Israel is a fascinating blend of ancient history and modern innovation, where millennia-old religious sites meet vibrant contemporary culture. From the golden Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem to the bustling beaches of Tel Aviv and the otherworldly landscapes of the Dead Sea, this small Mediterranean nation offers extraordinary diversity.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Israel through its food.
Mahane Yehuda Market Food Tour
The ultimate Jerusalem food experience navigates the 250-stall Mahane Yehuda Market with a local guide who knows the best vendors for halva, knafeh, shakshuka, hummus, and the story behind each merchant family. Evening tours see the market transform as bars open under the stall rooftops.
Tel Aviv Culinary Levinsky Market Tour
Explore the aromatic world of Tel Aviv's Levinsky spice market with a food historian guide who traces the Iranian, Yemenite, and North African Jewish food traditions that built Israel's culinary identity. Stops include pickle shops, spice merchants, burekas bakeries, and a Yemenite coffeehouse.
Jaffa Night Food Tour
Old Jaffa's Arab-Jewish food scene at night is one of Israel's most atmospheric dining experiences. This evening tour visits hummus joints beloved by Israeli chefs, a 24-hour Arab bakery for ka'ak sesame rings, a contemporary Israeli restaurant, and ends with cocktails at a rooftop bar overlooking the port.
Tel Aviv Wine and Cheese Tour
Israeli wine has undergone a revolution with boutique wineries from the Galilee to the Negev producing world-class bottles. This tour visits a wine bar with exceptional Israeli cellar, a specialty cheese shop with local sheep and goat cheeses, and pairs them with charcuterie and artisan bread at Carmel Market.
Galilee Farm-to-Table Food Excursion
A full-day journey through the agricultural heart of Israel visits an organic dairy farm for fresh labaneh and goat cheese, a golan winery for tasting session, a family-run olive oil press, and a traditional Druze village for mansaf lunch cooked by local women. Truly exceptional cultural immersion.
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Israel's food scene.
Street food tours
Guided hummus crawls, falafel trails, and burekas tours through Tel Aviv and Jerusalem markets; most operators run these daily from $50-70 per person
Market tours
Guided Mahane Yehuda Jerusalem and Carmel Market Tel Aviv tours with food historians; evening tours include transformation to bar scene; from $65-90
Restaurant tours
Curated restaurant hop dinners across multiple Tel Aviv or Jerusalem neighborhoods with a food journalist guide; from $100-150 including all food
Specialty tours
Wine and cheese pairing tours, Dead Sea salt and mineral food experiences, Druze village cooking demonstrations, and Israeli street food versus restaurant comparison tours from $80-160
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Israel home with you.
Shuk Kitchen Cooking Class, Jerusalem
Starting with a guided Mahane Yehuda Market shopping trip with the chef, this class teaches you to prepare a complete Israeli meal including hummus from scratch, shakshuka, chopped salad, and a main course of your choice using seasonal market produce. Eat what you cook with local wine.
Etzy's Kitchen Tel Aviv
A private cooking class in a Tel Aviv home kitchen with Etzy, a Yemenite Jewish grandmother who teaches authentic Sephardi recipes including jachnun (slow-cooked pastry), malawach (flaky flatbread), and shakshuka variations not found in restaurants. Intimate, personal, and delicious.
Daliyat al-Carmel Druze Cooking Experience
In the Druze village of Daliyat al-Carmel on Mount Carmel, local women teach traditional Druze cooking including hand-rolled laffa flatbread, slow-cooked freekeh chicken, and aromatic herb salads. The experience includes a village tour and sitting down to eat with the family.
Carta Cooking Studio Tel Aviv
A modern cooking studio in central Tel Aviv offering professional-standard classes in Israeli-Mediterranean cooking focused on seasonal produce and healthy preparation methods. Classes cover vegetables multiple ways, fish preparations, and mezze spreads with an emphasis on technique.
DIY self-guided food tour
Self-guided food discovery route through Tel Aviv's culinary heart connecting the three essential food experiences: Levinsky Market spices, Carmel Market fresh produce, and the Yemenite Quarter street food - all within walking distance
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Stop 1: Levinsky Market (Levinsky St) - Browse spice shops and buy za'atar, sumac, and baharat blends; taste pickled vegetables at Morduch's pickle bar
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Stop 2: Borekas Itzik (1 Tchernichovsky St) - Get warm cheese or potato burekas fresh from the oven, the essential Tel Aviv pastry
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Stop 3: Carmel Market (HaCarmel St) - Walk the full length tasting olives, fresh fruit juice, and rugelach from market stalls
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Stop 4: HaKosem Falafel (1 Shlomo HaMelech St) - Queue for Tel Aviv's most acclaimed falafel with excellent tehina sauce
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Stop 5: Miznon Restaurant (Rabin Square area) - Experience Eyal Shani's legendary pita stuffed with whole roasted cauliflower
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Stop 6: Anita Gelato (11 Nahalat Binyamin St) - Finish with fresh Italian-style gelato from Israel's best gelato shop
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Most restaurants in Israel are either kosher or non-kosher - kosher restaurants won't serve shellfish or pork and separate meat from dairy; excellent food exists in both categories
Shabbat (Friday sunset to Saturday night) sees most Jewish restaurants and shops close - plan ahead, as Arab and non-kosher restaurants remain open
Hummus is best eaten fresh at dedicated hummusiot (hummus restaurants) that open only for breakfast and lunch - the best close when they run out, typically by 2 PM
Israeli portion sizes are enormous - sharing mezze plates is the norm and you'll rarely need a main course if you order enough starters
Bread is served free with most meals at Arab restaurants and markets - the various flatbreads (laffa, pita, ka'ak) are worth requesting even if not automatically offered
The Levinsky Market area is the best place to buy spice blends and specialty ingredients to take home - prices are a fraction of tourist shops
Tel Aviv's food scene is exceptionally vegetarian and vegan-friendly - more vegan restaurants per capita than almost any city globally
Ask for extra tehina (sesame sauce) everywhere - it's free and transforms simple dishes; it's the ketchup of Israeli cuisine