The conclusion… go for it!

Location

It’s close to Bezalel market, you’d see it as you come from carmel market heading to Dizengoff square.

The shop is tiny, but seating is still available. I guess the little shop can handle 12-16 dine-in customers!

Well, it’s always busy!

Menu

The menu is on the wall. 6NIS for a falafel!!  Additionally you can buy grape juice for 4NIS.

So, the concern is… why is it so cheap?

Well, with this price, it pretty much guarantees good business. And I actually find their falafel very good in taste and quality. You’d find 6-8 falafel balls, and you actually taste falafel till the very last bite!  It’s pretty solid!! And only for 6NIS!

Taim! (Delicious in Hebrew)

I came across this shop when I noticed the place was packed with elementary kids. And wow! Yes, I’d recommend this place for lunch if you are around. A hearty falafel for 15NIS, why not!

By the way, why was this shop called Uncle Moustache Restaurant? Hmmmm….. but I came across a beautiful story, which I’d share at the end of this article.

Location

When you are at Herod’s gate, go into the Old City. The first shop that offers food is this place! (on your right)

This is not the exact location. But well, you have the idea. It’s in this area. Follow your nose and instinct. Or ask a local boy.

Menu？

There’s no menu…. but there’s falafel! Add everything, it’s all good! And what’s so special about this place is…. EGGPLANTS!

He added eggplants! And that was the game-changing factor. It made the falafel so tasty! Somehow eating eggplant feels like eating meat, so it was super satisfying!

As a Taiwanese, I don’t like boring food. When I eat falafel or hummus, I have to train myself eating it with a heart of gratitude (no kidding!). So when I found out eggplants were added to my falafel, I was so happy!

Here’s the falafel! It feeds 2 Asians

Look at it! It’s delicious! There’s falafel, french fries, eggplants and lots of vegetables! So what else can you expect from a falafel? It is perrrfect! ～

Oh! And there’s a toilet here too, though the lock doesn’t work.

Now, here’s the story.

While we were waiting there, a tourist (from the UK I think) talked to the owner. He was talking so sincerely, with tears bursting from his eyes. Why was he so moved?

I came here 50 years ago.

Your grandfather was a good man. He helped many backpackers who didn’t have money. He fed us.

I watched all of this. And I was stunned. Later I learned that the shop was opened for 50 years. It means from the beginning, the shop had a good reputation. And surely it would pass down…. There was his dad and his son from the first picture.

I was very happy to find out this shop.

Final Verdict

A falafel for 15NIS at Herod’s Gate. Yes, I recommend it!

There are many options online.  You’ll find tours in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv! And guess what…. Bite Mojo is an Israeli startup!

https://bitemojo.com/Jerusalem-food-tours/

https://bitemojo.com/tel-aviv-food-tours/

Money Saving Tip: Don’t register unless you are ready to order. I received this 25% off offer right away…. and it’s valid for an hour! Haha! I think their marketing is excellent!

The Mechane Yehuda Vibe

I picked their Mechane Yehuda Vibe tour. The price for this tour is 105NIS, about $30. If you have been to Israel, this is about the price for a good meal. But just keep in mind that small bites in Israel aren’t cheap (food price in Israel isn’t cheap!), even a falafel costs 15 shekels.

And keep in mind that this is like a tour, enjoy it as a fun activity!

The Food Tour Begins～

After clicking “Start Tour”, a map shows up! Remember to turn on GPS! The 6 numbers in the map are where the Bites are!

I think I was supposed to start at station 1. Haha!

How to Claim your Bite?

When you click the number, it will show what food you’ll eat. For example, Georgian food! (I like Georgian food! I had Georgian food in Jerusalem at Kangaroo)  There’s a “claim bite” button below, try not to click it before you get attention from the vendor/chef/waiter/whoever.

So here comes my first bite! Let’s go!

