The Best Restaurants at the First Station!

The Best Restaurants that the First Station has to Offer!

Check out our list of the best restaurants with short descriptions at the First Station of Jerusalem, one of the most popular & emerging areas for restaurants.

An Incredible Array of Choices

When you walk around Jerusalem's First Station in 2022, the overwhelming feeling is one of incredible choice.

For those that keep Kosher, the First Station is a dreamland, offering pretty much any kosher food or treat you could possibly want.

And, this applies to any time of the day too. Whether it is a breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or even just an ice cream, coffee, or fruit shake, there is a restaurant or stand that offers that option at the First Station.

It seems fair to say that the current First Station is a far cry, in terms of eateries, from the experience of actually getting on a train there in 1892, when it first opened.

The First Station Keeps Growing!

The current First Station reopened in 2013, and has grown massively as it approaches its ten-year anniversary, in its current guise.

There are now just under 20 businesses that ply their trade at the First Station, with many of them restaurants.

And, remember if the restaurants below do not tickle your fancy, there are some left-field options that even include Turkish Kunafa.

Due to the popularity of the best Emek Refaim restaurants article and the best restaurants on Azza Street, we decided to branch out to the First Station as well.

See our list below of the best restaurants at the First Station.

Station 9

Meat

Architecturally, Station 9 is one of the most intriguing restaurants in the First Station, built in a Tel Aviv-Berlin style.

Station 9 is popular with students and young couples as it combines a bar with Asian fusion food.

The Station 9 menu includes specials that originally come from Thailand, Vietnam and China.

Their steamed buns have earned a reputation of their own and are very popular with tourists.

Station 9 has a strong claim for the best food and greatest ambience of any restaurant in the First Station right now.

Captain

Meat

Located on the Old City corner of the First Station, Captain is what you might well expect from a burger joint in Jerusalem.

You can sit both inside and outside and enjoy a kosher burger as people walk into the First Station.

Captain offers a wide ranging burger menu, including a cheeseburger, with vegan cheese and a smoky burger.

One of the stand-out features of Captain is the ability to refill your drink, including Coke or Fanta, which is especially popular with kids and teenagers.

Confusingly, they were not Kosher when they first opened, but do now have a Kashrut Certficiate and is fully kosher.

Fiori

Dairy

With an Italian flag, and "fresh pasta and pizza bar" under the name of this restaurant, you should be well aware of what is on offer here.

Over the last few years, Fiori has established itself as one of the most popular restaurants in the First Station.

One of the reasons behind their popularity is undoubtedly due to the fact that they are Mehadrin Kosher.

Fiori's specialities are the pasta and pizza, which both come highly recommended. They don't just do pizza and pasta though.

There are soups, risottos and salads to choose from as well.

Twins

Meat

Don't be confused, whilst Twins is not in the main area of First Station, it is in fact part of the First Station.

If walking up the tracks (Hamesila) from Emek Refaim, after the juice bar, following the crossing, you will come to Twins, which is situated in "Beit Hakavan".

Twins has a wide range of meat sandwiches and burgers, many of which will be popular with kids and adults alike.

Most of their seating is opposite, on the other side of the tracks and the ordering system is pretty simple.

If Street Food, such as burgers, or sandwiches are your thing, then this is a great option.

Rebar

Dairy

Not strictly a restaurant, more of a juice or shake bar. Nevertheless, Rebar has established itself as one of the most popular drinkeries at the First Station.

Primarily for takeaway, rebar provides ready-to-go shakes and fruit smoothies, combining low-fat yogurts, fruit and nutritional supplements.

There are around six classic drinks that rebar have been serving for years. All start with "Re". We reccommend "Reshape" - especially if you like dates!

As you might well imagine, their drinks are particularly popular in the sweltering summer heat of Jerusalem.

Lechem Basar

Meat

The name of Lechem Basar simply translates to "bread meat" so you can understand why so many carnivores and bread lovers would enjoy it here.

Lechem Basar can be found on the same side of the First Station as Station 9 and attracts many of the same type of clientele. 

It is especially popular with kosher tourists and is open on Pesach during chol hamoed, with no kitniyot.

As you might imagine, Lechem Basar offers a wide range of meats, including Asado, Entrecote and beef. There is also a children's menu.

Lechem Basar has seating both inside and outside, with their inside seating particularly comfortable.

Hummus Abu Shukri

Meat

Once upon a time, Jerusalemites would leave the city to get quality Hummus. This is no longer the case, with a wide variety of options throughout the city.

Hummus Abu Shukri can be found in the far corner of the First Station and claims to have amongst the best Hummus in the city.

Open on Saturday, it is worth pointing out that Hummus Abu Shukri is not kosher.

Besides Hummus, there are a number of options to combine with the Hummus, including Felafel, Shwarma and Kebab.

Cafe Landwer

Dairy & Meat

Cafe Landwer is on the far side of the First Station and has established itself as one of a number of coffee shops in the area.

Originally opened in Berlin in 1919 and then Tel Aviv in 2004, Cafe Landwer has a rich history.

Billed as a coffee shop in its current guise, they also have a very wide ranging menu too.

There are a lot of options besides coffee, including breakfasts and club sandwiches.

The outside area of Cafe Landwer also means that you can sample the live music in the First Station too, in the central area.

Vaniglia

Dairy

In another sign of just how much variety there is at the First Station, Vaniglia is the flagship ice cream store of the First Station.

Vaniglia has a wide range of ice cream options and they also serve waffles and milkshakes too.

Amongst the ice cream options are vegan, sorbet and real dairy too. Open on Shabbat.

Fresh Kitchen

Dairy

Organic and healthy food, which can be eaten both inside and outside at the First Station has meant Fresh Kitchen has emerged as one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

The Fresh Kitchen has a number of locations in Israel, but this is the only one in Jerusalem. The others are in Tel Aviv, Herzilya and Haifa.

They offer a wide variety of options and are most popular for breakfast and lunch.

Breakfasts, salads, sanwiches, toasties, pizzas, shakes and desserts showcase the options available. 

There is also alcohol for adults and a kids menu, to cater for all ages.

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For more on the First Station, see: The First Station - A guide to the "Tachana Rishona".

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