Middle East - Anthony Ham [234]
Pasta Mia (Map; 561 0189; 10 Wilson St; mains 30-60NIS; noon-midnight)Yum. That’s all we can say to this little neighbourhood trattoria that produces fresh pasta daily and lets you match the pasta of your choice to any of a variety of sauces. It’s tiny, candlelit and just like a little slice of Tuscany in a grubby Tel Aviv backstreet. The antipasti is great and the homemade limoncello’s suitably stirring.
Batya (Map; 527 3888; 197 Dizengoff St; mains 28-55NIS; 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-6pm Fri)For hearty Jewish food just like your Polish grandmother used to make, pile up your plate at this Tel Aviv institution, with all your gefilte fish (poached fish patties), corned beef and kneidelach (dumpling) requirements. Though the menu’s meat-heavy, the vegetable plate is huge and satisfying; go for mashed potato with just the right ratio of lumps, and the gevetch, a tomatoey vegie stew.
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GAY & LESBIAN TEL AVIV
With its gay and lesbian–friendly air, and an annual Gay Parade in June to attest to it, Tel Aviv is without doubt the Middle East’s most gay-friendly city.
The Association of Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals & Transgenders (AGUDAH; Map; 620 5591; www.glbt.org.il; 28 Nachmani St) is a good place to pick up information on current events, though their Pink Times is in Hebrew only. Alternatively, try CLAF (Map; 516 5606; gay.org.il/claf; 22 Lilienblum St).
The hottest gay-friendly and gay-orientated clubs and bars in town change fast. Pick up Time Out Tel Aviv (Click here) for up to the minute listings. Three long-standing favourites are.
Evita (Map; 566 9559; 31 Yavne St; noon-late) This preppy café mutates into a saucy gay lounge-bar by night. There’s plenty of pelvic shaking and free-flowing alcohol. It’s located on a quiet alley a half block south of Rothschild Blvd.
Carpé Diem (Map; 560 2006; 17 Montefiore St; 8pm-late) A relaxed atmosphere pervades this great loungey place. Tuesdays are for women only.
Minerva (Map; 560 3801; 98 Allenby St; 10pm-late) Dedicated lesbian bar, with DJ dance parties every Thursday.
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24 Rupees (Map; 681 8066; 14-16 Schoken St; thalis from 30NIS; noon-midnight; ) Head straight to Varanasi at this delicious Indian thali hangout, unprepossessingly located above a motorbike showroom on a hot and dusty industrial street. Slip off your shoes, slide onto a floor cushion, and munch on vegetarian food served on tin thali platters. The momos are fat and juicy, and the gulab jamun (dough dumplings in syrup) will satisfy all those who’ve craved it since leaving Delhi.
QUICK EATS
Fast food joints are never more than a few steps away in Tel Aviv, and Ben Yehuda, Allenby and Ibn Gvirol Sts in particular have a cauldron-full of them, dishing up everything from pizza to pancakes, sushi to sandwiches.
On Thursday evenings the Dizengoff Centre (Map) is overrun with food stalls, which you can take out to eat on the street. At the intersection of Frishman and Dizengoff Sts, you’ll find the deservedly popular sabich stall (Map), open daily, except Saturday, from morning to late. This Iraqi-derived snack food consists of roast aubergine, boiled egg and potato, salad, hummus, pickles and spicy amba (mango) sauce, all stuffed into a pitta. Beware: it’s highly addictive.
SELF-CATERING
Some of the best fresh fruit and vegetables to be found anywhere in town are sold at the Carmel Market (Click here).
Tel Aviv is now overrun by two small chains of convenience supermarket, both offering a good selection, reasonable prices, and late-night hours. These are the AM-PM and Tiv Taam in the City: there’s no point listing branches, as you’ll barely walk 50 yards without passing one.
Drinking
Drinking is a serious business in Tel Aviv, and though locals don’t go out to get plastered, they do like to prop up uber-hip bars till the wee hours, sipping on good wines or sophisticated cocktails combinations. The bars strung along