Gaijin izakaya — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

An amazing Japanese izakaya that puts emphasis on super high quality ingredients, and it really shows (and totally makes the difference - both in taste, and in price).

We came to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, and wanted to have a more special experience rather than another chef restaurant, and no doubt we found it. We sat on the kitchen bar, where they actually make the food in front of you, which was such a unique thing to watch.

We went for the sharing concept, as we always prefer to taste as many dishes as possible, and used the waitress' recommendation because everything sounded so amazing it was really hard to decide.

From the cold dishes section we ordered 2 hand roll dishes that include 2 units each (salmon kewpie yaki & hamachi tartare) - both were really good, but the salmon was my favorite of the two. We also ordered 2 nigiri dishes that include 2 units each (salmon belly & o-toro) - the salmon was good, but the clear winner was the o-toro with a tuna slice that simply melted in our mouths and it was one of the 2 best dishes of our dinner.

For something more refreshing we ordered the soba salad that's known to be one of their signature dishes, served with poached spinach, little gem lettuce and black sesame dressing that was delicious to die for.

On to the main courses, we ordered 2 of their signature dishes (according to the waitress) - seabass katsu, which is served like a ball of seabass schnitzel, filled with coleslaw salad on top of a sweet sauce. You need to mix the whole thing up and eat it all together, and it was very good as promised. Bot the star of the dinner was by far the tuna toro skewer - made to perfection and served with a horseradish leaves salad with a sweet sauce (we later ordered a side dish of rice just to soak up all the sauce, that's how good it was).

We couldn't skip dessert so we ordered the white chocolate matcha creme brulee, served with a caramelized fig on the side. It wasn't too sweet and perfectly balanced, although a bit too small in my opinion.

To conclude, this is definitely not a casual place, but if you're looking for an amazing restaurant with great service and unique experience, this...

Really delicious and special small plates here. I went during the day on the weekend, they have a brunch menu which I did not realize. Everything was delicious, but the duck skewer was the star of the show. Super juicy grilled duck, easily the best duck I've ever tried. I wish we had gotten more of their hot dishes instead of sashimi / nigiri -- they have some really creative options. Desserts are also not to be missed!! They play Japanese hip hop which we personally felt added to the atmosphere and enjoyed, but I wouldn't take elderly people here as I can see how it would annoy them. It's really pricey but was worth it for a romantic and special...

Gaijin is, without a doubt, one of the most refined and impressive Japanese dining experiences I’ve had in Tel Aviv.

Every element on the table felt carefully crafted. The seaweed was perfectly crisp, the fish incredibly fresh — it melted in my mouth like butter — and the rice was cooked to absolute perfection. Even the soy sauce and wasabi are unique to the restaurant: fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with attention to detail.

The space itself is beautifully minimalist — clean lines, calming atmosphere, and a quiet elegance. Service was friendly and efficient, adding to the overall experience without being overbearing.

Highly...