I think I found the heaven for foodies in Israel last week.

If I could, I would put a French chanson at the beginning of this post, because that’s exactly the feeling I got from the second I stepped inside Agatha {but I can’t – so just click on the link before you continue reading }.

Agatha is a brand new delicatessen which opened less than two months ago in North Tel Aviv, not far from “Shuk Tzafon” {a food market is the north of Tel Aviv}.

When “Shuk Tzafon” opened, I realized that there was finally a reason to go to Ramat Hachayal… but my first experience there was a bit disappointing because I went soon after it opened and most of the stands weren’t active yet. Now, after being open and active for several months, there’s no doubt that it’s a beautiful and stylish market – but also very busy and noisy.

Agatha isn’t located right in the spotlight, inside the “Shuk Tzafon” complex, and that’s one of the things that gives it a more exclusive and nonchalant feeling.

A feeling that’s suitable for people who enjoy their food to the smallest details,

who enjoy taking their time to walk around the aisles of food without too much commotion around them…  

The ones who are longing to know all the special and interesting raw ingredients from all around the world and to include them in the privacy of their own kitchen.

And the cherry on top is that Agatha isn’t a regular delicatessen – it’s a place that gives you the opportunity to not only buy these amazing specially imported ingredients, but to also combine this shopping experience with a culinary experience, which is my favorite –

Good wine, platters of different delicacies {cheeses, meat and fish} and cold appetizers ?

I must admit that I read a few articles about Agatha before I decided to check it out myself, and in all of the articles they praised the delicatessen in a suspicious manner. I remember thinking that it can’t be a place that brings the best raw ingredients from all around the world, without causing some serious damage in your bank account.

I wasn’t wrong… If you decide to treat yourself and enter this heavenly place, there’s a good chance you’ll leave broke.

But not because it’s expensive… the opposite is true – we went to enjoy the food bar without any intention to buy things {we flew back home and our luggage was already quite heavy}, but we couldn’t resist and we found ourselves adding more and more products to our basket.

How did I even think we would be able to refuse all of the jars, jams and delicacies in this delicatessen?

Hundreds of unique cheeses from all over the world {I’ve never seen such a wide variety of cheeses anywhere in Israel besides the store “Basher” in the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem}, exquisite sausages, Italian pastas and fresh ravioli with fillings that just the thought of them will make me drool all over my keyboard, jars of mustard in special flavors {we chose tarragon mustard which turned out to be a very interesting choice}, excellent balsamic vinegars {we chose the classic balsamic reduction vinegar}, canned fish, amazing marmalades, sweets and more, and more and more!!! {The variety of products they have is really insane!}.

What made it even harder to hold back and made our choices even more difficult were the great prices, which in some cases were even cheaper than you can find in the supermarket and the quality was much higher.

For example, 6-month aged Gouda for 49 NIS per kg, 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano {the real deal!} for 89 NIS per kg, “Iliad” Greek olive oil, made 100% from kalamata olives for 35 NIS for 750 ml, a jar of Dijon mustard with tarragon for 16 NIS… you understand what I’m talking about now, right?

As you already understood, this isn’t an ordinary delicatessen – Agatha is spread over a large area that allows the wide variety they offer.

And the way the store is designed…. Oh, the design…

The lighting fixtures, the shiny display windows, the wine coolers, the shelves that are well-stocked with goods and the vintage machinery took me straight to Europe.

So after a long walk around the delicatessen and overly exciting from each and every jar {Daniel and I really felt like we were in a toy store without supervisors 😉 }, we finally decided to sit down, enjoy a glass of wine and taste the fresh delicacies offered in the store.

Agatha doesn’t have a permanent menu yet, after all the place just opened recently and not many know about the lovely option to sit and eat there, so we asked for help from the owner, Gustavo, when we chose our dishes to have along with the wine we ordered {White Israeli Journey from the Vitkin Winery – an aromatic dry white wine that’s very refreshing}.

The dishes, that I will call “delicacies” in this post, came out one after the other to the small table we got right near the window, until there was no choice but to add an extra table {that’s what happens when you sit to eat after you see the wide variety offered in the delicatessen}.

Delicacy #1 : A plate lined with arugula, with two big Mozzarella Di Bufala balls in the center and prosciutto di parma around them {54 NIS}.

Delicacy #2 : Queen of cheeses – super fresh Burrata cheese that was specially flown in {!!!} to the delicatessen from Italy, fresh tomato salad and balsamic reduction {42 NIS}.

Delicacy #3 : An insane cheese platter that included – Gorgonzola Dolce Brie, Spanish goat cheese, Pecorino Nero, Gouda goat cheese, alongside summer fruits, a sweet carob delicacy and almonds soaked in olive oil that were simply delicious {78 NIS}.

Delicacy #4 : Sausage platter – prosciutto di parma, spicy salami felino, salami san venadito, Italian Hungarza, Cotto shoulder, prosciutto Cotto {70 NIS}.

Delicacy #5 : Fresh and warm ciabatta with excellent butter  {14 NIS}.

We wrapped up this great meal with excellent macchiato and Gavottes – a crispy crepe from the Brittany region, covered with chocolate {the only reason I know how to give you this exact description is because we couldn’t resist and bought a package of this perfect delicacy before we left the delicatessen} #Don’tLetItInYourHouse #DietHazzard

So now you understand why I think I found the heaven for foodies?

The delicatessen provides an exceptional shopping experience with affordable prices – every foodies’ wet dream! And the fact that you can sit there and enjoy a glass of good wine along with these delicacies –

? SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY ?

What do you think about the combination of a high-class delicatessen and a wine bar?

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