Israel’s culinary culture is booming. People around the world are eager to discover the flavorful fusion that defines Israeli cuisine, whether on a food tour in Israel, in award-winning Israeli-style restaurants abroad and even on the silver screen.
Ambience is an important part of any dining experience. In that spirit, ISRAEL21c has devised a wide menu of Israeli restaurants offering mouthwatering views.
If you know of other Israeli restaurants with impressive vistas, share them in the comments field below, we’d love to hear about them.
JERUSALEM AREA
The Quarter Café, a kosher dairy restaurant established high above the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in 1975, boasts a self-service buffet and a breathtaking view of iconic sites including the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock.
Café Landwer in Cinema City features large picture windows and a patio overlooking the Supreme Court and historic neighborhoods such as Nachlaot, Machane Yehuda, and Sha’arei Chesed. The kosher café offers vegetarian and vegan items and plentiful desserts and coffees.
Restaurants with a panorama over the Old City include Rooftop meat and fish restaurant atop the Mamilla Hotel; Garden Terrace, a tapas bar at the Waldorf Astoria; and Rooftop Cheese & Wine at the Notre Dame guesthouse.
Derech Hagefen (Grapevine Path) in Moshav Beit Zayit on the edge of the Jerusalem Forest, is surrounded by gardens and has a greenhouse-like seating area in which to enjoy the kosher Italian and French cuisine.
TEL AVIV AREA
2C, a kosher gourmet Mediterranean bar/restaurant atop the round building of the iconic Azrieli Towers, is the highest place to graze while gazing on the Tel Aviv skyline.
Manta Ray fish and seafood restaurant on Alma Beach on the Tel Aviv Promenade offers a mesmerizing close-up view of the Mediterranean.
Kitchen Market at the Tel Aviv Port is above the farmers market, so if you tire of the sea view you can watch the hustle and bustle below while dining on high-end seafood and meats.
Goldman’s Court Mediterranean seafood bar (formerly Pinny’s Yard) is located on Jaffa’s scenic boardwalk.
The Herbert Samuel restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Herzliya – a kosher twin of the restaurant of the same name in Tel Aviv helmed by celeb chef Yonatan Roshfeld — is situated in the harbor and features a kitchen open to the sea.
Al Hamayim (On the Water) chef restaurant affords diners a dazzling view, says Shawn Rodgers, arts and entertainment editor at the Jerusalem Post. “Located right next to Herzliya beach, with the surf a few yards away, Al Hamayim not only offers delicious food, but it also has a wonderful boardwalk atmosphere.”
Nika Beach in Herzliya Pituah is built with full windows facing the sea for which its classic Mediterranean cuisine is named.
NORTH
Famed chef Shaul Ben Aderet opened a branch of his flagship Tel Aviv bistro, Kimmel, on Mount Gilboa, affording a fine view of the Beit She’an, Jordan and Jezreel valleys. Kimmel BaGilboa uses local produce, meats and fish to create Provence-style dishes.
Dag al Hadan (Fish on the Dan) in Kiryat Shemona sits in a fig and willow forest with patios “floating” on the Dan and Hatzbani tributaries of the Jordan River. Waterfalls, swans, ducks and peacocks are part of the backdrop as you dine on fish from on-site ponds.
Daliah’s dairy and organic restaurant at Goats with the Wind farm near Moshav Yodfat seats diners under carob trees on Turkish carpets and cushions overlooking the Netofa Valley.
Muscat in Hotel Mizpe HaYamim – an organic farm, spa and hotel in historic Rosh Pina on the slopes of Mount Canaan — serves locally sourced organic dairy, produce and meat and offers a viewpoint over the picturesque Hula Valley, Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights.
One of Israel’s most famous restaurants, Uri Buri is nestled into the walls of a 400-year-old Ottoman house on the Acre (Akko) seashore and serves up gourmet fish and seafood under the direction of Uri Jeremias.
Jeremias also owns Helena, a well-known restaurant in the Caesarea Port overlooking its beach and archeological site.
Coffee Annan atop Mount Bental in the Golan Heights isn’t renowned for its fancy cuisine but for its status as the highest coffeehouse in Israel, at around 1,165 meters above sea level, and its viewpoint across the Syrian border. The clever name means “Coffee in the Clouds” and also evokes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who was once a special envoy to Syria.
Magdalena chef restaurant, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and overlooking the Arbel Mountain, has been dubbed by TripAdvisor readers as the “best Arab restaurant in Israel.” Chef Yosef “Zuzu” Hana has created a menu with an emphasis on Christian-Arab cuisine and fuses traditional cooking methods with a modern interpretation. Hana uses seasonal Galilee-area ingredients and fish from the Sea of Galilee to keep his dishes fresh.
Eataliano Dalla Costa in Haifa’s beachside Bat Galim neighborhood is known by locals for its South Italy-inspired cuisine and its vista over the Mediterranean.
There are two legendary kosher eateries on Lido Beach Harbor in Tiberias — Asian restaurant Pagoda and Argentinean barbecue Decks. Note that Decks is closed for the winter; Pagoda is serving the Decks menu alongside its regular fare.
SOUTH
Pago Pago on the Eilat Marina is consistently rated among the best restaurants in this Red Sea resort city. The Mediterranean-French cuisine is complemented with selections from 40 wineries. But it’s the seaside ambience that puts it over the top.
The kosher Rosemary Restaurant at Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpeh Ramon overlooks the unique Ramon Crater, the world’s largest natural crater and one of Israel’s most stunning landscapes. During daylight hours, you’ll see grapplers going off the cliff as well as wildlife such as Nubian ibexes.
Editor’s note (November 26): Originally this story was about the 27 most amazing restaurants with a view in Israel, but on November 25, one of these restaurants was destroyed in the severe wildfires that have swept Israel over the last week. Rama’s Kitchen in Nataf was founded by Rama Ben Zvi more than two decades ago. Patrons sat on a wooden deck in a plant nursery overlooking the Jerusalem hills and coastal lowlands. A wedding was taking place at the restaurant when it had to be evacuated. The restaurant was engulfed in flame shortly afterwards, and is now closed indefinitely.
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