With the warm autumn evenings, buzz of Chol Hamoed and streets full of families enjoying the holiday, Succot is one of the loveliest times of year to experience Israel’s restaurant scene.
At the end of this week, restaurant terraces, rooftops, gardens and pavements across the country will be transformed with greenery and decorations as restaurants build their own succot for the 5787 celebrations.
For visitors, eating in a succah can be as much about atmosphere and experience as about observance.
You might find yourself having dinner overlooking the Mediterranean, lunch in a Jerusalem garden or cocktails beneath the schach — the leafy covering of a succah.
As an Israeli food blogger I compile a guide each year. Here is what are some of the restaurants are planning - from intimate terraces with room for barely a dozen diners to enormous succot seating hundreds.
Sunset by the Mediterranean
Few settings could feel more Israeli than celebrating Succot overlooking the Mediterranean, making Manara one of my top choices in Tel Aviv.
Set inside the Sheraton Tel Aviv hotel, the elegant dairy and fish restaurant has a succah on a terrace overlooking the beach, especially beautiful at sunset. The Mediterranean menu centres on fresh fish, alongside sushi, salads, pizzas and pastas.
Tel Aviv offers plenty of alternatives. Katzir at The David Kempinski is a more refined meat option, while Chef Eyal Shani’s Malka brings his distinctive fun approach to a lively meat restaurant with great fish and vegetarian options.
For something more casual, Florentina is a dairy Italian restaurant and bar in the heart of hipster Florentin, with pizzas, pastas, cocktails and a relaxed local atmosphere.
Jerusalem in holiday mode
Jerusalem embraces the holiday like nowhere else, with private succot appearing on balconies, in courtyards and gardens throughout the city.
For sheer scale, it is hard to beat Kikar Hamusica. The restaurants surrounding the square share one enormous central succah, with varied live musical performances (concert details on their website) adding to the festive atmosphere. Choices include dairy Italian Piccolino, Spanish-inspired meat restaurant and cocktail bar Andalucia and Mediterranean meat restaurant Kedma Bakikar.
Elsewhere in central Jerusalem, the 1868 Group has three contrasting choices. Its newest opening, Mifgash Ticho, has a succah on the terrace of historic Ticho House, with a menu including lahma bi ajeen, veal schnitzel and merguez sausages.
The group’s flagship 1868 on King David Street is the place for a refined meat dinner, while Zuta Cocktail Bar, pairs a more relaxed food menu with an extensive cocktail list. Both use a succah in the courtyard behind the restaurant.
At the other end of the same courtyard, David16 has built a large decorated succah surrounding the striking Moroccan-style fountain. With room for around 100 diners and just minutes from the Old City, it will serve lunch and dinner during Chol Hamoed, including special dishes alongside the regular menu.
Nearby Maison Fanani (Mehadrin) is an authentic French café and bakery in the historic Rehavia Windmill. Its large succah and proximity to the Old City make it a convenient breakfast or lunch choice while sightseeing.
Succot in the Rose Garden
Opposite the Knesset, the Jacko’s Group new complex in the Wohl Rose Garden brings two very different restaurants to one of Jerusalem’s greener locations.
Downstairs, Maleo combines Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences with Asian dishes and sushi. Upstairs, its dairy sister Rosie has a lighter menu and lounge-bar feel, with an elevated position beside the Rose Garden that is perfect for a leisurely Chol Hamoed evening.
A little further afield
For a less conventional Succot meal, Koomzitz in the Ein Hemed Nature Reserve describes itself as a meat carnival rather than a restaurant.
Surrounded by forest in the Jerusalem Hills, diners gather at long tables for smoked and grilled meat, accompanied by live music and fire shows. It is as much an experience as a meal, with the woodland surroundings feeling particularly suited to the festival.
Nearby, Nura in Kiryat Anavim is a stylish meat restaurant from the owners of the viral Harim Bakery. Its creative menu goes well beyond the usual grilled meats, giving you another good reason to head into the Jerusalem Hills.
Make a day of it
Chol Hamoed is also a great time to get out of the cities, with several restaurants providing a useful destination or stop along the way, or a good central meeting point for meals with friends and family around the country.
In Modi’in, Alaesh serves classic Israeli grilled meat and skewers with salads and fresh taboon bread. For an easy, casual choice, Craft serves Neapolitan-style sourdough pizza, fresh pasta, and refreshing salads, with a succah in all three branches in Jerusalem, Modi’in, and Tel Aviv. Both the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv branches are Mehadrin.
Just off Road 6, Nina in Hagor is a cute dairy café for breakfast, lunch or just a coffee and pastry en route north or on the journey back.
Continue up the coast to Port Local Bistro (Mehadrin), a dairy bistro in Caesarea Port, or BP Bistro, a family-friendly meat restaurant in Haifa Bay, with a varied menu; however, seating in the succah is subject to availability.
Further north, Gillis Beef in the Golan Heights is usually only open for dinner on Thursday nights but will open throughout Succot for lunch and dinner. The family-run cattle farm specialises in its own locally raised beef, making this a rare opportunity to visit during a trip to the Golan.
Wherever you decide to eat, do make sure to request the succah when reserving, as not all restaurants allow advance reservations or can guarantee a booking in the succah.
More restaurants are likely to confirm their plans as the festival approaches, and I’ll keep the full list updated on Debbest Food..
Debbie Kandel is a Jerusalem-based food and travel writer, marketing consultant and founder of Debbest Food, where she has written about Israel’s restaurant scene for more than a decade. She also runs culinary tours of Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market.
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