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Where to eat Vegan in Israel – A Restaurant Guide edited by Ori Shavit

Hebrew Version

Something good is happening in the land of The Seven Species. In the past year, many new vegan options for dining have popped up, as the growing awareness to the vegan lifestyle is creating demand for a fresh, delicious and exciting new vegan food places.

The "Vegans On Top" restaurant guide is a complete and up-to-date vegan and vegan-friendly dining guide for compassionate dining in Israel.

Besides falafel stands and hummus places (and eggless "Sabich" – eggplant and potato sandwich) there are not many 100% vegan places in Israel. However, many places have some vegan dishes or are willing to accommodate vegans. This is an initial list.

Vegan Restaurants

Abba Gil
Yehuda Halevi 55 Tel Aviv

A quaint little vegan organic restaurant, serving home-cooked, healthy meals, fresh juices and hummus. It's a nice little hippie place to have lunch.

Buddha Burgers
Branches in Ra'anana and Tel Aviv
Main Tel Aviv branch: Yehuda Halevi 21

A vegan self-service fast food chain.

Bike Bakery
Orders:  050-7739771

Beautiful cakes by pre-order only.

The Bar-Kayma
HaMashbir 22 Tel Aviv

A brand new co-op has become the stronghold of many young social justice revolutionists. The place is completely vegan and rumor has it that they make some excellent truffles.

The Vegan Shawarma
King George 81, Tel Aviv, also in Be'er Sheva and soon Haifa.

A fast food vegan place, perfect for a quick lunch.

Ta'am Hachaim
Ben Yehuda 43, Tel Aviv

A restaurant run by the Dimona Hebrews community.

Vegan-Friendly Places
The way I see it, "vegan-friendly" means that from the first phone call, the staff gets what you are talking about when you say "vegan". When they promise you meal options and follow through. I don't mean a cheese-less salad, either. A place where the staff is knowledgeable about veganism and is generally attentive and helpful. It doesn't mean you'll always get everything you wanted, or that the dishes will necessarily be to your liking. It doesn't mean that every dish can be altered or that you can ask for special meals during rush hour. It does mean that you will be taken care of and that the place will try to make your experience as enjoyable as possible, making you feel right at home.
Making a reservation and mentioning that you're vegan is always recommended. 

Tel Aviv and the Center

Unami
HaArba'a 18 Tel Aviv

Like at any other sushi place, you can order vegan sushi here, but you can also get other Japanese specialties – such as stir-fried tofu with green vegetables and even agadashi tofu without the fish sauce. Always let the staff know you are vegan, since they are well aware of what that means and will be happy to suggest dishes. It is a perfect place for a date.

Orna & Ella
Shenkin 33, Tel Aviv

A well-established Tel Avivian restaurant with a health-oriented menu. Vegan dishes are clearly marked on the menu and daily specials often include vegan dishes as well (such as grilled tofu with vegetables). The really cool thing is that they have vegan breakfasts, which are highly recommended, especially the scrambled tofu.
A family place with attitude.

Thai House
Bugrashov 8, Tel Aviv

The best Thai place in Israel offers a separate vegetarian and vegan menu. The staff is very helpful, but you should always make sure the dish you want has no fish or clam sauce. A great place to celebrate a special occasion with the family.

Gazetta
Marmorek 12, Tel Aviv

A lively wine bar with a vast menu, offering antipasti, salads, pizzas and focaccias.  There's a small vegan selection and other dishes that can easily be veganized (the yummy pizza, too!). Recommended.

Yahaluma Bistro
Zevulun 5, Tel Aviv

A small and simple little bistro in the Florentin neighborhood, offering daily vegan dishes. Lately the place has started opening its doors on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, with an almost all-vegan selection of  dishes.

Pronto
Hertsel 4, Tel Aviv
Fancy, Italian.

Though there are no permanent vegan dishes on the menu, if you call in advance they are very likely to arrange something for you. On Monday nights the place offers an impressive menu of vegan starters and main courses.

Sing Long
Salame 134, Tel Aviv

The little Chinese place next to the old central bus station is run by a Chinese family and offers authentic Chinese food. The staff is friendly and there are many vegan options, mainly based on eggplants or tofu. Some of the soups can be veganized (less recommended) and the fried rice could be made can be made without the eggs. Check out their back yard, it's wonderful to sit there on nice warm nights.

Sandwich
Nahalat Binyamin 59 (on the corner of Echad Ha'Am), Tel Aviv

The new chef's sandwich place offers a daily special sandwich: a delicious meal between two slices of the best quality bread.

