WEARY Tube travellers in London will be familiar with the posters: a girl in a
skimpy white bikini stares smoulderingly from the shallows of a vast beach
fringed with skyscrapers. An urban paradise, where the women are hot and the
sun is hotter, is the clear message.
On some level, this is a fair description of Tel Aviv. But the seediness of
this campaign undersells what is, without doubt, a first-rate city.
The ubiquitous security personnel are unsettling at first, but the
apprehension soon fades away. First-timers to Tel Aviv always come back with
a look of wide-eyed disbelief that has nothing to do with a sense of danger.
What they cannot believe is how this place - with a nightlife as varied as New
York's or Miami's, great cuisine and a beach warm enough to lie on ten
months of the year - has passed them by until now.
Tel Aviv is shamelessly urban in a way that can be tough on Western eyes. But
is also contains architectural delights, with more than 5,000 Bauhaus
buildings, the highest concentration of this style in the world. Over a
dozen prominent students of the German school arrived in Tel Aviv in the
1930s, shortly after the Bauhaus School in Dessau was forced to close. The
Cinema Hotel on Dizengoff Square and Zlotopolski House on Gordon Street are
two neat examples of the style.
The key to Tel Aviv is leisure. Nightlife is the heart and soul; the beach the
natural counterpoint to nights on the tiles. Locals take enjoyment
seriously, and the bar scene is one of the most pervasive and alluring in
the world, forcing the typical bed-time well past 1am on weeknights.
Everywhere from ratty, hipster beer joints such as the Rif Raf on Gruzenberg
Street to the futuristic pale marble planes of Messa, a bar and gourmet
restaurant, encourages lingering, sipping, seeing and being seen.
The number of excellent eateries and range of fresh local ingredients means
Tel Aviv's residents spend a lot of time eating, and you should, too. There
is no “Israeli” cuisine, but most street food is certainly Middle Eastern -
fabulous hoummos and falafel, Turkish bourekas (cheese, meat or
vegetable-filled pastries) and sabikh (pitta filled with fried aubergine and
egg).
There is also great sushi, Italian (Pronto on Nachmani Street was deemed the
best Italian restaurant outside Italy by the Italian Ministry of
Agriculture), French and even Chinese food. Choosing where to eat can be a
dizzying process, but on the plus side, it is hard to go wrong.
All the delights of eating, drinking and scene-scoping are combined in the
southern neighbourhood of Neve Tzedek. This area hums with gentrified
commerce. Jewel-like boutiques, cafés and bars dot the tiny streets.
Stop in at Nina or Dalal for excellent coffee, fresh juice and heavenly cakes.
Or try Nanutchka, an absolutely awesome Georgian restaurant and bar, with
enormous dishes (think goose dumplings and tomato salad). Time, then, for a
drink at Jajo, a tiny but beautiful, high-ceilinged box of a bar. At night,
take a walk to Abraxis, an arty, pumping bar, or further south, in Florentin
- Tel Aviv's answer to Hoxton - to Bugsy, a mellow bar that draws an
oh-so-hip crowd.
It doesn't all have to be hedonism. There is excellent dance showing at the
Suzanne Dellal Centre in Neve Tzedek and great productions at the Cameri,
Beit-Lessin and Habima theatres, some of which have English subtitles. There
are dozens of galleries, from tiny, smoke-filled rooms in Jaffa side-streets
to the internationally recognised Noga Gallery on Achad Ha'am. The Tel Aviv
Museum of Art has a serious collection of modern art, as well as exhibitions
by Israeli photographers and artists.
This is not a city to ignore any longer. Now that low-cost airlines have
started flying to Tel Aviv for as little as £190, you might well forget
about New York. You'll get everything and more - bar jet lag - by flying
east.
Need to know
Getting there Zoe Strimpel flew to Tel Aviv with Thomsonfly (0870 1900
737, www.thomsonfly.com), which
offers flights from London Luton or Manchester from £89.99 one way.
Staying A standard double room at the Sheraton Moriah (00 972 3
5216666, www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton)
in Tel Aviv costs £127 a night, including breakfast.
Hotspots in Tel Aviv
Must eat restaurants
Carmella Banachala Glorious, shockingly fresh food (from herb salad to
sweet potato gnocchi) in an elegant, tiled room that harks back to Tel
Aviv's earliest days, close to the Carmel market. Not cheap. Dinner with
wine for two £75. 46 Ha Tavor St (972 3 516-1417).
Dalal Everything tastes good here, from the burgers to the yellowfin.
Gorgeous bread basket. Dinner for two with wine, roughly £40. Shabazi St
Food a budget
Joz Vey Loz Intimate, dark and funky like a cool 1970s house, wine in
beakers and yummy local food using lots of eggplant. Dinner for two with
wine: £10. 51 Yehuda HaLevi St (03 560-6385)
Best cafes
Orna and Ella Can be tricky even getting in it's so popular, but it's
always worth the wait for munching the world's best yam pancakes and
heavenly cakes among the beautiful people. 33 Shenkin St (03 620-4753)
Cafe Mia Everything looks and tastes good at this pretty cafe primed
for people watching. 55 Shabazi (03 516 8793)
Best museum
Tel Aviv Museum of Art Top-drawer permanent collections of modern art
and unparalleled exhibits of Israeli photography, painting and sculpture. 7
Shaul Hamelech Blvd (03 607 7020, www.tamuseum.com)
Best galleries
Noga Internationally acclaimed gallery working with 24 of Israel's best
and brightest artists, including star of the video installationist world,
Keren Cytter. Always something challenging on display. 60 Ahad Ha'am St (www.nogagallery.co.il)
Sommer Another contemporary art heavyweight, always worth a look. 13
Rothschild Blvd (www.sommercontemporaryart.com)
Best Theatre
Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theater First rate venue,
particularly for dance. 6 Yechieli Street (03 510 5656, www.suzannedellal.org.il)
Best Club
The Griffin You might as well go the whole hog: join the thumping
bodies in this huge room done up like a church, with pews to dance on,
stained glass windows, and the bar as the altar. 23 Menachem Begin Street
(03 560 0001)
Best Spa
Coola Whitewashed space offering expertly executed spa treatments, as
well as special therapies for women recovering from cancer; belly dancing
and yoga. Hanger 26, Tel Aviv Port (03-5444462)
Dear Karen
Yes we have still a long way to go, as a city, but look how far we went in all that madness.
Instead of looking on what is missing, let's look at all the great things we achieved.
Resident b
http://dallal.info/
udi, tel aviv, israel
Tel Aviv is a great city; I’ve spent the last 15 years going back and forth to Israel. The beaches, food and nightlife can accommodate all ages and the city is very easy to get around as the majority of the inhabitants speak English.
Also, Tel Aviv is a great base for enjoying other splendours of Israel i.e. North/South Israel.
W Martin, Eastkilbride, Glasgow, Scotland
As a resident here in Israel I do not recognise this description of Tel Aviv! Yes, restaurants have improved enormously over recent years but there is still a long way to go to get away from the third world feel of this city. Anyone expecting Tel Aviv to compare to New York or European cities is in for a big disappointment.
Karen, Tel Aviv, Israel
We were in Tel Aviv last year for the Israel v England Euro qualifier and everything in this article is true. It is a great place for a city break. A restaurant we liked was 2C at the top of the Azrieli Tower with a great view. Also, the old port area towards the north of the beach promenade was a great place to hang out. We are returning for a holiday there next month.
H Green, Kingston upon Thames, UK