Shabtai Hayafe
Shabtai Hayafe things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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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 garlic spread!!!!!
Gill GarbourgGill Garbourg
10
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 this restaurant.
J Z (Captain Z)J Z (Captain Z)
00
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 options all around.
Benjamin AronovBenjamin Aronov
60
A very pleasant and slightly unusual place. Unusual due to the fact that this is not one whole place, but a couple of small enclosed spaces with a "courtyard" between them. Clean and nice with good staff. My wife and I ordered one large portion of fish for two persons(Locus), a couple pieces of hot bread and two glasses of wine. The fish turned out to be little more expensive than I expected(It was an advice of the waiter, not from the menu), but it was good. We really liked it. P.S.: About photo of their bar, according to the administrator's words, at that moment, the bar was not yet fully ready.
Alexandr OrlovAlexandr Orlov
00
Superb othentic Greek restaurant with a bit of East- Mediterranean touch. Amazing atmosphere, very good quality of products and dishes, unique Greek cousin and the owner is the nicest ever! We came, a couple, at Saturday noon (May, no reservations, and there were a place available), the place was almost full, glad buzzy atmosphere, fast and good service. Usually you get 12 small salads with the main course, but it not a muat, and it is amazing! Including hyssop pita bread, going great with the salads. It's really good, not 5 star for me. We enjoyed it a lot :)
Ori BandelOri Bandel
00
WATCH OUT FOR WAITER SERVICE CHARGE SCAM. We had a waiter show us a receipt that had 17% service cost included in Hebrew and he said this was "tax" and said service is not included (pointed to the bottom message in the receipt). My friend spoke Hebrew and told him that's not correct as he already included the service fee and we said we wanted to give 12% service fee only. He pulled out another receipt quickly, realized we found him out and tried to give us ouzo shots to look over the whole thing. SCAM! Good food though.
Andrzej OmietanskiAndrzej Omietanski
40
Nearby Attractions Of Shabtai Hayafe
Jaffa Flea Market
The Clock Tower
Park HaTachana
נמל יפו
Jerusalem Beach
Nalaga'at Center
St. Peter's Church
Abrasha Park
Ilana Goor Museum
Jaffa Light

Jaffa Flea Market
4.4
(6.7K)Click for details

The Clock Tower
4.5
(5.9K)Click for details

Park HaTachana
4.2
(5.7K)Click for details

נמל יפו
4.5
(3.6K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Shabtai Hayafe
Alma Beach
The Old Man and the Sea
Manta Ray
Italian restaurant Gemma
Onza
Hummus Abu Hassan
Big Itzik
Kalamata
Ramesses by the box Restaurant
סנט ג'ורג' Saint George

Alma Beach
4.4
(4.1K)$$
Click for details

The Old Man and the Sea
4.2
(4.2K)$$
Click for details

Manta Ray
4.3
(3.4K)$$$
Click for details

Italian restaurant Gemma
4.4
(1.5K)$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
HaTsorfim St 38, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Map
Phone
+972 3-683-2250
Call
Website
ontopo.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.3
(907 reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
attractions: Jaffa Flea Market, The Clock Tower, Park HaTachana, נמל יפו, Jerusalem Beach, Nalaga'at Center, St. Peter's Church, Abrasha Park, Ilana Goor Museum, Jaffa Light, restaurants: Alma Beach, The Old Man and the Sea, Manta Ray, Italian restaurant Gemma, Onza, Hummus Abu Hassan, Big Itzik, Kalamata, Ramesses by the box Restaurant, סנט ג'ורג' Saint George
