Roll in the Hood Like a Local: Five Incredibly-Foodie Places in Hatikvah Market
HaTikvah Neighborhood, or as we call it in Israel, “The Hood”. An unfiltered place if you ever saw one for so many reasons, but above all – home to the most mesmerizing market in the city. An old-fashioned market, like things used to be over here. A kind of market that makes you want to go on a tour, shoving as many things as possible into your bags and eating as much as your stomach can hold. So here you go: Five colorful, joyful and delicious spots to sample on your next tour to this beautiful South-Tel Avivian market.
1. Malabi
If you haven’t tried this amazing Persian, pudding-like dessert yet, this is an awesome place to do it. No sign, décor or even name to this tiny store, but you will get one of the best Malabi in town: Delicate, creamy, reasonably sweet and with a tiny kick of rose water. Make sure you ask the guy to put less of the sweet, red syrup on top than usual, and you’ve got yourself the best dessert in the neighborhood. And you already know that living right means eating dessert first. Corner of Ha’Etzel and Kamuel St.
2. Shaul Mutzafi
Hatikvah is home for tons of Iraqi Jews, so the number one product of the market is the Kebab. Shaul is one of the best spots – a tiny place with an unbelievable, minimalistic kebab, made out of beef and lamb. Ask him to make it medium, add some Tehini and Amba (the famous Iraqi mango Chutney) – and you’re all set. And like all the other kebab spots in the neighborhood, the place is closed on Fridays. Don’t ask us why. 15 Hamvaser St.
3. Ma’adaney Ofer (Ofer Delicatessen)
Speaking of Amba, this place has turned the golden paste into a symbol. It offers tons of different kinds of pickles, excellent olives and great stuffed vine leaves. Beautiful ready-to-take-home food, too, especially if you’re into fried stuff (and who isn’t). But the best thing is to spend twenty minutes or so, sampling the million kinds of Amba with different levels of spiciness and heat and pick up some to take home. Only thing is, Amba is the kind of food that makes you sweat it out. Good luck explaining it to the other person in the elevator. 10 Nuriel St., at the end of the Butcher Shops Alley.
4. Nurieli Pomegranate Juice
There’s a Hebrew sign inside the store saying “Pomegranate Juice prevents baldness” but one look at the bright, hairless skulls of Shmu’el Nurieli and his father, and it will make you think otherwise. The two are holding this great store for quite a while now, and became familiar people while doing so, participating in a few TV shows. They LOVE pomegranates, these two, and are super happy to tell everyone they meet about its magic. The juice is fantastic, and they also have some other rare items worth trying, like a delicious homemade pomegranate syrup and Tamarindi juice. Corner of Hanoch and Hamvaser.
5. Hasaloof
If you’re from Tel Aviv , you definitely know this place – a local institution with ultra-successful branches around the city, including a hipster one in the Levinsky Market district. Let’s just say that if you don’t like having a true party while drinking shots of Ouzo and having Yemenite pastries fresh out of the oven – don’t come here on Friday afternoon. 1 Hatikvah St.
What you’re reading here is just the tip of the iceberg. Hatikvah Neighborhood is filled with dishes, cuisines, colors and people. If you feel like trying more and more from what this place has to offer, if you want to have a better understanding of the southern parts of Tel-Aviv and if you want to see how immigration, urban planning and tons of food intertwine – join on one of our unfiltered tours. We’re waiting for you!