Cafe Popular — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

If you're in Tel Aviv and you're lucky enough to be near Dizengoff Street, called the "5th Avenue" of the TLV or so I've been told, do yourself a favor and check out this amazing restaurant. I ate here twice during my week-long stay in TLV and honestly, I would’ve gone back a third time if my schedule had allowed. Also I plan to come back and eat here every night lol. The staff here is exceptional. They are warm, welcoming, and attentive. Even though their English wasn’t perfect, they went out of their way to make sure I felt comfortable, understood the menu, and had everything I needed. It’s clear they care deeply about providing a great experience for their guests. Now, let’s talk food. This place takes the concept of culinary excellence to another level. The octopus dish with brioche was a standout. The octopus was tender and perfectly cooked, and the brioche was buttery and delicious—an unexpected but brilliant pairing. I’m not even usually a fan of beets, but the salad with beets and pistachios was so well-executed that it made me reconsider my opinion of them. The vinaigrette was sharp and tangy, cutting through the earthy flavor of the beets in a way that completely transformed the dish. On my second night, I tried for the bread plate, which came with butter that was impossibly smooth and flavorful. I have a bread + butter addiction when I leave the USA. I paired that with the ceviche with almond milk. Trust me, I was skeptical at first—it sounded unusual, but it ended up being one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip. Dipping the bread in the ceviche was an experience I won’t forget. For my main, I had the lamb dish, which was a kind of stuffed lamb dumpling. It was extremely sour but still deeply satisfying. Finally, I let the waiter pick his favorite dessert for me, since there was no written menu and the language barrier made it hard for him to describe the dishes to me. What I got was a white custard-like pudding with white chocolate, pistachios, and candied cashews. It was absolutely heavenly—smooth, rich, and the perfect end to an unforgettable meal. This restaurant made my time in Tel Aviv even more special. The combination of amazing food, attentive service, and a warm atmosphere made it a highlight of my visit. Whether you’re a local or a traveler, this place is definitely worth checking out. Also, sit outside alone if possible. I love dining alone because I can really focus on the...

(This was so terrible I’ve felt the need to post on TripAdvisor and Google - honestly don’t come here!)

Came here with a friend while in Tel Aviv. Was told it’s a great place.

We were sat at the bar downstairs, which was so crowded you couldn’t lift an elbow or move your chair. Not great for an expensive dining experience. We originally had 2 hours booked for the table, but at the end of the two hours still hadn’t received one of our courses, hadn’t looked at the dessert menu, and hadn’t finished our bottle of wine.

We were harassed (actually harassed consistently, embarrassed in the restaurant, and yelled at) by the maître’d, one of the owners, and another member of the team for 30 full minutes. We asked for another table so we could finish our meal and wine and they refused. They actually threw us out of the restaurant, of course after making us pay our bill in full. No discounts or apologies or please come back again when you can stay longer! Nope. Just a bill in our faces and a ‘you need to leave, just get out.’

Absolutely unbelievable. I’ve never in my life seen this kind of service. Never. There’s no excuse for it.

The worst part was, when we walked out there were about 6 tables empty outside that we could have been moved to. These idiots kicked us out of the restaurant for two guys who were just grabbing drinks at the bar and wanted to hit on women. Unbelievable.

And! Spoke with another Israeli friend who said the same thing happened to her two weeks prior. They had ordered dessert and were finishing drinks, never got the dessert, then were asked to leave immediately to make room for others.

This Israeli friend I went with will never go back, nor will her family or friends, nor will the other friend of mine.

My recommendation? Don’t waste your money, time, patience, or good conversation going here! Head somewhere else where they actually want the customers.

Such jerks. No pleases, thank you’s, apologies, or concern. Truly...

Spent a week in a hotel very close to this place, stopped in the first night after work and we never went anywhere else all week. The food across the menu is heavy hitting with intense flavours and completely delicious. The portions are on the small side and the price is high, but when the food is this good, if price is not your limiting factor to enjoyment, then you wont be disappointed. We didn’t find it too pretentious. The crowd is relatively young tends towards 40 or less. The menus in the bar downstairs and upstairs are virtually the same with a few different dishes, but also presented slightly differently. The downstairs bar played deep jazzy house on the night we were there, upstairs tends to vary musically but is more chilled and wider in genre. The staff both upstairs and down try to accommodate you when you walk of the street, but the place gets really busy in the evening and we were lucky not to get turned away without booking each night at 8pm. Booking is definitely recommended for parties over 2-4 people It’s true your table is good for a couple of hours at most when they are busy, so don’t come expecting to lounge all evening. But we never stayed long enough to get kicked out as some appear to have experienced. The staff are amazing, helpful and a real pleasure to have serving you, especially when they recognise you as a returning customer. Overall 9/10, their is room for improvement on some dishes where the flavour balance is a little off (scallops and lemon pie come to mind) but small complaints on an otherwise very enjoyable taste experience. I particularly liked the attendtion to texture. No dish came devoid of soft, crunchy, sweet and savory flavours and every mouthful delighted...