634582 Tue Jul 07 07:46:14 -0700 2009 12 53 Middle East and Africa 0 4836095 We're making our first trip to Israel and will be based in Jerusalem at the Inbal. What were your favorite places? From falafel to fine dine...I'd love to know the places that shouldn't be missed. Thank you! Tue Jul 07 07:46:14 -0700 2009 22620 DaisyM 1 4845466 I don't know if it's a MUST or anything but I just had a wonderful meal of salads and fresh pastas - including a really special dumpling with prune compote - at Shmil, which is in the "Lab" complex between Talpiyot and Emek Refayim near the old train station. I tried one of the raviolis and the spaetzle, which was very very good. Fri Jul 10 03:51:00 -0700 2009 4836095 135924 sarahlefton 1 4850577 Congrats on your first trip to Israel! I live not far from the Inbal. Please keep in mind that I am not rich, so I don't have a clue about fine dining. Hummus Talpiot (Yad Harutzim) -- Think homemade hummus with toppings. There is also schnitzel, kubbeh soups, etc. Totally non-touristy. Steakiyat Tzidkiyahu (Yad harutzim) -- Grilled meat in a skewer. Meal comes with ten different salads. Talpiyot is known for its Steakiyot, so there are plenty of meat restaurants around, and after 6:00 PM the air smells like a BBQ. I like Tzidkiyahu the best. Also lots of steakiyot around Machaneh Yehuda (aka shuk) HaShamen (several locations) for shwarma. Mordoch (Israeli) and Ichikidana (Indian) (both in Machaneh Yehuda). Ima's (agripas) -- Sephardi/mizrachi food. Excellent soup and chicken liver. Babette's (Shamai) for waffles. Burekas Ima (Rivka) for burekas. Ticho House (Rav Kook) -- very nice dairy restaurant with beautiful garden. Sun Jul 12 04:41:10 -0700 2009 4836095 40917 JudgeMaven 2 4850590 Thank you so much! We'd really prefer to have ethnic food that we just can't get in Philly. We can always go to a fine dine or Italian restaurant here...but we can't get amazing falafel! I've never had shwarma or burekas or Iraqi food. So those are the kinds of things we are most interested in. We're very excited about finally being able to go to Israel. Sun Jul 12 05:02:40 -0700 2009 4850577 22620 DaisyM 1 4850764 In the Machena Yehuda try to have a meal at Azure in the Iraqi market (side section of the shuk furthest side away from the Old City). Excellent kube soup and other mixes of Ashkenazi and Sephardi food. In East Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Hotel restaurant is a really great eating experience. if you don't keep kosher and are looking for something to do on a Friday night, try to get reservations because they have live music and it's a lot of fun. Also by Damascus Gate on the weekends, the street vendors have amazing kebabs. Walking away from the Old City on Jaffa is also an Ethiopian restaurant that I'm a big fan of. Sun Jul 12 07:08:14 -0700 2009 4836095 180127 cresyd 2 4850847 Thank you...I've added those suggestions to my list. Just a question re "street food" in Jerusalem. In some cities you'd want to avoid this for health concerns...is it a problem in Jerusalem? I really love kebabs, etc. Thank you! Sun Jul 12 07:53:34 -0700 2009 4850764 22620 DaisyM 3 4852225 Personally, I've never had any trouble with the street kebabs - and in some cases I like them more than the kebabs in restaurants because they're so fresh. The kebab carts outside of Damascus Gate are across the street and only open on Friday/Saturday. But there are some restaurants also outside of Damascus gate where you can get kebabs to go that are also good. I would vouch for the safety of the kebabs - and I'm someone who despite living there for over a year still can't consistently drink the tap water. There are some other varieties of street food, ful and another kind of legume, and some other stuff that I haven't tried though. Sun Jul 12 18:51:40 -0700 2009 4850847 180127 cresyd 4 4852778 Thank you for telling me this. Mon Jul 13 01:49:51 -0700 2009 4852225 22620 DaisyM 4 4855193 I have no problem the tap water, but my intestines are probably calcified. Daisy, when are you planning on visiting? If you are coming during the summer you must drink and drink a lot! Plan to buy bottled water. Your stomach will give you issues if you drink the tap water. Israelis love coffee drinks, and those are fine but they do not hydrate you. There are various juice stands around Jerusalem. Another popular street food, and you will see this in the Old City, is the Jerusalem bagel. It is a really large bagel-like thing that is really good and comes with a small bag of zaatar for dipping. Mon Jul 13 16:20:58 -0700 2009 4852225 40917 JudgeMaven 3 4855165 As this is the summer I must warn you about exposed hummus. Hummus dries up VERY quickly, so if you go to stand or restaurant make sure the hummus is not turning brown or drying up. I wouldn't even touch hummus from an unair-conditioned place. For the hummus place I recommended, if you do order any, eat it inside or share one plate with your traveling partner (you mentioned a "we"). Also, for falafel places, try not to gt the last four falafel balls in a pan or the last few fries. Mon Jul 13 16:10:55 -0700 2009 4850847 40917 JudgeMaven 4 4855536 Judge Maven, thank you for giving such good advice. We are going at the end of next May. My husband is a gastroenterologist so he's particuarly cautious with the food and water when we're traveling. We'll make sure to drink lots of bottled water. I'm so looking forward to having "real" falafel and trying dishes that we just don't have here. But most of all....we're so excited about being in Israel. Mon Jul 13 18:22:06 -0700 2009 4855165 22620 DaisyM 5 4855643 If you're going at the end of May, you might want to ask around if the Jerusalem Wine Tasting festival is happening when you'll be there (different from the Israeli Wine Tasting festival). I don't remember for sure if it's in May or June, but it's a pretty fun way to experience different wines from around the Jerusalem area. Mon Jul 13 18:59:08 -0700 2009 4855536 180127 cresyd 5 4933575 As I have Crohn's Disease, I'm generally the first person to get GI distress from any odd ingestible. I've never had a problem with the water there. In the (rented) apartment and restaurants I drink tap water with no ill effects. Out and about in the summer I either buy bottles of limonana or assorted Prigat beverages or fill up water bottles and carry with me. By all means, in the summer drink all you can and then drink some more. Mon Aug 10 11:38:48 -0700 2009 4855536 25244 rockycat