After clicking “claim bite”, it looks like the vendor only has 5 minutes to respond? Not sure why the clock is important, but show this to the vendor, and he/she will begin preparing your bite!

For some bites, you can dine in, if you want. But for some bites are for take away only! If you don’t like certain bites, you don’t have to claim them, even if they are orginally included in your tour. You can use it for other bites!

This is my first bite called Emroli… As an Asian girl, this one bite can be a full meal. Or maybe just half of it can fill me up! The only thing I don’t like about Georgian food is the Georgian cheese… Too much salt in my opinion.

By the way, I remember the emroli costs 30NIS～ (if you aren’t using the app)

The number turns grey and route turns green after the bite is claimed.

Cute Feature

The “stars” on the map means legend or story. They are quite fun! Read them!

I didn’t know this building was cursed….! A rabbi cursed it because it blocked the light to his Yeshiva. Well, maybe I didn’t have to know this, but it is interesting!

You don’t need to play in order～

You can skip a vendor, and you can start at any vendor. I actually started from vendor #2!  It was a bar like a cafe. I liked the atmosphere!

The bite was Angus beef patty I don’t like half-raw meat in general, but at that time I didn’t know Bitemojo has Bite Credit function. (If a bite doesn’t appeal to you, don’t claim it. The unclaimed bites will become credits in your Bitemojo wallet, and you can use it for other bites, in the same city, or abroad)

This is the shop that gives only the takeaway option. Humurous staff.

The patty… it was cooked medium well. I didn’t like it and I wasn’t even surprised. I just don’t like beef in Israel in general…

But honestly, I don’t think this bite was cheap. Meat isn’t cheap in Israel, so I’d say this bite would cost 30-40NIS?

And the next bite! Juice in Mehane Yehuda! In the market!

I exchanged for a 10NIS drink! You can pick any juice from this vendor! I loved this bite! (A juice lover? Hahaha)

I picked an Etrog drink… because I miss Sukkot! (just kidding!) And then I realize… hey, what a coincidence! Isn’t this the same drink on their ad?

What about the unclaimed Bites？

By the way, it is likely that you miss 1-2 bites. Not all vendors open at night. If a vendor is closed, your unclaimed bite will become Bitemojo credits in your wallet.

And if you accidentally finish the tour, all the unclaimed bites will become credit in your wallet.

That’s what happened to me… and the 3 unclaimed bites became credits (1000 credit for a bite). I like the flexibility of Bitemojo! And did you notice? The value of each bite is different! For example, the 30NIS emroli is more expensive than the 10NIS juice! So, I guess you can find bites that you REALLY long to eat!

(I would have skipped the Angus patty…  and find something that’s not beef, haha!)

Disclaimer

My tour is sponsored by Bitemojo, and all opinions are mine!  I originally posted this on my Chinese blog 以色列美角 Israel Mega. I would have paid to play this anyways because I like creative things And if you really calculate, after 25% off the 105NIS becomes 80NIS. It’s still a good deal to get 6 bites for 80NIS.

I can’t wait to finish my tour!  3 more bites to go!

Al Sham Shawarma, a new restaurant in the Old City of Jerusalem, has  amazingly high reviews on TripAdvisor. Knowing that a beef shawarma costs 25NIS ONLY! I felt I had to come and try!

A falafel (no meat) costs 15NIS already! So this is a steal!

Location

It’s near Jaffa Gate. I wrote about Tala Hummus Falafel, so Al Sham is very close to it in the same alley.

Storefront. It looks great!

A beautiful and typical Jerusalem stone house!

While the restaurant is small, it comes with wifi and a very clean toilet! I was surprised!

Menu and Dishes

Well, there are only 4 items. Bottom left, a full set of Hummus for 50NIS? After a day in Israel, I’m done with hummus. Haha! And Bottom right, fries… for 15NIS…. it’s just starch, so as a girl, let’s skip it.

Now, there are really just 2 options here. It’s shawarma in Pita Bread (Top left) for 25NIS, or Shawarma in Lafa bread (Top right) for 35NIS.

