The Gordon Hotel is one of the latest boutique hotels to open in Tel Aviv and its location on the seafront sets it apart from other boutique hotels in the city. The hotel is housed in a Bauhaus landmark that was recently renovated. Tel Aviv is known for its cluster of gorgeous Bauhaus buildings, painted white, thus giving it the name “White City”.

The hotel has only 12 rooms which makes it a more intimate place to stay. Rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology enabling you to control the lighting, drapes, climate settings and more with a simple push of a button. Most rooms feature a spacious terrace with sea view and overlook Tel Aviv’s promenade. There is also a luxurious rooftop suite that includes a private roof area with sunbeds and a hot tub, overlooking the Mediterranean, but it is not available yet.

The bistro overlooking the sea is a perfect place to hang out whether you want only drinks or if you are hungry for delicious Mediterranean cuisine. They will soon be opening a rooftop lounge, which should be even better for hanging out.

The Gordon Hotel’s location is great if you want to go shopping along Dizengoff Avenue or if you want to run along the long, lovely beach of Tel Aviv.

Email the hotel to inquire about a booking.

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If you are going to Israel, make sure you check out our hotel and restaurant reviews. Here are two of the latest boutique hotel reviews in Tel Aviv:

Brown Urban Hotel: glamorous boutique hotel in Tel Aviv

Varsano Luxury Suites: new boutique hotel opens in Tel Aviv

To read all our reviews in Israel (including Jerusalem), go to Mapplr’s Israel travel articles.

Deluxe room at Brown Hotel Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is a fabulous city with amazing food, vibrant nightlife, beaches, culture and art, but until recently, the only suitable accommodations for visitors have been large chain hotels, which have not kept up with the times in terms of design, amenities, and service. Because tourism in Israel has come mostly from tour groups in search of the Holy Land, few locals thought of catering to sophisticated independent travelers or Israelis coming back to visit their families.

That has left the field open for boutique hotels such as the Brown Hotel, which just opened on a quiet street close to the chic Neve Tzedek quarter (my favourite neighborhood in the city). The lovely Rothschild Boulevard and the Carmel market — with its Middle Eastern spices, olives, fresh fruit and vegetables and restaurants — are within walking distance. A ten-minute walk also takes you to the warm waters of the Mediterranean, if you like swimming, and to one of the many beachside restaurants for decadent cocktails and delicious Israeli food.

The design of the Brown Hotel Tel Aviv is a blend of “traditional gentlemen’s club” and 1970s glam. They took a 1950s bank building and created an intimate “private club” feel with dark wooden floors, leather couches and a library. They have 30 rooms that feature large beds, art work by local artists, Egyptian cotton towels and 400 thread-count linens, a walk-in black marble shower with rainforest shower head, 32-inch flat screen TV and free Wi-Fi. Although the rooms are rather small (the largest one is the Deluxe, pictured above), they are designed in a contemporary style with warm, cozy touches. The hotel also has a rooftop terrace for those sunny mornings or balmy evenings (see below).

Rooftop terrace of the Brown Hotel Tel Aviv

Rates for a double room are approximately $175, which is reasonable compared to other boutique hotels in this area which charge $300 and more.

Brown Hotel TLV
25 Kalisher street
Tel Aviv, Israel 65165
+972 3 717 0200
Email the hotel to inquire about a booking.

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Read our top choices for hotels and restaurants in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and all over Israel:

Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Tel Aviv

Mapplr’s favorite cafes, restaurants and bars in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv

Mapplr’s Tel Aviv favorites

Mapplr’s Israel favorites

Craving couscous in Tel Aviv? There are two restaurants I visited on a recent trip: Frida Hecht and Gueta, both of which serve very delicious couscous with options for vegetarians.

Gueta is a family-run kosher restaurant on a main street in Jaffa, close to the clock tower. In addition to couscous, they serve other Libyan dishes. We ordered the couscous complet which comes with a meat dish and a thick spinach and white bean soup, or if you prefer, a lighter vegetable soup with pumpkin, carrots, onions, courgettes and celery. You also get spicy pickled condiments such as filfelchuma. Gueta’s dining room is a large airy place where you can sit comfortably with friends. Service is excellent.

