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!

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!

Looking for cheap eats in Jerusalem? This burger shop called Eight might be just perfect. Here you get a freshly prepared burger for 8 shekels! That’s $2.5! Is it possible in a city like Jerusalem? Is it too good to be true?

The story behind Eight is that there was a Jewish chef who worked in a Michelin starred restaurant in Netherlands, and he felt the portion served in Israeli restaurants are too big (what I feel too), and hence the prices are too high (what I feel too).

He wasn’t happy how food goes wasted, or how a bigger portion gives a hint to people to take in more calories than needed. So he has an idea, he will open a restaurant that serves small burger for ONLY 8 SHEKELS!

In a country where hummus (no meat!) costs 17 shekels, right, a grilled-chicken burger for 8 shekels is too good to be true! So I had to try out this place!

Location

There are 18 branches of ‘Eight’. The only one in Jerusalem is near Mehane Yehuda, next to King of Kings Jerusalem. Very convenient for me!

Menu and Prices

For menu…  you can check it online. I wanted to try this Schinitzel burger!

Or grilled beef burger! And it’s kosher… so that means no cheese!

You can go for a meal package. 2 burgers + side dish + a drink for 26 shekels ($7). SO CHEAP!

Let’s see if it was any good!

So the restaurant was like a fast food store. There wasn’t an English menu…. so I asked for chicken burger….. and I pointed at a picture I saw from the monitor  “and Fried Chicken Wings too please”…. 

Here we go! I think it’s clear that I will not order Fried Chicken Wings (failed) next time.

Let me explain objectively. The chicken wings were tiny! It was not marinated. And there was too much oil (maybe the temperature was not high enough), and somehow I think the meat was undercooked.

I would go with only burgers next time because everything was as good as it could get! Lettuce, onion, tomato, grilled chicken. It was not Michelin (didn’t expect it to be), but it was enjoyable!

Someone had 5 items, and it was for 44 shekels only! So cheap!

Final Verdict 

I’m happy with the quality. It’s very good for value! I highly recommend this place if you are on budget!

If you’re visiting Israel after 2014, the good news is that you’ll find this 5 shekels cafe called Cofizz. Coffee, fresh juice, sandwich, salad, croissant, pizza, pick anything and it costs only 5 shekels (or 6 shekels!) There are various options.

The place is more like a deli, there are 4-6 seats most people take away the food.  I think it’s important to note down where Cofizz cafes are because Jerusalem is very expensive!

Location

There are many stores! Too many! The easiest way to find cofizz is to type “cofizz’ on Google Maps, and all your options will show on the screen!

Ha-Meshorerim St 1 , Mahane Yehuda St 10 , Yafo St 226,  Ben Yehuda 14

This is the Cofizz in the Old city of Jerusalem, close to Cardo.

This is in Jerusalem delta.

This is on Jaffa street.

And this is the one in Central Bus Station. Get something to eat before you head to airport!

Menu

I took this picture in 2016. Some items are probably ₪6 now. But I went in 2018 again and some items are still 5 shekels. Hmmmm…

These 4 things cost me ₪20! I got 2 different salads, yogurt with granola, and a pizza!

Yogurt with granola 5NIS, I liked it! Very satisfying!

Tuna Sandwich. 5 NIS. Nothing special but not bad.

Bulgarian Salad? 5 NIS. Maybe Israeli like this? It was flavorless though….

Final Verdict 

Orignally I thought it won’t be possible to enjoy a proper meal from Cofizz. But actually, I enjoyed everything I got here! And if you are low on blood pressure, it will be a very good idea to grab something to eat from here!

If you always wonder what Yemenite Jewish food taste like, there’s this cafe called Yemen Food Far in Safed. You can try Yemnite crepe called Lahuhe, or see for yourself what Yemenite Jews look like, and have a chat with the owner about everything.

Location

It’s opposite to tourist center Livnot U’Lehibanot, very easy to find.

The shop is tiny. But it’s popular to tourists. I think it’s because the personality of the owner who runs this place.

I like the charisma. It’s a humble little place, but you can still find 15-20 seats here.

The decoration… and this is the seating area at the end.

And there’s a middle section.

I think you can wear the robe and pose?

Maybe pose with this. A Yemenite instrument?

A unique type of menorah… made by Yemenite Jewish kids?

Menu 

You are here for Yemenite crepe called Lahuhe. You can choose the basic type, which costs 25NIS. Or you can choose ‘4 type of cheeses’ for 35 or 40NIS.

I am not a big fan of cheese, so I went for the basic. If you like it spicy, tell the chef! And then you watch how lahuhe is made. (Just like pancake)

Wait till you see small holes, then add vegetables.

The difference is olive oil is generously sprinkled.

Shake it, shake it. The other side is ready!

And this is the moment Lahuhe leaves the pan. The front side will not be cooked. It’s actually how we cook crepe in Taiwan too, but the batter won’t be so thick.

In the meanwhile, the chef/owner asked me if I was Jewish. “Do I even look Jewish to you?” I said. He shrugged, and said “well you never know!” I looked at his beard, yeah, there isn’t a fixed look on a ‘Jew’.

Freshly grinned spices~

And you fold it! The chef/owner asked us if we wanted it cut (since we are sharing). And then he cut it for us!

So here we are…. well, I am not sure if this is cooked? I have never had Lahuhe before, so I don’t know…. this was a bit raw for me. Maybe 3 more minutes?

Later, the younger guy asked me if I liked Lahuhe?  I was pretty honest and said “it’s okay….”

Since my lahuhe turned out to be more spicy than expected, I asked the younger guy how much would the lemonade cost? He said nothing, and was searching for something. And then, he gave us two plastic cups and said it’s free for us because we purchased Lahuhe…… Yay!

Final Verdict 

It was fun. It’s like watching a performance. Lahule for 25NIS is not ‘cheap’, but you can imagine the rent of this place. It’s nice to stop by this place! I enjoyed my free lemonade!