A week ago, Daniel and I decided to break our routine and go out for lunch in a restaurant that’s a bit different than others.

We decided to go towards Neve Tzedek, where the restaurant “Meshek Barzilay” is located. This restaurant serves vegetarian-vegan cuisine with an emphasis on healthy, local and organic cuisine.

Now wait a minute… Before you close the tab of this blog…

Even if you’re die-hard carnivores, don’t let the phrase “vegetarian-vegan” scare you; Especially when it comes to Meshek Barzilay, this “vegetarian-vegan” title is what makes it a special and unique star in the Tel Aviv swamp.

So it’s true – you won’t eat a good juicy steak there

And you won’t eat salmon ceviche

You won’t even eat cheese, creams and eggs

– But… and it's a HUGE but –
You’ll eat in a restaurant which expresses a creative and original local cuisine, not ready to accept any limitations, and doesn’t pay a price for being vegan. On the contrary – the fact that they “miss” raw materials that are typically used to prepare excellent dishes, challenges them with every dish in search of rich flavors that are very difficult to find at other restaurants.

I know what you're probably thinking – the vegetarian-vegan trend has conquered Tel Aviv a long time ago and almost every restaurant offers some dishes that appeal to this specific crowd.

So what could be so special about this restaurant?

If you’re a vegetarian / vegan or even friends with someone who is, you probably already know that in most places the dishes that are defined as vegetarian or vegan are usually just the meat’s side dish – the same dish that’s just served in a different way {mainly, minus the meat}; Or worse – the vegetarian / vegan dish is a standard dish from the menu and they just eliminate any animal-related ingredients, making it a very lame dish.

It’s almost impossible to find a vegan main dish that really respects restaurant’s guests… And if you finally find a place that serves such dishes, they certainly don’t have a wide variety.

This is exactly the difference between Meshek Barzilay and other vegetarian-vegan restaurants.

Meshek Barzilay has a huge variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and even gluten-free dishes, and the last thing you can say about these dishes is that they’re boring. On the contrary, these dishes have special flavors that your taste buds haven’t even met yet.

This is exactly why this restaurant is also suitable for us carnivores – the abundance, creativity and play with various raw ingredients make you forget the longing you have for the dishes that are absent from the menu.

Meshek Barzilay’s philosophy is based on healthy cooking, and accordingly the kitchen is based on fresh-organic products that grow in Meshek Barzilay, the owner’s family farm and the place the restaurant originally opened before moving to Tel Aviv.

Unlike many other restaurants that tend to use frozen raw materials and even canned ones {If you saw Gordon Ramsay’s TV show or Chef Assaf Granit’s TV show you’ll understand what I'm talking about}, this restaurant only serves fresh produce they create their dishes on their crops, according to the seasons of the year – and you can really taste it in every bite.

The thing that amazes me about this restaurant is that despite the long preparation times of the ingredients they use {substitutes for animal products – Meshek Barzilay make vegan cheeses, yogurts, mayonnaise and other sauces and spreads}, and despite the use of organic crops and products without gluten – that cost a lot in the market – all the dishes there are priced like any other ordinary cafe.

Okay, so if you’re not a vegetarian / vegan I think I gave you enough reasons to keep reading about the meal itself, right?

We decided to start the meal as usual with two interesting drinks recommended to us by the waiter:

Daniel ordered a Greenday cocktail {40 shekels} made with gin, cucumber, lemon and maple – a refreshing cocktail with special taste that so different from the classic Gin & Tonic, the kind that gives you the feeling that the alcohol in it is a bit healthier than the standard.

I ordered a cleansing smoothie {24 shekels} that was made from beets, apples, celery, carrots, sunflower sprouts, orange juice and mint – I decided to skip the alcohol this time and order something I always want to drink but just too lazy to make at home 😉 It’s a great drink great for the lovers of this genre – and just for them…

We decided to start our meal with two appetizers that sounded intriguing… One was a Vietnamese Roll {39 shekels} – 3 Spring Rolls filled with avocado, nuri seaweed and ginger-garlic-soy sauce. It was an excellent appetizer and it was very fresh with strong flavors, although in my opinion the seaweed’s taste was a bit too dominant and it took over the dish.