I went with shawarma in Pita bread. And for some reason, it felt so healing watching the chef (?) using electric knife~

And then you get to choose your salads and sauces. He’d probably ask you “All?” Just say yes!

So! This is THE shawarma! Let’s just call it the burger in the Middle East~

Now, see how much meat there was inside! Wow! And this is for 25NIS only! You get nice shawarma, in a beautiful restaurant in the Old City of Jerusalem with Wifi and clean toilet. What else is there to ask?

But the problem is…. well, it’s really just me. If you’ve read my other posts on food, for example, at Aaris, well, the problem is ME! I Let’s just say the taste of beef is too ‘strong’ for me. I had to add chili sauce to tone down the taste.

So…. you can decide.

So it happened that the card reader was broken. They tried hard to get a connection by bringing the reader outdoor, but it didn’t work. They were only 2 people, so I didn’t want them to waste so much time and I just paid in cash.

(I went to Tala later, and their card reader worked perfectly though. )

Final Verdict

It’s a good deal!! Beef shawarma for 25NIS only! It will be a very good meal if you like beef. If you don’t like beef, get chicken shawarma from Tala Hummus Falafel

Food prices are expensive in Israel, so let’s talk about the ‘basics’. These are 10 foods that you will commonly see in Israel!

(Just to give you an idea of prices in Israel, 1NIS = 0.28USD)

1.Falafel 

Price Range: ₪12-₪30

Falafel is seen as national food in this region. Let’s just say this is a Middle Eastern sandwich. Falafel is the fried balls made from chickpea. It usually comes in a pita bread, which looks like a pocket. Salads and falafels are put inside and it is a nutritious lunch!

 Unspoken Rule: A backpacker told me that an Israeli told him you could go for free salad refills as long as there’s still a falafel in your pita bread. I confirmed this in a falafel shop in Tiberias, and I added the salad for free in front of the owner and everyone else. I saw this information here later that confirmed about this rule. But when I went for salad refill in Jerusalem, I was stopped. Hmm.

2.Hummus

Price Range: ₪17-₪35

A common dish. Hummus is made from chickpea, tahini and olive oil. It’s sort of healthy. For me, it’s just a paste, but for the locals, this is a dish. It’s filling. And you can find hummus everywhere in Israel!!  But just like not everyone likes soybean milk (which I love), I am personally not a big fan of hummus~

3.Shakshuka

Price Range: ₪35-₪60

How Israeli likes their eggs served. It’s tomatoes and a poached egg in the middle. You eat shakshuka mostly for breakfast. I like it!

4.Sabich

Price Range: ₪20

Another type of sandwich. Similar to falafel as it’s vegetarian. The difference is there’s no falafel but fried eggplant, French fried and boiled egg in it. It’s more nutritious than falafel, and it’s quite heavy! I weighed it and it was like 700 grams! 

 5.Shawarma

Price Range: ₪20-₪40

Finally, we see meat! Yay! If you cannot live without meat, you will be happy to eat shawarma. The meat is usually chicken or beef. It’s served if lafa bread (flat) or pita. Pita is cheaper~ Every shop has its own unique sauce. For me, it’s easily a more satisfying meal than hummus or falafel. (Being a vegetarian is too difficult).

 6.Schnitzel

Price Range: ₪50-₪80

Schnitzel is a dish brought by Jews from Eastern European countries. It’s fried chicken… made from pounded chicken breast I guess. If you are lucky, it might be delicious!

7.Kebab

Price Range: ₪70-₪100

Middle Eastern BBQ! Kebab is usually minced beef mixed with lamb. In Israel I think kebab refers to barbecued, so you see grilled chicken on a skewer like this, also called kebab.

I had a good kebab in Tala restaurant in Old Jerusalem.

