Emek Refaim Restaurants

Emek Refaim street in the German Colony of Jerusalem is known for its restaurants, cafes and shops. While many restaurants on the street have closed in recent years, and several blame the popularity of the Tachana Rishona restaurants, there still remains a wide range of choice if you’re planning to go out and eat. Being located in Jerusalem with its high proportion of religious residents and visitors, most, if not all of the restaurants on Emek Refaim are kosher. Kosher restaurants are generally split into two categories; Meat and Dairy (there is a Jewish religious prohibition against consuming dairy products after meat).

Assi Yati

Meat

This modern asian street-food restaurant sits on the corner of Emek Refaim and Masaryk streets. (Formerly Kanpai Street Wok)

Aldo

Dairy

Aldo isn’t quite a restaurant, given that it only sells ice-cream, but you can sit there and the ice cream is delicious, so we’ve included them in this list. Aldo sells both dairy based ice cream and non-dairy based alternatives like sorbet, so if you’re keeping 6 hours between meat and milk, you can still drop in for a scoop or two. 

http://www.aldo.co.il/

Bagel Cafe

Dairy

Bagel Cafe is a dairy restaurant, which surprisingly has a clear focus on selling bagels. The restaurant has a large bar of spreads, cheeses and other fillings for your bagels though other food (for example, salad) is available, as is take out.

http://www.bagelcafe.co.il/en/

Burgers Bar

Meat

Burgers Bar has branches all over the country, but this chain of restaurants got their start on Emek Refaim. While they have moved from their original location, Burgers Bar still maintains a presence on the street.

http://www.burgersbar.co.il/en/

Caffit

Dairy

Caffit is a chain of dairy restaurants that like Burgers Bar got their start on Emek Refaim when they opened their first cafe on the street back in 1987. The menu is an Israeli one, with several great salad options.

http://caffit.co.il/en/

Chiyuka

Meat

This is a grilled meat restaurant in SoYo's former location at the end of the street nearest Talpiyot.

Chiyuka's Facebook Page

Focaccia Bar

Meat

Focaccia Bar’s main draw is their large focaccias that you can order there. Most of the dishes at the restaurant are meat based, but there are some vegetarian/vegan options available on the menu.

Pompidou

Dairy

Pompidou is a dairy, Italian restaurant on Emek Refaim with a large outdoor seating area. There’s a range of food available, including the classic large Israeli breakfasts that require an extra table or two for all the things, pastas, pizzas and more.

Roza

Meat

With a second branch located in the city centre of Jerusalem, Roza sells hearty meat dishes and earned a reputation for their steak sandwich.

http://www.rozajerusalem.co.il/

Sushi Rehavia

Meat

This popular sushi restaurant has a branch situated in a beautiful arab style villa on Emek Refaim street. The restaurant offers a sit-down service, as well as a take out menu & deliveries. There’s a wide range of options to choose from, including non-sushi items on the menu. Sushi Rehavia also operates a membership program that lets you collect points from each purchase that can be put towards future meals at any of the chain’s branches.

http://www.sushirehavia.co.il/

Updated 13 June 2018 - Waffle Bar removed due to closure. Kanpai Street Wok name change. Added entry for Chiyuka