MEATOS Grill Bar: "No Ham in the Burger" Top 5 Page for this destination Israel Restaurant Tip by gilabrand

Contrary to expectations, kosher restaurants are not so easy to find in Tel Aviv. Looking for a place for a family party of ten on a Saturday night, there were not a whole lot of options, but we finally chose Meatos grill bar and were quite happy with our choice.

The restaurant is centrally located near the Tel Aviv Museum on the ground floor (street entrance) of an imposing office building called Beit Asia that is hard to miss with its facade of undulating white strips. It was a cold rainy night, but the covered patio where we were seated was warmed by overhead heaters that imparted a red glow to the dark interior. The décor is chic and elegant, with dark wood tables and black leather upholstered chairs and a bit of color added by the red globes on each table holding flickering tealights. Personally, I thought it was a bit too dark (I like to see what I’m eating), but it was definitely atmospheric.

Meat, of course, is the star here, as you can see from the name of the restaurant, (actually, it’s a pun on the word “mythos” which is pronounced “meatos” in Hebrew). While waiting for our order, we nibbled on some tasty cracked olives that were set out on the table. Our order included a variety of starters and grilled meats, from chicken and beef skewers to hamburgers, with mashed potatoes or French fries on the side. The oldest member of our party (91) enjoyed her filleted St. Peter’s fish, and the vegetarian, who sheepishly confessed that she still eats fish, liked her ceviche of red tuna.

Favorite Dish: My hamburger was very good, grilled medium well, as requested, and seasoned with lots of black pepper. I don’t eat hamburgers very often, but I’m sure this one was a far cry from the junk food variety. The bun was a bit overwhelming so I left most of that on the plate, and the fries were on the burnt side. Dishes that got special raves were the beef tortilla and the mushroom tapas. We were all pretty full, but since this was a party, we shared two desserts – the Ferrero Roche mousse and the hot apple tart with ice cream (non-dairy) that came with a sparkler on top. We each got a spoon to dig in, and I am pleased to report that we licked the platter(s) clean.

The bill for the 10 of us was NIS 798, approximately 80 shekels per person, which seems reasonable these days.

Address: 2 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv
Comparison: about average
Directions: Restaurant is located on the ground floor of Beit Asia, facing the street, on the corner of Weizmann and Dafna Street. Wheelchair accessible.
Phone: 00-6932002
Price: US$21-30
Rating: 3
Theme: Steakhouse
Website: http://www.meatos.co.il/index.php