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Where to Eat in Jerusalem

309 restaurants, cafés, bars and food shops in our directory. The two things worth checking before you walk anywhere: whether it is kosher, and whether it opens on Shabbat.

85open on ShabbatThe city shuts from Friday afternoon to Saturday night. These do not.
79kosher certifiedCertification is a business decision here, not a rule — much of the scene is not certified.

What is in the directory

Restaurants 83Cafés 67Bars and pubs 41Food shops and stalls 57Spices and nuts 19Butchers 9Fruit and vegetables 8Coffee carts 7Food trucks 5Delis 6Kiosks 5Pickles and olives 2

Where to go, by area

  • Machane Yehuda MarketProduce and small counters by day; a dense bar district after 20:00.
  • The German Colony and Emek RefaimThe city's main sit-down dinner street, with a lot of it open on Shabbat.
  • The city centre and NachlaotCheaper, younger, later — and where most of the live music is.
  • The First StationA converted Ottoman railway terminal with nine restaurants under one roof. Open on Shabbat.
  • The Old CityHummus, knafeh and juice, mostly by day. Different quarters keep different rest days.

Machane Yehuda Market

154 places

the city centre

54 places

Elsewhere in Jerusalem

23 places

the First Station

20 places

Mamilla and the Old City

12 places

Rehavia

11 places

the German Colony

9 places

Kiryat HaYovel

8 places

Malha

5 places

Ein Kerem

5 places

Mount Scopus

4 places

Talpiot

3 places

Har Nof

1 places

Common questions

Are restaurants in Jerusalem open on Shabbat?

Many are not. The city closes from Friday afternoon until Saturday night, and most kosher-certified places close with it. A significant minority stays open — bars and restaurants in the city centre, Machane Yehuda, the German Colony and around the First Station — and those are almost all non-kosher.

Is all the food in Jerusalem kosher?

No. Kosher certification is a business decision, not a law, and a large part of the city's restaurant scene is not certified. Certification also comes in levels, and a place can be kosher without being certified. Where we hold the information, each listing states it.

Where should I eat in Jerusalem?

Machane Yehuda market by day for the produce and the small counters, and by night when the shutters come down and the same lanes turn into a bar district. The German Colony and Emek Refaim for a sit-down dinner, Nachlaot and the centre for cheaper and younger, and the Old City for hummus and knafeh.

Do I need to book?

For Thursday and Friday nights at the better-known places, yes, and often days ahead. Saturday night after Shabbat ends is the other busy slot. Weekday lunch is almost always walk-in.

Machane Yehuda market · Food tours in English · Open on Shabbat