Pankina — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

Fabulous and authentic kosher Italian food. First time I’ve ever given compliments to the chef, after 4 years of Aliyah. The food was all fresh, tasted so thoughtfully made, yet nothing felt over the top or pretentious. The chefs are Italian and the manager too I believe. The service was also good, and the ambience European-chill. They ensured that we got our food very quickly due to our rush. Highly recommend the pistachio crusted tuna steak, which is red inside exactly like I wanted, it came with the side of the day which was grilled veggies on mashed potatoes - even those were way above your average Israeli grilled vegetables quality. Not too oily, but thoroughly cooked and seasoned just enough. The mashed potatoes were buttery. Even the salad which is one of the most cliché things you can order in a restaurant in Israel was not roughly out together at all - it was perfect from all perspectives - freshness, balance of taste profile, amount of dressing… last but not the least, the tiramisu is made the classic Italian way - full of flavor of the expected ingredients, not too dense, nor sickly sweet mousse-like which is how some local bakeries make it. Seriously, I already want to go back. Don’t miss this if you’re in...

When a good friend who is Italian recommends an Italian restaurant, I ask no question and go experience it. Pankina became one of my favorite Italian restaurant in Israel that I visit frequently when I visit Tel Aviv. I ate dinner here during the week with friends and the food was absolutely delicious, both the meals and the desserts. they could accommodate us for dinner, though we didn’t have any reservations. The only reason I didn't give a 5-star review was that it took time to find a table and place we sat didn't feel like the inside of a real restaurant. Salad and vegetables starts were all excellent. The portions were pretty decent. The pastas felt like eating in Italy. The atmosphere and food were both incredible and left us wanting to come back. We had also tagliatelle and sauce coating the pasta was one of the best I’ve had. I discovered the taste of a new cheese. Great service at Pankina, the staff make it a welcoming place and accept walk ins. The dishes were amazing and surprisingly light, even for the heavier dishes. Everything was very fresh from the salades to the tagliatelle that i ordered. Delicious! The tiramisu was perfect, it had the right amount of coffee, creaminess, and not too sweet. Definitely...

Disappointing Kosher Italian Dining Experience

We visited this restaurant with guests who keep kosher, hoping for an enjoyable kosher Italian meal. Unfortunately, it was a complete letdown, and we won’t be returning.

The food was far from impressive. The soup arrived cold, and after waiting 20 minutes for it to be reheated, it was still cold. The salmon carpaccio lacked any flavor, and the slices were so thin that it was nearly impossible to tell it was even salmon. The two pasta dishes were the most tolerable part of the meal, but they were still nothing special. As for dessert, the tiramisu was a major disappointment—overly heavy with fat-laden cream and nothing resembling authentic Italian tiramisu.

Service was equally terrible. We waited an unreasonably long time just to place our order, and the overall experience was frustrating. You can often judge the quality of a restaurant by the condition of its menus, and in this case, it was a clear red flag. The menus were greasy and damp, with some words completely blurred from excessive wear and tear.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this place. There are far better kosher dining...