Tel Aviv has one of the most exciting food scenes in the world, and it’s built in large part on the same cultured dairy traditions that run through Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. The city blends Levantine, North African, Eastern European, and global influences in a way that produces food that’s genuinely unlike anywhere else. If you’re visiting for the first time, here’s where to focus your eating.
Shakshuka and Labneh: The Breakfast Foundation
Tel Aviv does breakfast extraordinarily well. Shakshuka – eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce – is the most internationally recognised dish, but labneh is equally important. At breakfast restaurants across the city, labneh appears alongside hummus, fresh vegetables, pickles, and bread as part of a spread that could easily carry you through to dinner.
Café Puaa in Jaffa has been serving excellent Israeli breakfast since 1999 and is worth seeking out. Dr Shakshuka, despite its obvious tourist following, serves a genuinely good version of the eponymous dish with excellent labneh alongside. For something less famous and equally good, walk into any neighbourhood café in Florentin or Neve Tzedek and ask what they have for breakfast.
Carmel Market: Where to Buy Dairy and Produce
The Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel) in central Tel Aviv is the city’s most famous market and a good introduction to local food culture. You’ll find fresh white cheese, labneh, leben (a thin fermented milk), and a range of locally made dairy products alongside spices, produce, and street food. Arrive before 10am on a weekday to avoid the peak crowds and to catch the best produce.
The Levinsky Market in Florentin neighbourhood is smaller and less touristy, with a focus on dried goods, spices, pickles, and dairy products brought in from smaller producers. It’s a better market for serious food shopping and for finding things you won’t see in the main markets.
The Arab Food Traditions of Jaffa
Jaffa, which sits adjacent to Tel Aviv, has a significant Arab-Israeli population and a food culture that draws on Levantine traditions more heavily than the rest of the city. The old city and the market near the clock tower have a number of restaurants and food stalls serving labneh, hummus, and other dairy-based dishes that have a distinctly Palestinian and Lebanese character.
Abu Hassan in Jaffa is widely considered one of the best hummus restaurants in Israel and is worth queuing for. The hummus is served warm, topped with olive oil and a choice of accompaniments, and the labneh alongside it is made fresh daily. Arrive at opening time to get a seat and order the full spread.
Modern Israeli Cooking and Yoghurt
The modern Israeli restaurant scene, which emerged largely in the 2000s and has become internationally influential through chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi, uses yoghurt and labneh in interesting and sometimes unexpected ways. You’ll find yoghurt-dressed salads, labneh used as a base for roasted vegetables, and strained dairy incorporated into desserts that blur the line between sweet and savoury.
Restaurants like Miznon, which serves market-driven dishes in pita, and Bavel, which has a more formal approach to modern Israeli cooking, both use dairy creatively. Tel Aviv’s restaurant culture moves quickly, so the best current places change regularly – ask hotel staff or local food blogs for current recommendations when you arrive.
