Tel Aviv’s Best New Coffee Shops

HOC, an acronym for house of coffee, is an adorable inside-outside café run by a young husband and wife duo. The savory menu is short but has enough variety to suit most palettes. In addition to some in-house crafted sweets, they stock pastries and cookies from cult-faves Fika (a Swedish bakery chain) and Piece of Nature (a plant-based vegan brand with a focus on healthy desserts – think no refined sugar). There’s a Japanese vibe to how most of the dishes are presented and to the sparse, zen-like decor at the sun-drenched self-service eatery.

FEED, not to be confused with the charitable fashion brand started by Lauren Bush (which not only shares the same name but the same logo font), is a sprawling new self-service café located in a WeWork space near Shapira. It’s a gem just a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Rothchild in a stretch of Tel Aviv that’s still not glaringly gentrified. Given those facts, it was perhaps foreseeable that as soon as FEED opened its doors it was flooded with eager patrons ready to nosh on their ever-changing sweets, salads, sandwiches, and lunch specials (think quiche, green curry, couscous, and more). They also have custom coffee blends and a curated selection of specialty items for sale including wine, beer, cheese, and packaged cookies and treats from Reviva And Celia. Beit Kandinof regulars will very likely recognize many of the staffers as FEED was opened by the same team.

Eats made its debut a few years ago inside popular workout studio Beit Hanna – don’t be fooled, however, just because they’re located in a boutique fitness space doesn’t mean they’re all about healthy food. While Eats does stock a variety of very tasty salads they’re not of the low-carb or low-fat variety and most of the counter space is peppered with brownies, cookies, muffins, and other delicious treats. Prices are higher than competitors, but Eats makes up for it with their great ambiance. Like the original, the new location has welcoming indoor and outdoor seating that has patrons lingering for hours as they sip on perfectly roasted coffee. The new location also has a special happy hour menu for kids in the afternoon and a breakfast menu.

Isla, part of a glossy new hostel of the same name, had us when we spotted the container of unsweetened almond milk – still, a surprising rarity at cafés in Tel Aviv. The next hook was the marble cake samples on the counter. Most of Isla’s sweets come from the popular Lehem Vehaverim, so they’re predictably fantastic (do yourself a favor and take home some cookies to heat in the oven later). Isla is one of those cozy yet spacious all-day destination cafés where you can order a madeleine and a cappuccino (or custom blended chai or a latte made with that aforementioned unsweetened almond milk…) and linger with your laptop all day. When a craving for something savory hits, they also have borekitas and samosas, both of which are made locally in South Tel Aviv. Better yet, unlike most cafés, Isla is open late – till 10 pm every day with a bar that is open until midnight. Hostel guests have 24-hour access to the space.

Cube Coffee may be tiny, but with its bold gold aesthetic, it’s nearly impossible to miss. It’s basically a kiosk built into a storefront and while it’s meant to be grab-and-go, there are a few bar-style seats and there always seem to be a few people lingering around. While Cube is small it has an impressive selection of eight coffees that can be prepared in any way – from shot to shakerato – and there’s a rotating selection of cakes, pastries, and baklava-style treats to go with your caffeine fix.