Or you can get a kebab in pita bread, it will be cheaper. (20NIS)

8.St. Peter’s Fish

Price Range: ₪70-₪100

Christians look forward to trying St.Peter’s fish. But it’s really just tilapia. There are 2 ways of cooking it- fried or baked. I personally wasn’t impressed by the taste because this fish can be found in my country very commonly. It’s not a bad idea to give it a try, just be cautious to fish bones and lower your expectation!

The baked version:

9.Israeli couscous

Price Range: ₪40-₪60

Everyone knows couscous. It’s not from Israel, but it’s commonly known as Israeli couscous. I like this better than rice or potatoes in Israel.

10. Kubbeh Soup

Price Range: ₪35-₪45

A common Iraqi Jewish meal. The dough is made from semolina, and the filling is usually minced beef or veggies. It’s quite special but it’s an acquired taste. I think you should try this at least one time on your trip to Israel (and I think one time will be enough unless you grew up with this food)

Special: Mint Lemonade

Price Range: ₪15-₪20

You can find lemonade everywhere in the world, but I just love how mint smells in Israel and this region. So make sure you try lemonade here! I cannot explain, but it is truly special! My favorite drink in Israel!

1. You cannot find pork… or shrimp

Yes, something is missing. Maybe it won’t be apparent at first, but after a few days in Israel, you will realize…. how come there’s no bacon? No sausage? No shrimp?? That’s because Jewish people eat Kosher food. These things are not considered kosher. So bye-bye pork!

 If you aren’t going to spend a long time in Israel, it is fine to live without pork for some days. The real issue in Israel for most travelers is the expensive dining costs in Israel I think. But actually, there are non-kosher restaurants. Uri Buri in Akko is one of them.

2. You cannot find cheese on meat

Well, there is another thing about Kosher. Cheese and meat cannot appear in the same meal. Why? Anything made from dairy milk should be separated from the meat. So if you take a bite of yogurt and then a bite of meat, you mix these foods in your stomach, and it violates kosher law. (After having meat, you cannot have dairy product for a minimum of 6 hours!)

That is why in many restaurants, you don’t even see poultry items on menus! You only see dishes made from eggs and fish on menus, because they are considered ‘parve’.

I think this is the rule that makes it so difficult for non-kosher diners. I want cheese on my pizza and burger. But nope, not happening in Israel! (Unless you make your own food)

3. This thing called Shabbat

Kosher restaurants are supposed to close on Shabbat (Friday afternoon till Saturday evening). Some will reopen on Saturday night, but most restaurants will remain closed.

Go to an Arab restaurant, it will remain open.

4. Quantity

The serving size in Israel is usually not small. If you have lunch outside, I think you can skip a meal or simply go for hummus. You don’t eat that much every meal!  From experience, 2 girls can share 1 meal, or a normal pita bread sandwich (20NIS) can fill a girl up!  So don’t try to order a lot. You will know what it is like once you get there.   (Or read my experience at Kukiza, and see how much food I had to leave on my plate!)

5. Paying in Dollars

Yes, you can pay in dollars!!

6. Giving 10-15% Tips

If you don’t leave any tip, it means you are not happy with the service. A service fee is not added to the bill yet. And it’s quite relaxing, 10%-15% is the same. For example, your bill comes to be 140NIS, so should you tip 10% = 154NIS or 15% =161NIS? Actually, 150NIS is fine! It looks better if you are giving a rounded number too.

These are the tips that I can think of for now…

The Cost of Dining in Israel

If you are from East Asia, you will be used to the idea that the cost your accommodation for 1 night will buy you 3-10 meals. Right? So $30 should buy you 3 to 10 meals because a normal meal is usually $3 to $10. But in Israel…. a Big-mac is $15! Shawarma, $15! Why? I don’t know!

