Delicious Israel Food Tours
Tel Aviv food tours? Honestly wasn’t even on my radar until like late last month. Originally I was planning this trip focused mostly on beaches and nightlife, but my friend Rachel who moved to Israel three years ago kept bugging me about trying “real” Israeli food. Not the hummus you get at home but actual local stuff.
She mentioned this company Delicious Israel that takes you to markets where her neighbors shop, not the Instagram-famous places. Sounded sketchy at first because who wants to eat random market food? But Rachel’s pretty picky about restaurants so figured if she was recommending it, might be worth checking out before I leave.
Delicious Food Memories
When I was little, my grandmother would make Yorkshire pudding on special occasions. Whipped up on the spot, she made them from memory, from scratch and with love. She is gone now, but the tastes of her Yorkshire pudding’s crunchy tops and savoury centres remain as vivid in my mind as her jokes and hugs.
This kind of taste and emotional recollection is what I like to call a food memory. These are memories that haul us back to the intersection of delicious food, tradition and love, and leave us with phantom tastes in our mouths.
But what if you could preserve your food memories? Keep them real and alive for everyone to enjoy.
This is exactly what Tel Aviv-based Delicious Israel, is doing for locals and visitors to food memory-rich Israel.
More Food & Travel Experiences
Food tours in Israel are all about real flavors and local stories. But culinary adventures span the globe like Singapore’s iconic chicken rice, Banff’s Balkan restaurant, or Stratford’s autumn feasts. Exploring what locals actually eat is often the most memorable part of any trip.
A Labour of Love
Founded by Jewish American expat Inbal Baum, Delicious Israel guides travellers off the beaten path to authentic food and cultural experiences in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The curated, boutique-style adventures give travellers an insider taste of Israeli lifestyle and kitchens.
Inbal and her team are passionate about connecting visitors to the multigenerational food vendors and sharing the food stories that make Israel’s food so unique. For Inbal, “There’s no better way to connect to culture than through food and people”.
Delicious Beginnings
During my visit, Inbal takes me on a Delicious Israel tasting tour through the Lavinsky Market or Shuk Lavinsky. We start our tour in the narrow market streets crowded with locals and chefs picking up spices, oils, nuts and other goodies. I hear no English, see no familiar logos and realize I am one of only a handful of tourist in the market, I am in a real place.
I learn that the market got its start back in the 1920’s when migrants from Turkey and Greece began to arrive in Israel. Unable to afford housing in the city’s centre, they began establishing themselves on the outskirts of town by doing trade, resale and wholesale in this neighborhood.
As new families from Iran and other regions landed in Lavinsky, the neighborhood grew and the market expanded. These days, the sons, daughters and grandchildren of those 1920s migrants are running the shops, dutifully preserving the food memories of the once immigrant working class.
Tel Aviv Tours
Eat Your Heart Out
Throughout our walk, Inbal introduced me to vendors and told me their stories while we sampled their food. We stop for some Bureka, made by a fourth-generation bread maker, Isha.
This flaky bread with a cheese centre flies off the shelves to Kosher and non-Kosher eaters alike. Looking around the shop, you will see thousand-year-old men sitting alongside skinny-jeaned hipsters all enjoying the Bureka legacy.
Yom Tov Deli – Oldest in Levinsky Market
Yom Tov Deli has its roots in Turkey. Opened in the 1960s by a Turkish Mezze specialist, this shop is known to this day for delicious olives and deli goods. Now run enthusiastically by the Mezze Specialist’s daughter and grandsons, the shop has been updated and reimagined for the future, same food, new memories.
Bourekas Panso
At the Lavinsky’s market’s far corner, the rich aromas of freshly baked bourekas lead you straight to Bourekas Panso. step inside this modest storefront and you’ll meet Yocahi Panso, whose family has been perfecting this flaky pastry for four generations.
Steam still rises from the golden bourekas he’s just pulled from the oven, each one stuffed with creamy Bulgarian cheese and kashkaval, a recipe that made his family legendary back in Istanbul’s old quarters.
“People used to think bourekas were poor man’s food,” Yocahi explains while arranging the warm pastries. “Now they’re celebrated as gourmet cuisine worldwide.” His hands work with the same movements his great-grandfather would have made in Turkey so many decades ago.
There is a Panso family trademark, it originates in that perfect combination of Bulgarian cheese and kashkaval, creating layers of flavor that transport you instantly to the bustling markets of old Istanbul. Each bite carries the weight of generations, immigration stories, and culinary traditions that refuse to fade.
Halva, Malabi, Hummus & Dried Fruits
Along the way we also sample halva, malabi, hummus and dried fruits all woven from the diverse, cultures and experience of the markets inhabitants.
When I leave Inbal, I am sad. I know I can’t make these things in my kitchen or buy them at even the most artisanal of stores. I know that once the food I bought here is gone I am left only with food memories—phantom tastes an all.
Delicious Israel Tel Aviv
Delicious Israel is based in Tel Aviv and offers food tours, wine and food tastings, shuk and cook workshops as well as traditional homemade Shabbat dinners.
Customized food, travel and culture experiences can also be organized in English or Hebrew.
FAQS: Delicious Israel food tours
Q: What makes Delicious Israel food tours different from other Tel Aviv food experiences? A: Delicious Israel focuses on authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences with multigenerational food vendors rather than touristy spots. They take you to real markets where locals shop and share the actual stories behind the food.
Q: Do Delicious Israel tours only operate in Tel Aviv? A: No, they offer curated food and cultural experiences in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. They can also organize customized experiences in either English or Hebrew.
Q: What types of experiences does Delicious Israel offer besides market tours? A: They provide food tours, wine and food tastings, shuk and cook workshops, traditional homemade Shabbat dinners, and customized food, travel and culture experiences.
Q: Is the Lavinsky Market tour suitable for people with dietary restrictions? A: The article mentions that vendors serve both Kosher and non-Kosher eaters, and since experiences are customizable, you should be able to discuss specific dietary needs when booking.
Q: How long has Delicious Israel been operating food tours? A: While the exact founding date isn’t specified, the company was founded by Jewish American expat Inbal Baum and focuses on preserving food memories through authentic cultural experiences.
Q: Can you buy the products you taste during Delicious Israel tours? A: Based on the article, yes – many of the vendors sell their products, and Delicious Israel also offers Koofsa delivery boxes with curated artisanal products, including delivery to the United States.
Q: What’s the group size for Delicious Israel food tours? A: The article describes them as “boutique style adventures,” suggesting smaller, more intimate group sizes, though specific numbers aren’t mentioned. Contact them directly for group size details.
Q: Do you need to speak Hebrew to enjoy Delicious Israel tours? A: No, they offer experiences in both English and Hebrew, and the founder Inbal Baum is a Jewish American expat who clearly conducts tours in English.
Q: What’s special about the vendors in Lavinsky Market? A: Many are multigenerational family businesses – some dating back to the 1920s-1930s. You’ll find fourth-generation bread makers, Turkish mezze specialists, and Greek bakeries that have been neighborhood staples for decades.
Q: How much do Delicious Israel food tours cost? A: Specific pricing isn’t mentioned in the article. Since they offer customized experiences and boutique-style tours, prices likely vary depending on the experience you choose.
