Cafe Zorik — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

Cafe Zorik has now become a second home to me. My first dining experience in this astoundingly cozy spot was the winter of 2017, a bright and crisp day with only a few clouds scattered in the sky.

I have always been a big fan of schnitzel, but my first time there I actually ordered the hamburger, which was certainly no mistake. The hamburger was juicy, tender, and well seasoned, with the perfect lettuce tomato onion and pickle ratio. The French fries were phenomenally salted shoe-strings, almost McDonald's-esque.

The service was pretty attentive and good for being so packed, and they even brought a bowl of water out for my friend's adorable pooch (shout out to Nandi the viszla).

My next time eating at this fine establishment I ordered the holy grail, the pièce de résistance, the culinary magnum opus, the poultry perfection, the saintly schnitzel.

The day started as any other day: I woke up, brushed my teeth, showered and questioned my existence, and decided I would go drown my sorrows not in alcohol, but food. So I sauntered on down to Zorik, sat down with a few friends, and decided I'd order that juicy bird.

When the waitress arrived with an enormous plate in hand, I was a bit shocked. My brain couldn't exactly comprehend what was happening and I had assumed this wasn't my dish at all. After already having made eye contact with the waitress, I decided to break off and began a conversation with my friend to avoid the embarrassment of the false excitement for a dish that was not mine. Alas, the dish was mine, and I continued to speak over the waitress and ignore her as she attempted to place the plate in front of me. I then realized that this is, in fact, my order, and accepted it graciously with an awkward "ah thank you, bon Appétit" directed at the space to the right of the waitress.

The plate was beautifully arranged, with a massive schnitzel sleeping soundly next to a bed of wonderful shoe-string French fries, and on my friend's plate, resting peacefully aside a smooth wave of buttery mashed potatoes. Little bowls of Coleslaw, pickles, and ketchup adorned the remaining space on the plate, and the schnitzel wore a lemon wedge hat.

With the first squeeze of lemon came a searing pain in my eye. I'd inadvertently squirted lemon juice into it from all the excitement. I gave up on the lemon after that and began to tuck in.

The first bite... Crispy, salty, juicy, the perfectly prepared schnitzel. The pickles... Sweet and a wonderfully tangy palette cleanser. The coleslaw.. Creamy and refreshing.

I was in heaven. Elated with joy and pleasure, having my own foodgasm in the public area and not giving a single damn.

And that's just the schnitzel.

Let's talk about pancakes, shall we?

Massive and perfectly circular. Drizzled with a beautiful berry compote and a fantastically paired mascarpone dolloped next to it. The pancakes were moist and buttery and just oh so delicious. My words are failing me at this very moment. The mascarpone you could eat by itself. But when paired with the berries, the pancake, and some syrup just for a bit of extra sweetness, something changes in the air.

Everything freezes and fades away. Suddenly it's just you, sitting there, and a plate of dreams looking right through you and making you feel better than anyone or anything in the whole world.

The fork seems to float by itself and transport little boats of mascarpone and berries to your mouth. The knife cuts perfect triangular pieces of pancake and smears that wonderful cream on top. In the end I can't remember if I spilled that mascarpone on my pants or...

This place is my life.

All in all great experience....

Amazing place with wonderful caring staff! Generous food portions and tasty as well! Not mention how fast it was. We had shnitzel with mash and Grandma's salad. Both were delicious! Our 4 year old had shnitzel with fries, the portion was so big that he only had a 3rd of the chicken and a little bit of the fries. We were a bit cold as we were right next to the fans so we asked to change tables. The waitresses were really accommodating. Later on when grandparents joined us the waitresses kept on offering more comfy chairs and we were just saying in between us that we need a serviette they heard us and brought some extra for us. The only thing that could be better is just an air freshener in the toilet as it can get smelly inside, but that's easy to solve...

We arrived on a crowded evening without a reservation, a couple with a three-year-old toddler and a three-month-old baby in a stroller. In a few minutes they found us a table, with room for a stroller and a special chair for a toddler. Most of the restaurant is accessible to wheelchairs, the toilets are overall clean, the place is family and child friendly, the food is perfectly fine, there is a children's menu, the price level is as usual in Tel Aviv, the service is Israeli style, friendly and informal. The waiter forgot one of the dishes we ordered, and we had to remind him after we didn't get it. This was the only point that was...