Shabtai Hayafe — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

What should have been a nice, tasty Shabbat dinner was ruined by the staff. When we sat down, everything seemed great. They brought out lots of salads and everything was tasty. But then the staff started to ruin the evening for our group of 5.

To order anything, had to ask 6 times. Every person of the waitstaff pointing to someone else and saying they couldn’t take the order but it was someone else.

The fish came out. 5/6 dishes were very dry.

But then the real problem started. The check came and they overcharged us for food we didn’t order. Also, they added an auto gratituity of 12%, but then at the bottom of the bill it said in big letters, “no service included”. A flat out lie to trick unsuspecting customers.

And then we waited another 15 minutes with the bill until we figured out you had to go to the other side of the restaurant, an entirely different building to get in line and pay.

As we were waiting for the slow line to move, we talked at a normal jovial tone. Some lady decided that we were enjoying ourselves too much and started to shush us like little children.

At this pointed, I lost it. After waiting for beers or even to order a drink for 30 minutes, after having to fight and beg someone to even look at us, after being forced to run around and figure out how to pay, I was treated like a child in grade school.

AND THEN I REALIZED THE WOMEM WAS A WAITRESS! I asked her why she thought she could shush me?

She said that she wanted to make sure the surrounding patrons had an enjoyable time.

WHERE WAS THIS CONCERN for patrons the previous 2 hours we spent in the restaurant?! She said it wasn’t rude to shush in Israel, I’ve lived in Israel for 5 years. NEVER have I received this service even in a movie theatre.

If you want dry fish and a very rude and inattentive staff, this is your place. Otherwise, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Much better...

Out of the multitude of fish restaurants, Shabtai Ha'yafe is by far the best value for money, as well as fresh and delicious seafood. Within minutes of sitting, you're swamped in multitude of fresh salads, dips and spreads, trying combinations and opening your appetite for the feast yet to come. My personal favorite is the garlic spread... Just let me sit in the corner with a bucket of this stuff and eat it with my hands like a bear with a beehive. Off to the main menu - if you take anything other than seafood, you're a shmuck. Not to say there's anything wrong with skewers of chicken, but would you go to a sushi restaurant and order yakitori? My personal favorite is the shrimp in butter. The shrimp are fresh, the sauce is decadent and everyone at the table.that tries your dish will be jealous. But it's always good to go with more people so you can share the dishes. They have a fantastic fried calamari as well, but their signature dish is a selection of fish cooked "half-half", meaning fried whole, then finished on the grill. Regarding choice of fish, it depends on the season. In the summer the "lavrak" which is a type of seabass is meaty and cooked to perfection. The fried red mullet or barbunia are also delicious and if they're very small, fun to eat whole, as the bones lose their toughness and add to the crunch.

All in all, this place beats out all of the Yaffo fish establishments. It ticks all my boxes for fresh, delicious and fairly-priced fish. And that...

What a pleasant surprise this little restaurant was.

I try and avoid main street restaurants because they tend to be tourist taps. I stumbled upon this little greek Mediterranean restaurant by accident, as it was out of the way, in what seemed like a small alley.

Within 30 seconds of being seated the waiter brought me the wonderful salad, sauces, and bread shown in my pictures. All were fantastic.

I ordered the sauteed shrimp with purple onion and spices. It was one of the best shrimp dishes I've ever eaten. The sautee sauce was so good I used the rest of the bread to soak it up. The dish was served in the pan it was prepared in so it was piping hot.

I would highly recommend...