone, vanilla, and berries (NIS 53).
On your way out, book for dinner on Wednesday.
Authentic Mexican food in Tel Aviv
LET’S BE honest. Tel Aviv doesn’t have much authentic Mexican food (don’t shoot the messenger) – until now. Dinner by chef Schipper every Wednesday fixes that.
Take a seat and order a nipecillina, which will kick you into gear with mezcal, lime, ginger syrup, and agave (NIS 52). Then dig into the guacamole with pico de gallo (NIS 44); tuna tostada (NIS 64); my favorite, jalapeno Caesar salad (NIS 47); and quesadilla chorizo (NIS 48), which has a mushroom option for those who prefer not to eat pork.
If you’ve got room left, order the sinfully sweet corn crepes (NIS 42) dripping with dulce de leche sauce and adorned with pecans.
If the drool-worthy food and constant happenings aren’t enough to get you here, to top it all off, the collaborative center also features a lecture hall, small bookshop, theater, and new café i that attracts students nearby (the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and the Tel-Hai Academic College have opened satellite campuses next door).
As for what’s coming, the ILU team is open for off-site private events and catering. Look out for a website coming soon that will detail future happenings in the location, such as cooking workshops, exhibitions, live music and performances, summer camps for kids, and maybe even another evening of food and drinks during the week.
And if they weren’t busy enough, the team is also planning to establish the Tel Aviv Center for Regeneration – a new initiative focused on sustainability, circular economies, and resilient design.
One thing’s for sure: The somewhat anonymous setting is not to be missed for its vision, activities, and ever-changing menu. 3426 is under the radar for now. But don’t expect it to stay that way.
- 3426
- 7 Hatehiya Street, Tel Aviv
- Phone: 050-555-0951
- Hours: Wednesdays, 7 p.m.-11:30 p.m.; Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Not kosher
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.