The Old Man and the Sea — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

An absolutely terrible experience at this restaurant. Be careful if you’re a tourist! We ordered the entree in order to receive the small side dishes (which came recommended). The food was very subpar. It was the bill which was the real shocker. We were charged 460 shekels for a kebab of chicken and some teacup sized dishes of green salad and hummus. That’s over $200 Canadian. When we brought it up to the management, who refused to change the bill. Then the owner came, again we were treated appallingly. The all male staff circles your table to make sure no one leaves without paying. It feels quite intimidating.

We asked for their business card and said we would leave an honest review of our experience and the manager replies “We don’t care, how many cards do you need? 10? 20? Take them all. Don’t forget to leave us a review on Facebook either...” !!!!!

I’ve been to Israel before and I’ve never felt tension with any of the other cultures here but the staff at this restaurant made no attempt to hide their hostility towards Jews. They ended up knocking off 100 shekels, which we caved into just to get out of there.

Tel Aviv offers so many unique dining experiences with staff who take pride in sharing their cultures and customs. Don’t waste your money or your time at this pest infested hole in the wall.

update: Both my boyfriend and I are experiencing severe GI upset from last nights nasty, greasy mayo...

Overall experience was very good.

Why 4 stars? Well the appetizers. They were many and didn't look impressive.

The experience:

We were greeted at the door and were taken to an available table. The place was clean, and well maintained. There were many waiters and it was easy to ask for anything. They were very proficient and would immediately respond.

Less than a minute passed and the appetizers were served and we were given menus to order. The appetizers were many and didn't look impressive, looked like they were prepared a while ago. It is understandable it is Saturday and the restaurant is famous, but still I didn't touch many of the appetizers since they looked bland.

The menu is limited, not much to choose from. It has a fish options. Pasta options and chicken options. Sweets and drinks.

The main dish was served quickly. The food was very impressive, after the food we were greeted to either coffee or tea with a sweet, nice gesture.

The price is reasonable and they accept service money.

The place has a bathroom, but you have to climb the stairs which is not good for disabled people.

You have to park the car a few hundred meters away and walk to the restaurant.

Will i come back again? Maybe depends on the mood, but I don't find it that compelling to come back. If there were a few more food options then I would consider coming back.

That's...

I ate here on a Monday night based on a recommendation from local colleagues. What an amazing experience we had. The restaurant wasn't particularly busy which meant getting a table was no problem, but given the size of it, I can imagine it would get pretty busy. We got a seat outdoors overlooking the marina as it was a nice barmy evening. As soon as we sat down, we were surprised by a mass delivery of salads, bread and lemonade. Turns out, these are all complimentary if each diner also purchases a main meal. With that said, the price of the salads is very reasonable if that's all you feel like eating. They also replenish the bread and salads as they run out, so it's very easy to fill up before the mains arrive. The mains themselves are delicious and there is a good selection of both meat, veg and seafood options. Personally I went with prawns in cream sauce, which was delicious. My colleague went for the tandoori whole grouper, which easily was enough for all three of us, so he encouraged us all to try some too, and it was spectacular.

One thing to note is they don't serve alcohol, but to be fair, the lemonade they do serve is so delicious and refreshing that the lack of beer didn't really matter.

All in all, a great dining experience and I would gladly visit again next time...