Page 17 - Discover Israel Magazine - UK edition 2020

A display of talent at
Gatsby. Photo: Mor Beja

of the locals – Main Bazar, an al fresco, home-style bar, where
patrons head for drinks and delicious bites, any time of day. By night,
the graffiti lined alleyway is alive with the chatter of friends and a line-
up of live music in one of the city’s trendiest of areas. Come for the
beers, wine, a spirit of choice or the hummus and salad plates or to
simply soak up the market atmosphere.
Nowhere serves quite an alluring cocktail as Bellboy, a swinging
1920s speakeasy on Berdichevsky St. An evening of mischievous
charm delivers every time in a bar blending the days of the prohibition
days with the present. Classics with a twist to creatively genius
cocktails are served from a spell-binding menu, also featuring playful
Mediterranean dishes. For more intimate fun, Butler Bar, a 12 seat
hide-a-away concealed behind a trap door, shakes, stirs and serves
a separate menu of drinks and fanciful light bites.
Experience a flavour of Mexican Caribbean hospitality, La Ortra on
HaYarkon St., a dimly lit lounge where one of Tel Aviv’s happiest of
happy hours is served, where cocktails are priced at 29 ILS between
6-8pm. Choose from a tantilizing choice of sour, tiki, boozy and wild
drinks and soak up the liquor with a choice of spicy eats created
by chef Keren Shabali, including a zesty Del Mar white salt water
fish ceviche and the ‘Free Spirit Taco’ combining heavenly roasted
cauliflower with fresh pineapple and vegan line aioli.

...to the drinking sites in Jerusalem
‘Home of Israeli craft beer’, BeerBazaar is a spot to drink by day
or night, and pick up a fun fact or two about craft beer. With four
locations spread across Tel Aviv, one special branch holds its proud
spot in Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, where over 100 varieties
of Israeli boutique beers are stocked, hailing from microbreweries
throughout the country. The beer themed food menu, kicks off with
home-made beer yeast and hot paprika infused popcorn, followed by
a fiery chilli con carne infused with a dash of stout beer.
Deeper within Mahane Yehuda Market is Tap & Tail, a craft cocktail
bar which opens at night, once the market stalls shutter shop for
the day. Refreshingly creative, if not somewhat quirky, cocktails
fuse locally sourced ingredients alongside a tempting tapas menu
featuring a generous serving of Bulgarian cheese topped fries.

Resting in the market’s corner is Casino de Paris, a popular spot
where the gamble always pays off. After-hour drinks, late night pizza
and salmon bruschetta bites are on the menu at this edgy hangout,
dating back to the British Mandate when it once served as a hotel and
casino. Pouring fun cocktail creations, wines, fizz and local beers, the
bar is a go-to for the city’s youngsters and market-goers in need of a
pick-me-up in a breezy courtyard.

Step outside of the market to discover the crème de la crème of cocktail
establishments, Gatsby, an elegant affair paying homage to the roaring
20’s. Delectable and totally unique, its charming cocktails, nodding to
a bygone era, exquisite Mediterranean fare and smartly dressed, skillful
barmen, are ready to transport you back in time within this magnificent,
mysterious, central Jerusalem hideaway.

South of Rambam St. is one for the vino drinkers, as Wine Bar’s
finely tuned repertoire of fine wines from France, Italy, Austria, Chile,
Portugal, Spain, and back, hit all the right notes. A branch of the
Machneyuda Group, the Wine Bar knows a thing or two about the
world of fine wine. Make way to this inviting watering hole for a pre-
dinner glass of wine and bruschetta of choice, and sip away amid an
intimate, atmospherically lit interior.

DISCOVER ISRAEL 17