You’ve reached the deep deep south - the home of concealed gems, atypical experiences, cultural diversity, and culinary pearls. All you need to do is poke the piñata a tad to release some untapped Tel Aviv treasure. To help you get your show on the road, we’ve narrowed things down and picked out some of the jewels for you to discover right away.
Twirl handmade ribbons at Tometomato, a tiny pasta bar in the heart of Florentin. Sun-Thu 6pm-12am. Sderot Washington 26. 054-2569919.
Enter dumpling heaven at Chinese Bao Buns. Look out for a tiny room with loads of strangely appetizing menu photos on the wall. Neve Sha’anan 26
Dedicate your afternoon to exploring a plethora of hidden art galleries and studios. There are so many. Our picks include Alon Segev Gallery, Rosenfeld Gallery, Inga Gallery of Contemporary Art, Dvir Gallery, Liza Gershuni Gallery, and 1200 Ceramic Studio.
Altruistic local heroes run centers across South Tel Aviv to reduce socio demographic disparity. Check out these opportunities to volunteer.
Kuchinate: A socio-psychological project for African asylum seeking women. They create crochet products and host craft lessons, meals, and traditional coffee ceremonies. kuchinate.com; 03-5324542; 104 Hartziyon St.
Eritrean Women’s Community Center: Various programs self-led by Eritrean women asylum seekers - vocational training, family health, women enrichment, and individual support. 03-7785773; Chlenov 41 (1st Floor). www.eritreanwomenscenter.org
Educating for Excellence: This nonprofit creates a support system that encourages children toward academic and personal excellence. www.e4e.org.il; Neveh Ofer Center, 7 HaDekel St.
ASSAF: The Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel provides advocacy and support to those in need. 072-2513838; Golomb 52; assaf.org.il
Bnai Darfur: ‘Sons of Darfur’ develops a communal identity for Darfurian refugees in Israel through provision of social, health, educational and cultural programming and services. bnaidarfur.org 052-5874715 Sderot Har Tsiyon 42
The African Refugee Development Center: A grassroots, community-based nonprofit that promotes leadership and self-sufficiency among African refugees and asylum seekers - as well as advocates for a humane and fair Israeli asylum policy. 077-4909800; Ha'Sharon 4, Tel Aviv; ardc-israel.org
Israel’s very eclectic first microbrewery, Dancing Camel, hosts English standup shows every Wednesday night. If you’re lucky, one of Israel’s biggest names will appear before the spotlight to practice their English.
HaTa'asiya St. 12, Wed 9:30-11:30pm
Find Zimmer - an eclectic arts hub where a mixed roster of bands, DJs, artistic performances carry out the good times. The beer is cheap and the crowd is hip. Franzos St 12. facebook.com/haZimmerr.
The Red House, an artist-based community center, blends South Tel Aviv diversity through art and culture. Yisra'el mi-Salant St 39. facebook.com/the.red.red.house
Perfect your ‘throw’ at Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics via day workshops, summer courses or open studio use. www.benyaminiceramics.org 17 Ha’amal Street 03-5182257. Take a five-day to year-long drawing and figurative painting course (basic to advanced) at HaTahana Studio. Hatahana-studio.com; 052 746 6459; Ben Avigdor St. 20
Meet Maya and Yonatan: chefs, restauranteurs, lovers. Each weekend they open their home to a jovial table of strangers seated around a long candlelit table. We’re talking an eight (or more) course degustation with unlimited wine.
Book seats well in advance via EatWith. eatwith.com
The New Central Bus Station is only 40 percent occupied andconsists of a nuclear bomb shelter, a bat cave, and abandoned movie theatres. Enter the belly of the beast via an in-depth guided tour to demystify the goings-on.
Get in touch with CTLV (ctlv.org.il) to organize a tour.
Lick your lips over traditional food, mastered by vibrant African communities.
Neve Sha’anan 36: In lieu of an actual name, head to this restaurant’s address for a go at Darfurian ‘bamia’ (okra-based stew with hunks of meat), ‘kasera’ (thin fermented leavened flatbread), and ‘asida’ (thick porridge-like dough with okra and tomato-based sauce). Neve Sha’an 36; 054 220 1586
Bechor Et Shoshi: Couscous, mafroum, chraime. Feel like you’ve walked into a Jewish mother’s kitchen and get the full taste of Tripoli, right here, on a plate. Yad Harutsim 13; 03-6872895
Tenat: Tuck into injera (spongy Ethiopian sourdough-risen flatbread) topped with fragrant sauces, spices and curries. Chlenov St. 27. 03-5222829
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