Peacocks, goats, crocodiles, storks, camels….no, this is not the entrance to the zoo but Or Yehuda, in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. Instead of the usual environmental sculptures, the municipality invested in larger than life reproductions of the animal kingdom, complete with Disney styled backdrops. As we were gazing at the jungle fountain traffic circle with crocs and magical birds a local walked by and said proudly “This is our piazza, just like Italy!” Except here, instead of gelato and pasta, the city offers some fantastic renditions of Iraqi style dumplings (kubbeh) and bowls of steaming couscous.

Centrally located in Or Yehuda, the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center testifies to a time when most of the denizens came from the Middle East or North Africa. While the cultural heritages of the early immigrants have been lost to modernity and assimilation, the home-style eateries continue to cook up traditional recipes. Here are a few places that should not be missed if visiting this city.

Nadra’s (officially Ohlim Etzel Nadra)

Nadra was born in Baghdad in 1938 and immigrated to Israel in 1951.  She learned to cook from her mother and her older sister, and has been making kubba (Middle Eastern dumplings) since she was nine. Today, she continues to work in the family restaurant with her children. Even her grandson, when home for summer vacation, lends a helping hand. Aside from kubba, the restaurant serves stuffed vegetables, kitchri (rice and red lentils), stuffed derma and fresh salads.

2 Harishonim

Or Yehuda

Telephone: 03-6344099

Kosher, meat

Couscous and Mafroum (also known as Effie’s)

Effie, who runs the small Libyan eatery with his wife in Or Yehuda closes the restaurant if he can’t be there.” I want to make sure the food is made properly”, he says and will not compromise with a substituted. We had come for a simple breakfast of shakshuka, eggs poached in a piquant tomato sauce. Instead we ordered a full meal; semolina dumplings (kookla), white beans with Swiss chard (tabikha), potatoes stuffed with meat (mafroum) and a pile of ethereal couscous, each grain absorbing and enhancing the flavors of the food. Shelly of An Open Cupboard visits Effie’s and explains why couscous is traditionally served on Tuesdays and Fridays.

12 Yehezkel Kazoz, Or Yehuda

057-9439255

Kosher

Libyan Bakery Stand

This bakery prepares traditional Libyan baked goods; Baklava steeped in sugar syrup, semolina cookies stuffed with dates and deep fried (makrout), semolina cake (kalbalouz) crumbly almond cookies (baci di dama), sponge cake (pan di spagna) and warka pastry leaves filled with almond paste, fried and covered with syrup. Warka leaves are prevalent in Libya to make brik, a poplar deep fried street food stuffed with eggs, tuna and a variety of other fillings. This bakery is one of the only suppliers of homemade warka (the other one I know is in Ramle Souk on Wednesday morning). In addition, ice cold rosata (an almond flavored beverage), tamarind and lemonade drinks can be purchased, which pairs well with the hot Israeli summers.

Yehezkel Kazaz Road, near the Turkish Restaurant (and the “piazza”)

Open 11:00-23:00 Sunday-Thursday

Friday, until the entrance of Shabbat

Kosher

03-5332760, 03-6346641 (evenings), 0547724005, 0508943131 (Yossi)

Warka needs to be ordered in advanced. They also do catering.

Samarkand

Within a walking distance from the bakery is Samarkand, an Uzbeki owned restaurant specializing in their country’ traditional cuisine. Meat features heavily on the menu, as it does in Uzbekistan. I sampled a few samso, savory pastries filled with spiced meat, their version of the more famous samosa or sambusak. While I was there, the family was organizing a trip back to Central Asia to keep the younger generation connected to their heritage.

18 Yehezkel Kazaz Road, Or Yehuda

03-5333448, 03-6344461

Kosher

 Etzel Harturki

For a grill with no thrills restaurant Etzel Harturki (which translates to At The Turks) fits the bill. It offers the standard “hummus, chips, salat” (hummus, French fries, salad), a trio that Israelis know and love. Shawarma and kebab are the biggest sellers but there are other options on the menu, many of them vegetarian friendly. For those who prefer take out a pita, lafa (Iraqi flatbread) or aluminum tray can be filled with a variety of salads, rice, pickles and/or meat.

Harishonim 2, Or Yehuda

057-9439240

Kosher

Other restaurants in the vicinity

Pundak Moshe is another Iraqi eatery serving a myriad of Kubbeh (dumplings) and other delicacies. While good, it is more industrial than Nadra’s.

27 Yosef Haim, Or Yehuda

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