Zepra
Yigal Alon 96, Tel Aviv

This sophisticated Asian chef's restaurant offers excellent dishes: Buddha salad in apple vinaigrette, Bangladesh curry with pumpkin and tofu, vegetable wontons and rice noodles with vegetables. It's best to always remind the staff that you are vegan and to call in advance. The frozen shakes go great with the meals, too.

Cafe Italia
Kremintzki 6, Tel Aviv

This spacious restaurant offers great vegan options for both lunch specials and dinner. They also offer minestrone soup and more. Don't forget to ask for the egg-free pasta. It's a great place for a lunch meeting or a family dinner.

Birenbaum Cafe
Nahalat Binyamin 31, Tel Aviv

A vegetarian family restaurant, offering an all-you-can-eat buffet, usually 90% vegan. Dish selection is vast, fresh, impressive and extremely delicious. Open only for lunch. The best time is between 12:30-14:00. On Fridays the place is packed, so try getting there at around noon to make sure there's food left!

Château Shual
Malkei Israel 19, Tel Aviv

Another casual and charming wine bar, with many "accidentally vegan" dishes, such as chickpeas with cilantro, mushrooms with lemon sauce, fresh vegetable sticks and soy milk for your coffee.

HaSharon

Yamatoya
Bnei Brit 6, Hod Hasharon

Here you can get some colorful and delicious sushi combinations as well as cooked dishes, such as tofu and vegetable noodles. The staff is helpful and will make sure everything you order is vegan. Lunch specials for 45NIS.

Meshek Barzilay
Entrance to Yarkona village, close to Hod Ha'Sharon

A family-owned and-operated village restaurant, vegetarian and organic. The vegan dishes are marked with a "V" and there are others that can be veganized. Next door there is an organic shop with produce from their own field.

Vegan Sweets

Moran Chocolate
Morane.chocolat@gmail.com, 052-3392962

A very talented pastry chef prepares vegan sweets, by special order only: truffles, danishes, cinnamon rolls, brownies and more.. Promises to meet every culinary challenge. Delivery with extra charge between Be'er Sheva and Kfar Saba, or pick up from Yad Harutzim 11, Tel Aviv at Ikka the Chocolatiere store.

Special Notice Only
Some restaurants will accommodate you if you call in advance. I've listed some who will serve you colorful and creative dishes. These are just the few that I checked personally, I'm sure that there are many more. You are more than welcome to add comments from your own experience.

Berti
King George 88, Tel Aviv

Levantine style kitchen, uses vegetables, tahini and silan (date syrup). Sometimes they have a vegan dish on the menu, but if you call in advance, they'll be happy to accommodate you.

Catit
Heihal HaTalmud 4, Tel Aviv
Mizlala ("The Eatery")
Nahalat Binyamin 57, Tel Aviv

Both chef restaurants – the older, expensive and prestigious one as well as the younger, lighter spin-off - will gladly accommodate you if you call in advance.

Cucina Tamar
HaTzfira 10, Tel Aviv

In this charming Italian restaurant, the charming chef will prepare vegan pasta and other dishes if you only let them know in advance.

Kitchen Market
Hangar #12, Harbor Market, New Harbor, Tel Aviv

Mediterranean chef restaurant with precise and creative dishes, based on produce from the next-door market. There are no vegan dishes on the menu, but they will gladly prepare some for you if you call at least a day in advance.

Chloelys
Abba Hillel Silver 16, Ramat Gan

A renowned chef restaurant. On the menu there are always a few vegan starters. For the main course, there is always vegetarian pasta with vegetable pesto that can be veganized. If you would like to enjoy a full meal, please let them know in advance.

Recommended by others

Giraffe
Branches around Israel

Some dishes can be veganized and the staff is really happy to help. I had the Malaysian dish with rice noodles (instead of egg noodles), tofu (instead of chicken) and coconut milk (instead of cream and coconut milk) and it was perfect. (Tal)

Tel Aviv and the Center

24 Rupies

Schocken 16, Tel Aviv

A simple Indian vegetarian restaurant, most dishes are vegan. Nice atmosphere and a great team. (Oded)

Oasis
Tshernichovski 1, Tel Aviv

Chef Rima Olbra is very vegan friendly and is willing to veganize daily specials or prepare a special dish with a day's notice. I think it's one of the best places in town, also for vegans. (Yotam)

Italian at the Flea Market
Olei Zion 16, Jaffa

They are willing to make a cheese-less pizza that comes out great! (Shir)

Italian in the Station
(Located at the hip Train Station Center, called Ha-Takhana, near Jaffa)

Eggless pasta and vegan sauce. (Hadas)

Beta Caffe
2 Tel Avivian branches

A few vegan-friendly dishes (avocado sandwich, Alfa Beta Salad, vegetable and quinoa tabouli, pastas and other dishes that can be veganized. A great coffee shop, very delicious and pleasant.

