Imagine you’re walking inside a bustling restaurant located in Tel Aviv, Israel where you can get your typical pita and hummus, along with other traditional Israeli foods. Then the realization hits, you’re not in Tel Aviv, you’re in Philadelphia. This is the effect that Dizengoff can have on someone due to its retro mediterranean interior and authentic Israeli food.
When walking into Dizengoff at dinner time, I was immediately surrounded by the vibrant and colorful wallpaper along with the very loud music. Compared to the old location, Dizengoff rebranded itself as a more upscale dining experience. The restaurant expanded their lunch offerings and added a dinner menu, reinventing the environment. Their dinner menu consists of three courses and it was highly suggested to get an item from each course.
Starting off with the Hummus course, I got the Turkish Hummus which is hummus with brown butter, crispy garlic, urfa pepper, and pita on the side. This appetizer made an unforgettable impression on me. As soon as I tasted the buttery warm goodness, I was in awe of this dish. It was unlike any hummus I had tried before, being a lot more creamy and rich than usual. Dizengoff’s use of brown butter instead of tehina for the hummus made the consistency softer and added a special touch to the dish.
The next course was the Salads + Mezze where I ordered the Boreeka which included raw tuna, harissa, and runny egg. This wasn’t the typical boreka that is usually seen at other Israeli shops. This boreeka was crispy filo filled with a runny egg. The whole dish had a lot of spicy and flavorful seasoning within it. The tuna itself also had a lot of flavor. It was very fresh and well seasoned. The flavor was reminiscent of a Middle Eastern dish. Dizengoff’s spin on a boreka added a lot of uniqueness to the menu.
While I was very impressed by the first and second course, the entrees didn’t wow me as much. I ordered the Whole Fried Dorade which came with pickled cabbage, chickpeas, amba, and tehina. While the fish was very fresh and high quality, the seasoning and accompaniments underwhelmed me. I think the dish would’ve been more exciting if there was a sauce on top of the fish to bring out more flavor or more interesting sides.
After the dinner, Dizengoff offered one dessert which was the Tehina-Date Ice Cream Sandwich. Although this vegan ice cream sandwich was fairly small, it was packed with creaminess and flavor. Overall, Dizengoff’s rebranding is a showcase of its namesake street and is worth a visit.
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