You can use Numbeo.com to check how expensive Jerusalem is comparing to your city. This is how I would categorize the cost of dining in Israel

1. Cheap Eats:  Less than ₪20 OR $7
2. Mid Range: ₪50-₪100 OR $20-$40
3. Expensive: More than  ₪100 OR $35

Cheap Eats

With a backpacker’s budget, you’ll be stuck with hummus, falafel, Cofizz, Cofix etc. These things will cost you less than ₪20 for a meal. ($7)  I found “Eight” burger, a burger for ₪8. But the usual price will be ₪20 or more.

• Hummus Said

Price Range：Hummus (half portion)  ₪8

• Eight Burger

Price Range：A small burger for  ₪8!  (this price is not common at all)

• Cofizz

Price Range：Everything is for  ₪5!  (or ₪6 )

• Cofix

Price Range：Everything is for  ₪5!  A salad is for ₪15

Mid-Range

If you want to eat more proper food. Things like kebabs, shawarma, burgers etc, expect to spend around ₪50-₪100 ($20-$40) for a meal…… so yes, Israel is very expensive!!! You can get these things at 70% off in Jordan!!

• Tala Hummus and Falafel

Price Range：₪30-70

• Avi’s Restaurant in Tiberias

Price Range：Appetizer ₪25-40, Main Dish ₪60-₪90, Dessert ₪30

Expensive

My definition of an expensive restaurant is near the range of $35 (₪100). But even this is not really considered “expensive” for locals. But again, poverty is a social problem in Israel, so you don’t need to feel too bad about how you think about these prices. Not everyone affords to eat in fancy restaurants. But you don’t need to eat in fancy restaurants to be happy.

Let me show you some good restaurants :

• Uri Buri

Price Range: Apprizer ₪40, Main Dish ₪60-₪80, Dessert ₪14-₪38

• Anna Italian Cafe

Price Range:  Main Dish ₪60-₪90, Dessert ₪40-₪50

Go for Business Lunch!

One way to save money is to have a big lunch in Israel! On Sundays to Thursdays (not Friday!!!), you can find business lunch in some restaurants. You can expect a good deal, perhaps 30% less than the usual price.

I tried business lunch at Kukiza in Tel Aviv, it was very good! 2-course meal with a drink From 49NIS ($18)!

Menu Samples

If you are curious about prices, you can take a look at these samples! In general, Jerusalem is the most expensive place in Israel!

Maybe you’d rather spend money on staying a few more days in Israel than spending a big chunk of your budget on eating on. It can be worthwhile!

Is Israel Really That Expensive?

Well…

A proper meal would cost you $30-$40 per person. A regular meal would cost you $20. A bigmac in Israel would cost you $14.  A falafel sandwich costs $3. A plate of hummus costs $5.

Dining costs in Israel are high. But it really depends on where you come from. But from where I come from… we get a nice business lunch for $3-6, and it’s very good for value and taste is amazing. (Yay visit Taiwan!) Any meal above $15 would be in a relatively fancy setting, where you go for once a week or two weeks. So for me… either I don’t compare, or I end up spending more money than I want.

And the other reason is the kosher rule, you cannot have cheese and meat together. Or you cannot have yogurt and meat in the same meal. So if you aren’t used to such rule, your stomach will feel something is missing.

Cook Your Own Meals

I usually have cereals for breakfast. So let’s take a took of our lunches and dinners! We brought our own lunch boxes to Israel. For that lunch, we had chicken rice, chicken, and fruit (loquats). For the 4 of us, we used 1 kg of chicken, 1 kg of rice, and about 1 kg of loquats. Including seasonings, the cost was about 60 shekels in total. It was satisfying.

To replace chicken rice, you can simply cook egg fried rice or fried noodles.

Making rice balls is fun and convenient too! You can get Sushi rice from any supermarket in Israel. If you eat with milk, that’s not kosher but my point is that it costs only 4 shekels!

If you aren’t big on rice…. making sandwiches isn’t a bad option. A box of ham (not really ham) is 35 shekels for 700 grams. Yogurt (for one) is for 4 shekels, bread is for 1 shekel. So for 4-6 people, the cost is around 60 shekels.

