First Impressions of Tel Aviv Restaurants: King George Street

By Laura Goldstein

I moved to Tel Aviv, Israel a month ago from the suburbs of Washington, DC to work with TasteTLV.com. I decided to work with the organization after reading the founders bios on the website. We seemed to be kindred spirits in our love of food and finding new and unique places to eat. After hearing about the success of the Taste TLV events I became even more excited to work for them. Though really it all comes down to my love of food and exploring new cities.

Upon my arrival to Israel, I was of course filled with a craving for hummus, shwarma, and shakshuka. But Tel Aviv is a diverse city and I was excited to try still undiscovered cuisines that I knew were waiting for me.

I was overjoyed to discover that I could find an array of restaurants just going up and down my street.

Daniel the Juice Guy

For example, during my first month here I was enrolled in an ulpan class on King George Street. During our morning break, the other students and I would flock to the juice stand located on the same block as my ulpan class. Fresh squeezed juice is simple, but unbeatable on Israeli on sticky summer days.
It  is located right on King George Street between Bograshov Street and Meir Park.You will know the stand by the blasting reggae music that drifts onto the sidewalk and Daniel the juice guy’s prominent dreadlocks.
There are an infinite number of juices to mix, but my personal favorite combination is ginger-pomegranate. It is spicy and tart and will get rid of any hint of a cold brought on by too many late nights in this city that is awake around the clock.

When our ulpan class was let our for lunch, without fail, half of the students would rush down King George Street past Dizengoff Center to Abu Dabi. My classmates loved their cheap and delicious hummus as well as the funky rastafarai atmosphere. In fact, they went there so often that our ulpan teacher actually suggested given a lesson on food vocabulary in that restaurant.

Considering I go by these two great places during my daily routine I very much look forward to exploring more of the city and reviewing restaurants with TasteTLV!

I am also excited for upcoming the Taste TLV events. Some of the past events involve discounts in particular restaurants, such as the Block Party. This is key for me because I love food and I enjoy it even more if it’s a bargain!

Others have been more like parties such as the poolside event at Marina Bar. These events are a chance to get to know some of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv well as meet other food lovers, some who are new to the city and some who have been here all their lives.

Taste TLV events aside, my main focus is the food.  Overall, I hope to find at least one Tel Aviv restaurant, though I have no doubt that I will find many, that I can fall in love with, write about, and share with you all.