Mashya — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

TL;DR food can be absolutely mind blowing or just very good, menu changes daily, food is for the taste, not to satisfy a hunger (small dishes), great atmosphere and staff, location is a little weird. A culinary experience with a price tag to match.

We've decided to come here as a family, only weeks after my mother tried the place and claimed she had one of the (if not the) best culinary experiences she'd ever had.

The location is a bit weird, and we had to use a navigation app to get there from our parking spot, but it only took us two minutes or so and the place was quite easily recognizable.

The staff was very nice and the atmosphere unique, we were sat beneath a skylight and near the semi - open kitchen. The music was calm and accommodating and the decorations were tasteful.

We ordered multiple first and second dishes and one dessert, all shared with whomever wanted to try. Almost instantly after ordering we were served a small plate with a tasty appetizer on the house. The first dishes came quicker than expected and were quite small and unlike any other first dishes we've tried before, but that also meant only few of us really enjoyed them. Those who did however, enjoyed them very much.

The second dishes were mostly larger, but the smallest of them was about the size of the largest first dish, the largest was slightly less than an average sized main dish. We generally liked most dishes, with one in particular being everyone's favorite but according to my mother, none as mind blowing as the ones she tried last time she was there. There definitely was some level of disappointment around the table, but I will say this, all dishes were very good or better, it simply wasn't mind blowing as we were hoping to experience. We even ordered another dish in hopes of both having our minds blown and our hunger sated (we came hungry, not expecting the relatively small servings), and the dish was great, but my earlier description included that dish as well.

Before dessert we were served a dish with thin homemade chocolate slices, we all enjoyed them and it was nice having something to munch on while waiting for dessert. Not long after we were served the dessert, and again, it was great but not as good as we'd hoped for. The prices pretty much matched the level of the dish and I noticed that unlike many other restaurants I've been to, generally the higher the price the more likely your dish would be better. We all came out of the restaurant with some level of disappointment, with me writing this review seemingly being the least disappointed of the bunch.

These are the following recommendations I'd give to someone interested in the place: don't order something you haven't tried before, the dishes here are made to enhance the uniqueness of each dish, and you could find yourself unwilling to eat the dish at all. don't order plain steak, I don't mean it to be bad, it's just that this place, as mentioned tries to enhance the uniqueness of a dish, and plain steak is just that, plain steak. do not come too hungry, come with a moderate level of hunger. be mindful that each and every day the experience will be different, as the menu changes according to the ingredients they have at that particular day (is what the waiter explained to us when we asked about the dishes my mother had last time). don't come expecting a meal, come here expecting an experience.

Would absolutely recommend the place, but definitely be mindful...

Sep 12th 2025 update: We arrived early on Friday, only to find the breakfast price had been raised again to 168 per person for non-hotel guests. They also changed the fantastic breads they used to have. Instead of a buffet with a great variety of sliced breads, they now serve a small basket at the table with just two buns and one bagel—and the wholewheat bun was even stale! While the rest of the food was as awesome as usual, the lack of 'normal' sliced bread for the cheese, salmon, and omelette really diminished the experience. It's a shame they're not maintaining their high standards. Compromises like this are often the first sign of a decline in quality, which can eventually lead to closure. As the saying goes, 'Never change a winning horse.'

Jan 31st 2025 update: We arrived early Friday morning to be surprised that the brunch price was raised from 148NIS to 164NIS - that's 11% increase! Crazy. TLV became unbearably and unreasonably overpriced. Although the breakfast was tasty and the buffet ingredients are the finest, still it seems that only rich people can afford chef restaurants in Israel. No wonder many close down.

June 2022 update: We arrived for the third time, to be utterly disappointed. The bad welcome were the toilets without towels on both men and women. The Mai Tai cocktail was dull, replaced for a stronger cocktail but still not great. We ordered the 4 bites opening dish, twice, for both of us, unfortunately. The first 2 bites were too salty but edible, the third was horrible - it felt like drinking vinegar with mussels. Scorched my throat. The fourth was a comforting toast bite with melted cheese. The main courses (sword fish / grouper) were small, tasty enough yet pricey. We ordered the sourdough bread to fill us out. It was nice, almost the highlight of the whole meal. The mousse dessert promised by the waiter to be puffy, cloudy and airy but instead was frozen and not tasty. All in all we felt the quality dropped by at least 2 stars since the last time we were here, which was only 8 months ago. Conclusion: there are some good restaurants in TLV, that could be much more satisfying for the same high price we were charged here.

June 2018: One of the finest restaurants Tel Aviv, must book in advance, sometimes weeks ahead. The seating is at tables or on the bar. The breakfasts are served buffet style while dinners are a-la-carte. One of the best options is the "surprise" meal, which consists of several dishes, chosen randomly by the chef, cook or waiter, and has a...

Amateur night at Mashya. Long awaited and finally due, we expected a culinary journey towards midnight to celebrate the arrival of the new decennium. Accompanied by a wine package told to be optimally paired to the set menu we were off for an experience. And an experience it was. The presumed delicacy of the dishes in no way matched the self-assurance with which they were served in a rattle of ingredients hard to grasp. The service and sommelier seemed to be out of touch with each other as either the food or the wine came in too fast. After the first set of dishes, one in our party begged the service to slow down as we were rushed through this dinner. We were served by a multitude of waiters with seemingly no one in charge of our table. The prize was taken by a sulky waitress who clearly wanted to be anywhere but in the dining room and served the mains while blurting out Shrimp! and Fish! and shoved the plates in front of those raising their hands. We don't know what her problems are but being barred from service professions should certainly be one of them. The size of the dishes was not tailored to the number of courses, so the main course, which all of us found delicious, was more of a struggle than a delight. Not noticing that a full bodied red in the wine package might not fit a delicate sea bass is amateurism. So is clearing tables as soon as guests have raised from their chairs, while they haven't even left the dining room. And so is downing shots one and a half hours in advance of the turn of the decade, with management participating. We know, because when we decided to call it a night and left the establishment prematurely, the manager asked about our experience. He got the short version of the above, with the mention that the evening had been a stressful experience, and this was the first time I ever left a fine-dining restaurant without leaving a tip. He hoped they could make it up to us the next time. We told him there is not going to be a next time. We had been looking at other reviews - they made us confident in our choice. The dishes go from bland to delicious, that is, if you get them. One we needed to ask for, another was never served. So let's attribute this one to a crew on its way to its own party, while the guests were a nuisance getting there. During our stay we have visited plenty of excellent restaurants in Tel Aviv. Those are the ones we will have fond memories of and go back to during the rest of our stay. Mashya won't be one...