Western wall and the famous Golden Dome in Jerusalem
Vegan travel has become so easy nowadays and being vegan in Israel is the simplest thing ever. When it comes to vegan food here, I could just make a long post just about all the different hummus places I have tried. But of course there are some other amazing foods and restaurants all over the country. Nonetheless, be prepared for a lot of hummus advertisement in this article. 😉
It is super easy to identify vegan places in Israel because they all have a “vegan-friendly heart” sign at the door. Moreover, so many foods are vegan there that wouldn’t be vegan in other countries. That’s because the food has to be kosher, meaning that they often replace butter or milk with plant-based alternatives. That’s especially great for all you baked goods lovers. You are free to indulge in all the buttery chocolate croissants of your vegan dreams.
Let’s start with the vegan capital of the world:
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
This city is a vegan paradise. No matter where you go there are so many unbelievable options. I think my favorite restaurant of all time will be Anastasia with their amazing cheesecake.
There are many fantastic fully vegan places in Tel Aviv such as Rainbow, 416, Miso and the Green Butcher. You can find any type of vegan cuisine: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern. “Seafood”, burgers, pizza, shawarma, shakshuka, desserts. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Anything your heart desires!
Start with a nice shakshuka or omelette for breakfast, a vegan shawarma for lunch, Jeff’s ice cream as a snack, a Rainbow burger for dinner. Or share a typical Middle Eastern table with your friends and fill it with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, tabbouleh, fattoush, and all the pita! Go the Carmel Market in the city and explore all the different smells and flavors and taste your way through some Middle Eastern specialties.
Yep, this is vegan shakshuka!
If you want to read more about Tel Aviv and the food check out my other article about my favorite vegan friendly places around the world.
Nazareth
The food in Nazareth is so delicious that I went back when my parents visited me just to take them to that one restaurant close to the Church of Annunciation. I could just live off their hummus, falafels and baba ganoush. If you go up north in this country, maybe exploring the Sea of Galilee, you will for sure also stop in Nazareth. After exploring this region and its rich history, this city is a great place to finish off your trip before heading back to wherever you are staying.
Haifa
Taking a day trip to Haifa and exploring it by foot in the Israeli spring heat will surely get you hungry. After checking out the gorgeous Baha’i Gardens and enjoying the view from the top over the city and the ocean, my friends and I went to the German Quarter and found this cute place called Fattoush. It has a little hipster, very inclusive vibe to it and the atmosphere is very chill. We ordered so much food and the portion sizes are huge! We tried three different types of hummus (because, why not?!). May I just say, mushroom hummus is a total game changer. And their fresh lemonade was just what we needed after walking around in this heat. This place was so worth it. If you go to Haifa, I highly recommend stopping here for lunch.
Jerusalem
What a lovely place Jerusalem is. Not many cities in the world have such a fascinating history and such an importance to three of the world religions. Even if you are not religious, Jerusalem should be on your bucket list. It’s such a cool place to be. And the food is great of course (and cheaper than in Tel Aviv)! 😉 After strolling through the city center or exploring the Old City, I recommend going to any small, non-touristy restaurant. While the overcrowded places serve great food as well, you don’t need to pay double the price and wait in line forever to get some amazing local dishes. In my opinion, the places that aren’t visible right away tend to be a lot better and the food is made with love.
Kibbutz
It’s difficult naming a specific Kibbutz because honestly, the food they have is amazing everywhere. And compared to the big cities it’s also quite cheap. So if you travel a bit off the beaten tracks and really explore the country, just go spend some time in Kibbutz. You surely won’t regret it. The photo for example was taken in Sderot on our way back from a trip to the Gaza border.
I told you, this might turn into a hummus advertisement. I promise, there is more amazing food in Israel besides hummus! 😉 Of course, I would love to share more places with you but because of the current coronavirus situation, I can’t go back to these restaurants for a while. Fingers crossed things will be better soon so I can go and try many more places and tell you about it later.
Also by Rebecca: 3 Simple Steps I Took to Get To A Plastic-Free Lifestyle—And What I Learned
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Photo: Rebecca Willems; Sander Crombach via Unsplash (Jerusalem); Shai Pal via Unsplash (Tel Aviv)
