Michael Solomonov’s Israel Restaurant Recommendations

On this week’s episode of Unorthodox, we talk to chef and restaurateur Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook. We last had Solomonov and Cook on the show back in November 2019, when our hosts and producer took a road trip to Philadelphia to interview them at Zahav, the crown jewel in their local Israeli restaurant empire. That episode, “Philadelphia Shel Zahav,” featured our hosts stuffing their faces with delicious food and an entertaining and insightful conversation with Solomonov and Cook about the powerful ways food can bring people together.

At the end of the interview, host Stephanie Butnick asked Solomonov, who was born in Israel, for his favorite restaurants in the Holy Land. He rattled off a list of the best spots in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and beyond:

• Azura — Two locations, one in Tel Aviv and one in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehudah Market
• Dok — Restaurant in Tel Aviv
• Itzik Hagadol — ​Upscale skewerhouse in Jaffa
• Morris — Skewerhouse in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehudah Market
• M25 — Steakhouse in Tel Aviv
• HaBasta — Restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market
• Hakosem — Falafel and more in Tel Aviv
• Opera — Yemenite restaurant in Hadera (“The best Yemenite soup” - Solomonov)
• Haj Kahil — Shawarma in Jaffa
• Sabich Tchernichovski — Tel Aviv sabich stand (Solomonov took Phil Rosenthal here on Somebody Feed Phil)
• Guetta — Libyan restaurant in Jaffa (“The couscous is unreal” - Solomonov)
• Vitosha — Bulgarian restaurant in Jaffa
• Shishko — Bulgarian restaurant in Tel Aviv
• Port Sa’id — Restaurant in Tel Aviv
• Hatzot — Jerusalem grill