Go Noodles
Ibn Gvirol 54, Tel Aviv

Most dishes can be veganized (just ask) and there's yummy and inexpensive sushi that you can choose the filling yourself. (Yonatan)

Joz & Loz
Yehuda Halevi 51, Tel Aviv

The manager told me: "We love vegans" and made sure vegan dishes were brought to the table and declared vegan. (Eilat)

Daivochka
HaHalutsim 41, Tel Aviv

At this excellent sandwich deli you can get vegan sandwiches right off the menu. (Guy)

Habutke
King George 31 & Tchernichovsky 22, Tel Aviv

A small and sweet cafe, one on Tchernichovsky and the other on King George. They have a super yummy vegan pattie sandwich and just whatever else you would like to have in a sandwich – avocado salad, sweet potato salad, roasted eggplants, etc'. (Dagan)

The Chinese Wall
Mikveh Israel 26, Tel Aviv

A Chinese restaurant offering tofu-based dishes with vegetables, eggless noodles and an excellent Bau. (Keren)

Nellie's Kitchen
Margoza 28, Jaffa

A cool restaurant cafe with vegan and vegetarian dishes. Good quality and taste.

Loveat
Branches in Tel Aviv

Vegan tofu sandwiches (or can be veganized), some vegan salads and other dishes. Just make sure the bread is eggless and the sauces honey-free.

Mezze
Ahad Ha'am 51, Tel Aviv

They have a new menu – 90% vegan. The vegetarian dishes can be veganized. We ate there and it was delicious. (Roi)
Note – this place is lovely, you can sit outside and they also serve vegan breakfasts.

Sardinia
Kikar Kdumim, Old Jaffa

The place is vegan-friendly. Yaniv, the manager of the place, is also vegan. There are permanent vegan dishes on the menu and almost anything can be veganized. I ordered portobello mushrooms, mushroom pizza with onion butter and arugula leaves as a main dish and amazing pasta with lots of yummy things. For dessert I had the warm fig cake with Limoncello sorbet. Recommended!! (Shelly)

Papa's
Hillel HaZaken 12, Tel Aviv

Ate there last Friday with friends. They served us cheese-less pizza that was very delicious. I also ordered the "big salad" which includes: artichoke hearts, mushrooms, warm green beans, and arugula. It wasn't an ordinary salad and it was great. There are two other salads that can be veganized and also soups. Don't count on the pasta, it's precooked with butter. (Barak)

Fresh
Dizengoff 149, Tel Aviv and other branches.

They have tofu dishes and other dishes that are without meat or can be veganized. (Anne)

Chandra
Rival 3, Tel Aviv

An Indian restaurant, open during lunch time. They don't use any milk, since the restaurant is "meat Kosher" – meaning, the meatless dishes will also be vegan (Indian food is generally eggless). There is even tofu and also vegan desserts. (Atar)

Kaimak
levinski 49, Tel Aviv

The place is vegetarian and there are daily specials, mostly vegan. Yummy dishes, maybe twice I had sometime I didn't like as much, but I ate there many times. The cooking is very home-style and there is always a vegan dish on the menu, bean soup or beans with rice. I didn't really check the starters etc.

Jerusalem and the area

Ichikidana
HaEshkol 4, Jerusalem

Vegan Indian food, great quality and taste (reminded me of India…) (Einat)

HaMarakia
Koresh 4, Jerusalem

I hope this is still relevant, since I haven't been there in a long time. It's a charming little vegetarian place, serving mainly soups. There should be at least 2 vegan soups. Ask for bread with no butter and make sure the pesto has no cheese in it. (Neta)

Sushi Rehavia
4 Jerusalem branches

The menu offers many vegan dishes (though they are marked "vegetarian"), along with dishes that can be veganized. I was at the Emek Refa'im branch. I have to say the the waitress knew which dishes were vegan, and their miso soup is vegan without fish sauce. They were even glad to let my dog sit by us. (Jonathan Fain)

Village Green
2 Jerusalem branches

Most of the menu if not the whole thing, with a distinct separation between vegetarian and vegan. Staff knows what is vegan. (Amnon Yanush)

