Sip Well: Arcaffe

There's no arguing the fact that, although this is a city filled with lively cafes, you should still be able to drink a great cup of coffee without ever having to leave your apartment. The instant brands that people are so fond of here just don't do it for me: their taste strikes me as a bit tinny, and the caffeine never seems to hit me in quite the right way. Filter coffee is just as easy to make, especially when you're using a standard, uncomplicated french press, and the key is only to find your perfect blend of beans.

While Tazzo d'Oro may serve up my favorite coffee in the city, it's a bit of a trek for days when we need a filter refill. Enter Arcaffe, another Italian coffee transplant, which has grown into one of Israel's largest coffee chains. A popular cafe in its own right (serving decadent pastries, juices, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, etc.), Arcaffe also sells excellent ground coffee beans for take-away. My personal favorite is their flavorful Roma blend, which works well for espresso, Turkish coffee, or filter, and is ideal for those who prefer a stronger taste. Also offered are Cafe Creme, Mocha Creme, Toscana, and the decaf Pianissimo, each of which is recommended for a particular preparation method or two. As the beans are ground upon your order, it's possible to purchase as much or as little as you like. Pick up a 250 gram bag (or more) and ask them to slice one of their fresh loafs of bread (they are excellent and less expensive than bread found in the grocery store). This is my weekly take-away ritual and, thus far, it has served me well on many a morning.


Tel Aviv Locations:
Dizengoff Center
Rehov Basel
Rehov HaArba'a
Sderot Rothschild

www.arcaffe.co.il

Images credited to the Arcaffe website.

Eat Well: Cafe Sonia

Just a few posts ago, I was writing about scouring the shouk for knee-high socks to wear in the rain. Now that we've spent the last week enduring a heatwave, however, I'm turning my attention to one of my favorite "sunny day" spots, Cafe Sonia Getzel Shapira.

Cafe Sonia inhabits a hidden courtyard on a tiny, dead-end alley off of King George, and its calm atmosphere couldn't be further form the hustle and bustle of the nearby shouk. Leafy trees, a humming fountain, and pebble-covered ground all add to the relaxed, organic aura of the restaurant, which is decorated with brightly colored mosaic tables and a rainbow array of chairs.

A green glass bottle, full of icy water, is quickly brought to the table, along with menus covered in childlike drawings, its sections whimsically titled: Toasty Fairytales, Pamper Yourself Breakfasts. The back page lays out an intriguing story about how the cafe, and the street it's on, got their shared name.

The menu especially distinguishes itself in its wide selection of shakshuka, Sonia's version of which I consider to be far and away the best I've found in Tel Aviv. A traditional option is available: egg, tomato, and onion cooked with spices and served in a hot frying pan. More elaborate variations include goat cheese, mozarella and mushrooms, red meat, and a delicious creamy spinach version that is furthest from the norm. Served with a small side salad and a delicious, addictive loaf of homemade, Moroccan-style bread (cooked over stones and sprinkled with sea salt), this is an Israeli staple not to be missed.


At night, the scene at Sonia turns towards the romantic, with candles and hanging lanterns illuminating the area. But stay away on cold and rainy ones: the courtyard remains uncovered throughout the Winter and there are no heat lamps to speak of. Only about three small tables sit in-doors.

Cafe Sonia Getzel Shapira
Sunday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to midnight
1 Simta Almonit
+972 57 944 2801
www.soniagetzelshapira.rest-e.co.il

Shakshuka image credited to the Cafe Sonia website.

Sip Well: Caffe Tazzo d'Oro

Since my personal vision of heaven is a place where you can arrive for your caffeine fix in the morning and then stay long enough to drink a glass of dry white wine with your late lunch, Caffe Tazzo d'Oro has become a staple in my cafe rounds. The tiled floors, the wicker chairs, the cheerily sunny light yellow walls, the plethora of electrical outlets...everything here is pleasant, comfortable, easy.

Try one of their incredible breakfasts. Or indulge in a business lunch. I like to start with the eggplant and goat cheese before moving onto their chopped cucumber, tomato, and sliced schnitzel salad with lemony tehina dressing. Ask for extra focaccia bread - it's like nothing else I've found in this city. And, being a cupcake lover in a rather cupcake-less land here, I often top off my meals with one of their little white-chocolate praline balls, which are almost too-sweet to handle, but taste just like a little glob of frosting.

And about that namesake coffee. When my boyfriend and I were in Rome last Fall, we stalked a Tazza d'Oro coffee shop near the Pantheon, literally walking day after day in the opposite direction of our intended destination just to get a ahold of one, two, three tiny cups of espresso and then a capuccino for the road. It's just that good.

Bonus: The cafe hosts live jazz on Friday afternoons around 2:30. Come early. It fills up fast.

Tazzo d'Oro
6 Ahad Ha'am
Neve Tzedek