A foodie's walk across the streets of Tel Aviv

The gem of Tel Aviv markets – the biggest and busiest marketplace where you can get literally everything – from ripe strawberries and freshly squeezed lemonade to sneakers and beach tennis gear. By the way, it's conveniently located en route to the sea. Though it's full of traditional bazaar noise and bargaining there is no feeling of being duped. All vendors are friendly, can swear in perfect English, know lots of funny stories and can even treat you to their yummy goods.

Caramel Ceviche, seems to be the major secret place at Carmel. It’s opened one day a week, guess which? Friday, when Israelis get rid of stress with yummy food. Look for it behind market stalls, in the yard of Shabtai fisherman. Six days a week Yael Winer does urban planning and one day comes here to cook super fresh ceviche and oysters when it’s the season, selling them for very attractive prices, especially compared to restaurants. Just don’t pay attention to the market chaos and enjoy your food. Yael’s ceviche is Asian classics – made of salmon, tuna and fish of the day caught by Shabtai. Every meal is served with one third of a baguette.

This central park is a perfect choice for a hot day – it's green and shady and full of air. Deep behind the trees you'll spot a tiny pond with water lilies and reed. Locals come here with kids, dogs and books.

The famous Israeli chef Eyal Shani was the first to blend street food and haute cuisine. That's how his Menzon cafe in Gabirol Street appeared and immediately became a hit. It is so popular as, first of all, it's a great chance to taste Shani's food for quite a moderate price and second it's super duper yummy. His first method was simple: put everything from a good restaurant menu in a pita – shrimps, steak, fried liver with pears, even chocolate banana. The pita itself is delicious, they make it on the spot. The new King George location, however, has stuffed pita variations as well as lots of fish options. Some of them are served on cardboard plates. And don’t forget about Eyal’s trademark whole baked cauliflower, which he makes in the oven. Now Tel Aviv has three Meznon locations and one has recently opened in Paris.

This square is a common site for various political demonstrations and rallies, and it is here where ex PM Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995. An upside-down pyramid in the middle of the square commemorates the Holocaust.
Despite its sad story many citizens come here to rest every day. Go to a green oasis in the southern part of the square – it is great for enjoying warm sun in winter and hiding in shadows in summer. Just lay back in a lounge chair near a pond with blossoming lilies and pretend to be a local resident.

Sounds like a paradox, but Israel and Tel Aviv are famous for Italian cuisine. Here they cook pasta, pizza and antipasti as good as Italians do. Chefs in Shmone, which is located by Rabin Square, make their pasta on the spot. The place is tiny with an open kitchen, a bar counter and tables outside. Their food is super fresh and served on parchment paper by the chef Oren Goldwasser to keep the spirit of a street food joint with gourmet Italian cuisine.

Rothschild Boulevard is one of the main and most expensive streets in Tel Aviv. At the beginning of the boulevard, there is a building called the Dizengoff House or the Independence Hall where Israeli PM David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of Israeli state. The boulevard is packed with trendy cafes, eclectic and bauhaus buildings. The citizens sip their ice coffee and move from one shady tree to another, men walk their children and dogs, others ride a bike or play petanque.

This bookstore is nice to pop in on a hot summer day. They boast great interiors, a perfect selection of books, not only in Hebrew but in other languages, as well as art albums, vintage postcards, posters, notebooks, journals and lots of other stuff. The shop is a regular venue for exhibitions and “meet the author” events – a bookstore par excellence. It is great place to buy a gift for your nerdy friends or just do some book browsing in peace and quite.

What if two French girls just off the Paris flight will be making burgers? First you get a brioche instead of a regular bun and second their burger will be made of fresh minced beef cooked on the spot and topped with foie gras and fig jam. Don’t forget about French wine to go with it.