Tel Aviv with Toddlers Part 2 - Brunch and Cafes



Brunch and Cafes in Tel Aviv


Brunch is big deal in Tel Aviv, no matter what day of the week it is you will always see the cafes full and on weekends in particular friends, families and couples all meet to spend lazy mornings and afternoons eating and drinking away. Most restaurants have large outdoor dining areas, often bigger than the actual restaurant itself, but with all the amazing weather why would you want to sit inside.

A traditional Israeli breakfast/brunch usually consist of fried eggs, salads, houmous, yoghurt and a large bread basket. All washed down with fresh juice and coffee.

The majority of restaurants and cafes here do not offer children's menus, at first this seemed a little strange to me since every other person we walked past had a pushchair or small child with them. However it soon became clear the reason they do not have a separate menu is because they often just share or eat with their parents. In the case of brunch, this is often very large and includes a big bread basket and several sides. It was always more than enough for the kids to share with us, even with me being a bread monster. Most restaurants do have high chairs but no baby changing facilities, we often just changed the little one in her pushchair on a portable changing mat. 

My favourite brunch restaurants:

Benedicts

Starting with Benedicts, this is somewhat of an institution in tel Aviv, with several branches around the city. It’s success has grown from the need of party goers wanting to enjoy a delicious hearty breakfast late at night and early in the morning before heading home to sleep of the hangover. Although it is open 24 hours a day, we chose to visit during the hours of daylight for brunch. Probably one of the largest menus I saw in Tel Aviv, with options for all day breakfasts, pancakes, main meals and even a kids menu. I chose the shakskula eggs, utterly delicious and with just enough spice to make my lips tingle whilst leaving me wanting more of it. Mr S went for a giant croissant filled with a beef burger and topped off with a gherkin, which for him was the perfect way to start the day. The kids loved the bread basket and fluffy pancakes. This is one of the restaurants that I have visited that I wish makes it international and opens up in London soon.

 
 
 
 

Salva Vida




Salsa Vida, the beachfront location and classic menu is why this place made my short list. The fresh ingredients used to produce a breakfast made with love. I went for the Melbourne option from the menu, whilst Mr S kept it simple and went for biggest option available. The kids just shared with us and feasted on the fresh breads and scrambled eggs.



Lehem VeShoo/ Bread & Co 

We visited Lehem VeShoo on the weekend and had to wait around 30 minutes for our table, showing how popular this place is. We shared a full breakfast alongside a courgette omelette, which to be honest only played second fiddle to all the baked goods on offer. We even ended up buying a full babka from the in house bakery as just one fix wasn’t quite enough. This was our final meal before our flight back and what struck me the most was how no one was in any rush to move here, leisurely enjoying their coffees and brunch.
Whereas I feel in London we are always just rushing from one thing to another, even at weekends. Maybe the food wasn’t extra delicious but my actually taking the time to enjoy it we could appreciate it more ( it was still delicious too ).

 

 
 


Cafes and Bakeries

Java Burger

A brief stop for coffee, a feed, cucumber juice and french toast. Making sure all members of the family where happy and catered for. The eclectic decor being very typical of the local neighbourhood cafes.






Rothschild Kiosk 


All along Rothschild Boulevard and coffee kiosk, filled with office workers grabbing a drink before rushing back and also locals enjoying their drinks and gossip in much more leisurely fashion. We kind of fit in between those two, with only a short window to drink our coffee before one of the kids wandered off. 





Aboelafia Bakery 



A very iconic old bakery and located in the centre of Jaffa, however much more a grab and go place rather than a sit down place, we grabbed a donut for the walk down to the port.

 

 

I also researched several others which stood out to me, however we did not get a chance to visit them. 

Lala Land
Hotel Montefiore
Cafe Xoho
Manta Ray
Bucke


Check out the rest of this travel series:


























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