Zakaim was definitely our favourite meal in Tel Aviv, and is an entirely vegan restaurant with a certain homey charm that can satisfy anyone. The funky décor, incredibly kind people and awesmazing food combined, made my entire family so happy, and feel right at home. The tableware, including their mismatched glasses, reminded me of Farmhouse Tavern. Zakaim’s seating is also mismatched, so, you can enjoy sitting on anything from a wooden dining chair to a lounger, and my favourite part of the decor came from the fact that they have all their ingredients, including TONS of fresh produce, on display! Their doorstop was even a crate of fresh oranges when we were there! Clearly their focus is on fresh ingredients!
The open kitchen at Zakaim is fun to watch, and they will answer questions about your food while they make it. Like with any open kitchen, there is the advantage of knowing much more about what’s going into your food.
Zakaim is owned by a family, and you’ll see pictures of Harel and I, below, he took such time to talk to us, and I know he was also busy doing restauranteur stuff. The team working at this great restaurant seemed to really be enjoying each other’s company, and were sitting around a table working with produce, having what seemed to be animated conversation (although, I don’t understand Hebrew to know what they were talking about).
We decided that if this restaurant was in Toronto, we would be there VERY often. I hope that if you go to Tel Aviv, you will take a trip to Allenby 98 (their address) and enjoy a delicious and very hearty plant-based meal. You will leave very happy. Oh – and make sure you have their special chocolate mousse dessert – it’s soy and nut-free and delicious.
My thoughts about the food are as captions with pictures that I took (mostly) and posted below. I hope you enjoy. You should also check out their Pinterest board with great pictures of their dishes. I did take a picture of the menu in English, and if you blow it up, you should be able to read it, since on their website, it’s only in Hebrew.
Where is your favourite vegan restaurant outside of Toronto? Please let me know!
