Well, your dream can easily come true! Citadel Hostel, an 800-year-old youth hostel, wait, I mean an 800-year old Jerusalem stone-house that runs a youth hostel is an excellent option! You can book a dorm bed or a shared room. The view on the balcony is incredible. If you want the experience of waking up in Jerusalem, this is the place!



Location

From Jaffa Gate. First, go down a flight of stairs, then turn right and go up the stairs. After that, there’s a flat road. It’s 4 minutes walk to the Church of Holy Sepulchre!

It’s sort of in parallel to the main road, so it doesn’t belong to any quarter!

The entrance to the Citadel Hostel! This building is 800 years old!

My impression of the Old City of Jerusalem is dark and cold… I have no idea if this hostel would turn out to be a bad experience….

Check-In

When I came in, I was amazed by the architecture! It’s more than what pictures can deliver! You feel immediately connected to Jerusalem, really, you have to be there. With a relatively “okay” review, I was surprised that the staff was so friendly. Our triple room was $85, with a shared bathroom and no breakfast. A dorm bed would cost $25, so a triple room was a good deal. By the way, cash only. The staff let us store our luggage before our room was ready. When I asked if I could leave my luggage here the next day after check-out? The staff immediately agreed and said I could leave it there as long as I want. I was really impressed By the way, even though bus 231 from Damascus Gate to Bethlehem was easy, I would rather not to carry my luggage all the way from Jerusalem to there!

Facility

Unexpectedly, the lounge was cozy and pretty! It was much cleaner than expected too! The area could consider spacious as this is how big a floor is in this 800-year-old building! So this probably counts as the basement? Look at these sofas (floor cushions)! So Middle Eastern!

From here, there’s a doorway for leaving luggage. And that door at the end leads to a dorm room.

 

If the lounge is considered B1, the reception as 1st floor, then from the intriguing stairs it leads to 3 more floors.

This is the second floor. There are two rooms and 3 shared bathrooms. 

On the third floor, there’s a kitchen. But I found the electric stove inefficient. It takes forever to cook something. And the switch for the light is impossible to find… well, there’s a box above “Exit” with a yellow keychain right? That’s the switch! 

And let’s go to the 4th floor. There are two rooms. 

And finally, on the 5th floor, there’s this amazing balcony! You can see the Mt.Olives from here! Wow! The location is superb, and I leave the good views for your surprises! It is simply amazing!

The Room

I stayed in the cheapest triple room with shared bathroom. I didn’t take pictures for the shared bathroom, there are 3 of them, small but enough. It might not be ideal if you are larger in size…

So here’s our room! I like staying in a stone room, the experience made me happy! It’s more atmospheric there than on pictures. But the room was small. It wasn’t cold, and there were blankets on the bed. In Asia, we don’t use blankets. So when a blanket is used, it is always in a cover. It isn’t expected to put a blanket on top of a bed cover. So, anyways, this is a cultural difference. My mom and my aunt didn’t like these blankets.

And… Wifi was terrible in the room. Probably because of the stones? And the socket (near the door) was too high that made it hard to charge the power bank.

These are the rooms from 4th floor. It looks brighter because of the windows, but it is less atmospheric in my opinion.  

For $85, with no private bathroom or breakfast, I think it is not so good for value. But hey, this is in the Old City! Prioritize what is important to you, the location? View? Atmosphere? Or Value? In terms of value, at least for me, there are better choices in the New City.  The Post Hostel or Stay Inn Hostel. Or Zion Hotel. If you have more budget, and that you really want to have a good experience in the Old City of Jerusalem, then consider Sephardic House ! ($120 for a double room)！

Citadel Hostel — 2019

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!

In the alley of Jerusalem’s new town, you will see Kangaroo Georgian Restaurant. This is not a kosher restaurant, and you can find pork here…! The owner of this restaurant comes from Georgia. It was interesting to know that her family is Christian (common for Georgian Jews)! The price range was about 70-100NIS. Or you can go for business lunch, which is good for value!

Location 

Kangaroo Georgian Restaurant is located in a small alley. When you see Mike’s Place from Jaffa Street, turn right and go down the alley. It’s located next to the first synagogue that was built outside the walls of Jerusalem.

This restaurant is one of those old Jerusalem houses, made by Jerusalem stone. Rent is expensive in Jerusalem, so the space is limited. There are about 9 table there for a maximum of 25-30 people. It’s very private.

Menu and Dishes 

This is the menu! If you like cheese, go to “Khachapuri” section on the right. That’s the iconic dish one has to try in Georgian cuisine.

