Let the competition begin: What’s the best hummus in Israel?

Even if most people would answer this question with the phrase, “The one my dad makes”, we decided to take this issue a bit more seriously and ask our friends, from a number of cities in Israel, what their favorite spots are to eat Hummus around the country, and you would never believe what actually happened.

You might think we got hundreds of different answers, mentioning a huge variety of places all across the one democracy in the Middle East, but you’re wrong. We got many answers, yes, but the same places were repeated over and over. That, plus our own experience allowed us to bring you a selection that has proven success.

Even if we mentioned a few weeks ago that Israeli street food isn’t only about hummus and falafel, today we decided to give this traditional dish the importance it deserves and let you know what the best places are to eat hummus in Israel.

But let’s begin with the basic, what is hummus?

According to Wikipedia, hummus is a Levantine dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas or other beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic.

Now, if you ask us, we would add that adding tahini is totally up to you and that this dish can taste amazing both with meat and with pine nuts. How to prepare it will depend on your family’s roots, and what to eat it with will only depend on your level of fanaticism. We don’t judge our friends who even mix chocolate with it, but we wouldn’t do it. If you want to try this, let us know about your experience in the comments below!

See the best places to eat hummus in Israel!

One thing you can be sure about, the smell and the taste of warm pita bread in Israel will always be metzuian (excellent), now, if you want to mix that yichudi (unique) flavor with the best hummus, make sure you visit one of these places during your next visit to Israel.

Abu Said in Akko

Akko is a magical city. It is not only the birthplace of the Bahai’ religion (remember when we talked about the Bahai Gardens of Haifa? Well, the newest monotheistic religion was born in Akko), but it is also the city where Abu Said’s restaurant is located.

The rich flavor of this hummus and the unique atmosphere of the place turns Abu Said into a must. Don’t forget to ask for some falafel balls together with your hummus, so you can feel and experience the wide mixture of flavors. After you finish eating here, we truly recommend a walk around Akko’s old city, it is something beautiful and meaningful you cannot miss if you are in the area.

Abu Hassan in Jaffa

Jaffa is one of the best places to eat hummus in the entire country. The mix of both Arab and Jewish cultures and the permanent friendly coexistence this city has creates the perfect environment to have a nice hummus dinner out.

Abu Hassan is one of the Telavivis’ favorite places, in more than one hi-tech office you’ll see people coming together to order from this place for lunch, and on many occasions, you won’t have a place to sit when coming here.

Give it a try, you won’t regret it.

Ben Sira in Jerusalem

“If I forget you, oh Jerusalem… “ Ben Sira is one of the best Hummus spots for Israelis all over the country. Hundreds travel to Jerusalem every day just to stop by Ben Sira’s restaurant and try one of their multiple versions of this traditional dish.

The atmosphere is just great, and after having one, two, three, or even four dishes of the different types of hummus they offer, you can always go for a walk around Jerusalem’s secret passages. With that taste still in your mouth, everything will look even more beautiful and holy.

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Near Haifa’s port, anything works!

Haifa’s downtown offers a variety of options where it doesn’t matter which one you pick, you’ll most likely have a wonderful dish of hummus and a few spectacular falafel balls. These places are located near Haifa’s port, behind Paris Square, and the entire experience is magical.

You’ll be welcomed to the places by extremely charismatic waitresses who have been working there for several decades, and they will treat you as if you were a guest in the living room of their houses. Give it a try, you’ll meet phenomenal people and you’ll try something delicious!

The one closest by when you’re hungry

At the end of the day, this is the answer to all of our questions. When you are hungry, almost any hummus will taste delicious. Just don’t forget to order an extra portion of hot pita bread and learn some Hebrew in our online courses to be able to order more options of Hummus out of the wide variety the closest place will most likely have.

Beteavon!

About the author

Arie Elbelman R.Arie was born and raised in Chile, and immigrated to Israel in his early twenties. He wants to take an active role in the development of this young and smart country. Arie believes that the best way to shape our present and future is to live with more horizontal hierarchies, to smile a whole lot, and to always, always respect each other.

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  1. […] this course for them to start with), you could even take them on a trip to the Holy Land and do the “Hummus Tour”. Go, eat, taste and let them put everything they learned into action by ordering a praiseworthy […]

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