For dinner, we had noodles in Chinese style.  This is around 30 shekels for 5 people.

You can get sushi sheets and pickles from Asian supermarkets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.  This was around 30 shekels too.

What are Grocery Prices like in Israel?

Taxes are pretty high in Israel, so prices are high in Israel. After visiting Israel, even Amsterdam and London seems to relatively cheap.

These are supermarket prices, check here for more prices:

• Milk 1 liter 5-7 shekels  (cheap!!!)
• Hummus 10-15 shekels
• 1 kg Chicken. 20-25 shekels
• 1 dozen eggs 10-12 shekels
• Bread 7 shekels
• 1 kg rice 10 shekels
• 1L  juice 6-8 shekels

On my way to Mamilla Mall, I saw this signage in Chinese. “Mian Noodles”. Wait, this is Jerusalem, am I reading it right? The spelling was correct, so this noodles shop certainly got my attention back then. But being a tourist, eating Chinese food wouldn’t come on top to my to-eat list.

This was in 2016 Pesach (Passover). And randomly a few months later I saw this place being covered by Hong Kong media, in an effort to introduce Israel as a safe travel destination.

There’s a story behind the chef of this place. And it gives us an idea to what the Israeli government is like. (unlike what media says). The chef was originally from Hong Kong. A young boy as he was, his mother took him and 2 brothers from Hong Kong to Israel, and they stayed illegally in Israel. There was a point when he was about to be deported as the Ministry of Interior caught him, but a lawsuit was opened and he won his case by “Israel has been home for me for my entire lives”. And now he is a citizen. Of course, this is second-hand information as I only learned it from Chinese media, I wouldn’t sit this is the complete story, and maybe not all of it is true. But all this is to say this is an AUTHENTIC noodles restaurant! And the owners of this place are from Hong Kong too.

A bowl of noodles is around 57 shekels. Yes, this is Israeli price! But if anyone is interested in trying Chinese food in Jerusalem, this is it!!

The discount goes like this: You pay 80NIS and you get a 150NIS voucher in return! That’s a bargain!

You need a local Israeli number to register for an account!

Beteavone in 2018

Home

It’s a new website in Israel. The good thing about this website is that it’s in English! Most restaurants that work with Beteavone are in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv at the moment.

Perhaps you’d think only restaurants with bad reviews would offer deals on Beteavone. But…  Anna was on their list too! You can read my wonderful experience dining in Anna here.  It’s definitely worth a visit!  It’s quite a popular restaurant among locals. So I wouldn’t question the authenticity of these restaurants.

Restaurant Types

• Dairy: Only eggs and fish
• Meat: Meat…
• Parve: Offering both dairy and meat

And then Casherout is Kosher.  There are 3 levels of Kosher, Rabanut is the least strict, then Badatz then Mehadrine. It’s all kosher, the small difference is like how long food can be frozen or how many times flour needs to be sifted….

Discount Offers

1.Free Coupon

Something like 10% off or free bottle of wine when dining as 4 adults etc.  Download this and you can use it whenever.

2. Voucher (xx instead of xx)

This is like a gift voucher. You pay 80NIS and you get a voucher worth 150NIS. So if my bill is 200NIS in Anna, I pay with this voucher plus 50NIS cash. If my bill is 130NIS, I pay with this voucher and I’ll not get any change back!

How to Register and Purchase Voucher

You need Israeli number to register an account. And I guess any credit card can be used.  I haven’t tried this yet.

Things to know

1. Voucher will be emailed to your mailbox. You can print it or show it on your phone.

2.No refund on the voucher.

3.One voucher per table.

4.You’ll not receive any change when your bill comes less than the voucher amount.

Updated: Feb 2019.

I tried Beteavone! The one advice I’d give is… Remember to print it out! I had to wait for 5 minutes for the vendor to confirm with her boss whether it’s okay not to have a printed coupon! (Read my experience of eating at Aaris here!)