We ordered these, these vocabularies are too foreign! I haven’t heard of them before :

• Salad Lina 79 NIS
• Mushroom Soup 29 NIS
• Khachapuri Imeruli 67 NIS
• Khachapuri Adjaruli  (comes with raw egg) 62 NIS
• Khinkali (Giant dumplings) 69 NIS
• Odjakhuri (pork and potato stew) 82 NIS
• Chakapuli (lamb stew) 85 NIS
• 烤羊肉 Shashlik veal 79 NIS

Drinks and Desserts on the other page

Business lunch (12:30-16:30), note that it is Monday to Thursday only. (This place closes on Sundays because the owner is Christian ) The price was 62-72NIS, and it includes salad, bread, soup, kebab or Khachapuri, then tea.  I think that’s a good deal for Jerusalem!

Here comes the food!  Salad Lina 79 NIS , there are 7 types of salad and the portion was huge. But I’m not a big fan of Asian salads (even though I’m Asian myself). This didn’t appeal to me. Bread was complimentary.

I only took a bite for each…

Mushroom Soup 29 NIS, I had become used to Israeli quantity. So this soup came surprisingly small. Soup was thick, not bad.

Khachapuri Imeruli 67 NIS! Traditional cheese bread, made by Georgian cheese! You will taste authentic Georgian cheese only from here! But then again, I’m not a big fan of cheese. Haha! This was okay.

The other type of Georgia cheese bread. This one is Khachapuri Adjaruli 62 NIS!   It looks like a boat, with a raw egg on top of cheese! You are supposed to cut the cheese with a knife and fork closely to the crust, and then mix raw egg and cheese. It’s very fulfilling, and I like it very much! It was delicious! But I think the cheese was too salty for me. (otherwise it’s perfect)

What happened when most of crust was eaten to balance the saltiness…. a flood of Georgian cheese..! Haha! If you are used to having this type of salty cheese, then I think you might enjoy it.

Khinkali 69 NIS , Georgian version of giant dumplings. We have this type of dumpling in Chinese cuisine. I actually had Kinkali in another Georgian restaurant, and it tasted just as good here! This is the signature dish here, so try it out! (If your budget allows you…. I found 5 dumplings for $20 quite expensive because this thing is would cost 20% in my country)

Odjakhuri 82 NIS, basically pork and potato. This was good! All I need is a bowl of rice! This tasted like my type of food.

Chakapuli 85 NIS, lamb stew. I don’t eat lamb, so I have no idea how it tasted.

Shashlik veal 79 NIS, only 2 skeweres. I found this expensive ($27). But I heard that it was very good.

So, without any alcohol drink, it cost 100NIS per head. This is a normal price for a restaurant in this category, expensive for non-locals, but there are restaurants even more expensive than this. Service is 10% added to the bill.

Final Verdict

Depends on your budget. There aren’t too many places in this world where you can try Georgian food. And rent is expensive in Jerusalem. For the taste, it is yummy! For value, it’s not what this place is about. Oh! The owner was a lot of fun!

If you happen to be 2 Asian girls, you can share a deal together because the serving size in Israel is large. Alternatively, you can go for chicken shawarma, which comes in smaller size. And then get a drink to make your meal complete. This will cost you 35-47NIS.  A meal for less than 50NIS in the Old City of Jerusalem? Yes, it’s possible!

The location is close to Jaffa Gate. Follow Google Maps.

Tala’s Location

We arrived at 6pm, and the place was already packed with people. We found ourselves a table, and the waiter quickly gave us menu. There’s free wifi, and clean toilet here! Credit card is accepted!

Tala’s Menu

The price range is very reasonable, especially this place is in the Old City of Jerusalem! I will skip Hummus Section because you can have it everywhere else at the same price. Go for Grill Section, because everything that comes with meat is expensive in Jerusalem, and 65-70NIS is very good deal! The Plates Section offers good deals too.

When you aren’t too sure with what you are ordering, just flip the menu for some hints. (It’s very convenient).

I have only tried No.14,  Grilled Beef Kebab, it was for ₪70.

Being Asian, this quantity was definitely enough for 2 of us! I liked how the kebabs were perfectly grilled. However, in Israel sometimes “Beef Kebab” is mixed with some minced lamb. For people who cannot stand the peculiar taste of lamb, try to go for chicken kebab.

These 2 plates are included.  Salad and hummus.  It was good. Nothing to remember but it was good.

My friend ordered Baklava to try. This was 12NIS. Well, I think he didn’t like it. I guess this isn’t the right place for dessert.

For drinks, you can order Sahleb, though it’s available in winter only. Or go for freshly squeezed orange juice. All for 12NIS.

Final Verdict

I liked the prices, the location, the ambiance, and the taste. The place is popular for a reason! I will definitely come back to this restaurant!