Excellent meal. Looked after really well by Abdul. Helped us after to order a taxi and showed us to the car. Amazing service !

Throughout the '50s and '60s Safed, one of Judaism's four Holy Cities, was known throughout Israel as a bohemian artsy community which did not attract many religiously‐observant visitors. The Artists Colony included many of Israel's greatest artists of the era including Moshe Castel, Yitzhak Frenel, Modechai Levanon, Tziona Tragger and Moshe Rosenthalis. Travelers note that during those years, it was almost impossible to find a kosher restaurant, with any sort of hechsher, in Safed. By the '70s the old artists were no longer able to open their galleries during the summers and the younger, secular Israeli artists preferred to stay in Tel Aviv. The Artist Quarter became populated by religious families, many from English‐speaking countries, as well as new artists who were religiously observant. Today all restaurants and eateries in Safed are kosher. There are plenty of traditional falafel and schwarma spots in the city but there are also a number of unique eateries which can fit any taste and budget.

Isadora Café and Gan Eden Restaurant

The Isadora Café is located in the Artist Quarter near the Khan of the White Donkey. The café is an outdoor coffee shop where patrons can enjoy dairy dishes including soups, sandwiches, burekkas, pastas and salads. Isadora opens during spring, summer and fall by 9:00a.m. and closes in the evenings, approximately 8:00p.m. Isadora Café is a sister‐restaurant to the Gan Eden restaurant which is located on Mt. Cana'an, next to the Cana'an Spa. Gan Eden serves a variety of fish dishes in addition to the dairy menu. Gan Eden has won accolades from several Israeli restaurant reviewers. The two restaurants are owned by the same family and both are under the supervision of the Safed Rabbinute.

HaAri 8

HaAri 8 is located on the ground floor of the Carmel Hotel along HaAri street, the road that skirts the northern border of the Old Jewish Quarter of Safed. The restaurant is small so it can provide patrons with plenty of personal attention. HaAri 8's menu is a meat menu and includes mixed grill, beef steak, lamb shops, goose liver and hamburgers, all of which are served with salads and potatos or chips. Additional menu items include snitzels, kababs, soups, fish and roasted eggplant with tehina. The restaurant has a mehadrin hechsher from the Safed rabbinate.

Lachuch

One of Safed's most popular eateries is a unique take‐out spot located amidst the new galleries on Josef Caro/Shlomo Alkabetz Street. Ronen, a Yemenite Jew, opened his eatery several years ago and it has quickly become a favorite among tourists from many countries. Ronen makes his lachuchs fresh so patrons can choose their fillings. The lachuch is a yeast‐based pancake which is lightly fried in olive oil in a cast‐iron pan with traditional Yemenite spices and herbs along with sliced vegetables and grated Safed goats cheese. The lachuchs can be eaten at the restaurant, either in the back or at one of the tables that are set up out on the street. Alternately, it can be wrapped and taken as a take‐out. Ronen uses all mehadrin products, including the local cheese from the Safed Kadosh dairy.

Kadosh Cheeses

The Kadosh family has been making goats and sheeps‐milk cheeses in Safed for over 100 years, ever since the first family members walked to Safed from Morocco in the early 1900s.

The dairy sells a variety of local cheeses including soft salty Bulgarian and ricotta cheeses harder cheeses such as those marinated in Merlot wine, camembert cheese and kashkaval cheese. They also sell labana (a creamy sour cheese) and yogurt. Most patrons buy the cheeses by the kilo but there are a few tables and chairs in the dairy where visitors can sit and enjoy a "laffa" (large open pita‐like bread) with labana spread over the bread and fillings of different cheeses and side dishes of stuffed grape leaves and home.

Laurie Rappeport has lived in Safed, Israel for over 25 years and worked at the Tourist Information Center in the Old Jewish Quarter for 13 years. She continues to be involved in a wide range of projects which are aimed at bringing visitors to Safed to enjoy the religious, historical, cultural and artistic sites and experiences that the city has to offer. Laurie blogs at Safed.blogspothttp://www.safed.blogspot.co.il