Cafe Greg
Branches thought Israel

At the Jerusalem branch I noticed they have vegetarian shawarma. I asked the waitress for details and she told me it's soy chips with vegetables in a "lafa" (a kind of flat-bread). According to the ingredients it is vegan (though I didn't check about the lafa, but why would they put eggs in that?). It's funny, when I asked the waitress about it she immediately said: "It's not as bad as it sounds, it's actually really good". They also offer burgul and lentil salad, which has feta cheese. Just ask to take it out. (Anat)

Carusela
Metudela 1, Jerusalem

Two excellent tofu dishes and their pasta is eggless – a rare sight these days. (Einat)

Gute
Abba Eban 12, Herzliya

You can put together a wonderful vegan meal. There is only one option for a main dish (grilled organic tofu), but most side dishes are completely vegan and very tasty.

Good Hummus and more
Rotschild 50, Kfar Sava

A vegetarian hummus place like any other hummus place, but with more – shawarma, burgers, etc. rice and beans and of course excellent hummus, all vegetarian or vegan.

Sangam
Kfar Monash

A vegetarian Indian restaurant – dishes can easily be veganized. Some dishes have cheese, but you might be able to to veganize these dishes, too. Just ask for no yogurt. They are only open in the evening and not on Fridays. (Noa)

Segev
Shenkar 16, Herzliya. Fancy.

No vegan dishes on the menu, but they went out of their way to make me a special meal (eggless pasta in truffle sauce with olive oil instead of cream). It was amazing. (Lee)

Haifa and the north

Dalia
Amirim

This is a family-style place and so is the food. The lunch was completely vegan! It's a fixed-price menu, more or less with permanent dishes. The dishes are small, but you get many you won't be hungry. We had the following dishes: Root vegetable soup with home made bread, peanut and almond petties, vegetable crepes, some pastry stuffed with potatoes, rice filled dates, wild greens petties, baked potatoes, cauliflower with mushroom sauce, rice stuffed cabbage and a whole bunch of salads. For dessert they served an apple pie, but I was so full I didn't bother checking if it was vegan.. Price is 100NIS per person. You should call a day  in advance and let them know that you are vegan. (Tal)

Inside Out Sushi
Masada 19, Haifa

Vegan-friendly with lots of vegan options and the only fish-less miso soup in Haifa.(Netchka)

Beit Marva (Sage House)
Hannah 13, Haifa

Indian catering that's open to the public on Thursday nights. Most of the food is vegan and they ask vegans to call in advance so they can turn the few vegetarian dishes vegan. (Netchka)

HaNamal 24

This Haifa place will gladly accommodate vegans if you let them know in advance. There are no vegan dishes on the menu, but the chef is happy to stand up to the challenge and is knownto serve impressive meals for vegans who came by. It's best to let them know  in advance how many vegans are coming. (Tzlil

Harduf
Kibutz Harduf

The chef used to be more or less the only hope for a vegetarian-girl growing up in the Krayot, not far from Harduf. The place is vegetarian but has vegan dishes clearly marked on the menu. The food is excellent, organic and brings joy. (Netchka)

Jakob's Larder
Aviel Village

Jacob is very attentive to his guests, whether they are vegans or have any food allergies. There's a permanent vegan dish – a beanburger with tahini and pickled lemons spread, served with a salad. The beanburger is made of beans and lentils. There's always a vegan special. There are wonderful salads that can be veganized, and vegan desserts such as tahini ice-cream, Belgian chocolate cake and more. Very recommended. (Racheli)

Zebra
Masada 14, Haifa

A tiny burger place with at least two vegan options: chili bean burger and mashed vegetable burger. (Keren)

Mishmash
Masada 16, Haifa

I think this place is vegan but it might just be vegetarian, I didn't check. They have daily specials. I ordered an Indian dish with rice, vegetables and different sauces. The dishes are big and the prices are low. The place is also a DVD store so it makes it nice and special. (Yasmin)

Nona
HaTechnion

A vegetarian Indian place, good enough to visit even if you are not a student (I'm not). There are always vegan dishes. (Netchka)

Steps
Amirim Village

A vegetarian restaurant with vegan dishes. (Enbalush)

Palogi
HaGiborim 16, Binyamina

No vegan dishes but very vegan friendly. (Coyote)

Cafe Louise
Two Haifa branches (one more in Tel Aviv, Ramat HaHayal)

Cafe Louise in Haifa is very vegan friendly. There are a few vegan dishes on the menu and the waiter in the Moria branch was very patient and made sure to check if everything was vegan. The Grand Kenyon branch used different sauces to veganize the dish). (Eilat)