And the second appetizer we ordered was Fiori di Zucchina {45 shekels} – zucchini blossoms in tempura, stuffed with beans cream on garlic aioli – a dish made out of raw materials that are very difficult to find in the local supermarket, and excels in precise tastes. We couldn’t believe that the amazing aioli the dish was served on was vegan and we had to authenticate this fact with the waiter.

I think this dish was my favorite!
Alongside the entrees, we asked for their “homemade” bread – heavy and rich sourdough bread, just like good sourdough should be.

For the main course we decided to share two dishes from two different cuisines, one from the Italian cuisine – Pizza with cashew and walnut “cheeses” with Kalamata olives, arugula and artichoke {52 shekels} and the second dish was from the Indian cuisine they offer – Masala Dosa {62 shekels}.

Both dishes were strange and delicious at the same time. How can I explain it? It’s as if my body met flavors it has never been exposed to in 26 years…

The pizza, made from whole wheat dough, amazing tomato sauce, nut cheeses and lots of fresh vegetables, was delicious and light with a different and unique taste that connects to the nature.
It’s slightly different from the original and the taste obtained after the first bite is not exactly what you would expect to get from pizza, but it’s a great and healthy alternative to the usual pizza.

The Masala Dosa is an Indian dish that we never got to eat before even though we love Indian food.

The dish consists a huge pancake made with red rice and red lentils, served with two skewers: one with grilled vegetables and one with tandoori tofu and coconut chutney.

The dish was served with a perfect Indian seasoning, slightly spicy and slightly sweet, and the dosa {the Indian name for the pancake} was one of the most special things I ordered lately.

Honestly, I was already pretty full after the appetizers {Hey! Don’t give me that look – I had a huge smoothie, too!}, and the main courses completely stuffed me … Fortunately, Daniel was by my side and finished all of the food like a good boy

It just goes to show that even this carnivore I call my future husband, really enjoyed all of the dishes and then he even made this comment: “If someone would prepare this food for me all the time, I could also be a vegan…”. Don’t ask him if it’s true, because just a few minutes later he denied that he said it.

At that point I didn’t even consider ordering dessert, but then I thought about it – how many times do I get the opportunity to eat vegan desserts {it’s even more difficult than “Pareve” – non dairy – desserts!}.

Besides, they have a pastry chef at the restaurant and all of the desserts are made right there.

We decided to share a seasonal fruit pie {36 shekels}, which was replaced with a pecan pie that day – one of my favorites!

As you can see in the picture, we got a HUGE piece of pie with a scoop of an excellent coconut sorbet and natural cocoa chips. This dessert wasn’t like any ordinary dessert… In other words, you don’t need to get an insulin shot when you finish eating it.
It’s a lot more natural and its taste builds up as you eat it, while discovering the source of flavors that compose the pie – the sweetness of dates, nut cream and coconut oil.

On the bottom line you can say that Meshek Barzilay’s food is very creative, full of surprising flavors that are much more toned down than the industrialized food we’re used to eating.

It’s the kind of food that at the first bite you’re not exactly sure what you’re eating and you’re not even sure you like it, but in the second bite, all of the flavors come together and you understand that there’s a lot of depth in every dish – and it’s delicious; even if you don’t get that “boom factor” that characterizes industrial food, or even food at regular restaurants that tend to go overboard with the amounts of salt and oil.

If you are vegetarian, vegan or just health advocates, and you still haven’t been to this restaurant – I have no doubt that you’re really going to love me after you eat there 😉

If you’re a carnivore, give this restaurant a chance to play with your taste buds….

Share & “Like” if you enjoyed this