Frida Hecht is an informal tiny place on Ben Yehuda St. (a major thoroughfare that runs parallel to HaYarkon St.), with a couple of tables and a long counter by the window. It seems to be mostly a takeaway location although when I had lunch here, I saw others sitting along the counter quietly enjoying their couscous meals. As with Gueta, the main attraction is the couscous. The mafroum at Frida Hecht is amazing: savoury spiced ground lamb stuffed in vegetables and cooked in a tangy sauce to accompany your couscous. I loved the vegetable soup at Frida Hecht, too, which is very similar to the one I had at Gueta.

The food at both restaurants is not expensive so if you are going to Tel Aviv on a budget, these are excellent places to eat.

Gueta
6 Sderot Yerushalayim
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 681 3993
http://www.2eat.co.il/GUETA/ (Hebrew)

Frida Hecht
20 Ben Yehuda St.
Tel Aviv, Israel

Fresh olives at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv

If you looking for a restaurant that serves “fresh from the market” cuisine in Tel Aviv, check out HaBasta, a tiny restaurant located on a street off the Carmel Market. They serve tapas (or small plates) and have an excellent wine list to accompany the food. When we went to HaBasta last week, we ordered three toasted baguette slices topped with mussels, smoked salmon and mackerel; steak tartare; and ceviche. The fish was very fresh and delicious. On warm evenings, it’s a delight to sit outside and drink cold glasses of cava. The menu of HaBasta changes daily depending upon what’s on offer in the Carmel Market. Because it is very popular among locals, it’s important to call and reserve in advance.

HaBasta
4 HaShomer Street
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 516-9234
(near the Carmel Market)

Charcuterie is one of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv if you like a lively atmosphere, outdoor dining and excellent meat dishes. The restaurant is located on an alley off the Jaffa flea market, an area that has become very popular for dining and drinking outdoors.

Charcuterie specializes in meat dishes (as the name suggests) and offers different kinds of sausages and salumi in addition to sirloin steak and veal. I went to Charcuterie with friends this week and we ordered several dishes to share (the best way to try out the restaurant’s specialties). The merguez sausages were savoury and lightly spiced, and like the other meat dishes, served with spaetzle (small potato dumplings). The sirloin steak was cooked to perfection and very juicy. The menu also has several pasta (for example, black pasta with shrimp, mussels and calamari) and vegetable dishes for those who want variety.

Charcuterie is run by Vince Muster (formerly of Vince and Tamar); he runs another popular restaurant in Tel Aviv called The Container on the Jaffa Port, this time focusing on seafood. As with other restaurants in Tel Aviv, the best time to dine is after 9:00 p.m.

Charcuterie
3 Rehov Rabbi Chanina
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 682 8843

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Read our review of The Container on the Jaffa port.

The Container is one of the newest restaurants to appear on the Tel Aviv dining scene. It is located in Jaffa Port in a cavernous warehouse that incorporates an art gallery and a bar. The interiors of the restaurant retain the rough, unpolished look and feel of a scruffy port building which contrasts well with the trendy backlit bar area, and the sophisticated cuisine of the place. The Container is the latest restaurant of Vince Muster, who owns the fabulous Charcuterie (a restaurant specializing in meat dishes also located in Jaffa, but on a side street off the flea market).

The Container’s menu consists of an eclectic mix of North African, Middle Eastern and Italian dishes, with fresh seafood as the centrepiece, and vegetables prepared in an innovative way. On the evening that we dined there, we had:

Since it was a beautiful warm evening, we sat outside in front of the fishing boats, enjoying the gentle sea breeze.

Jaffa Port does not have the crowds or the liveliness of the Tel Aviv port, but this will change soon. The town of Jaffa is undergoing massive gentrification, with luxury hotels and apartment buildings sprouting up wherever there is an empty lot or a historic building to upgrade. Already Jaffa is home to many of Tel Aviv’s most trendy restaurants such as Charcuterie and the recently opened, innovative Shakuf.

The Container
Old Jaffa Port, Warehouse No. 2
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 683 6321

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Read our review of Charcuterie.

Shakuf is one of the latest restaurants to appear on the Israeli dining scene and it stands out above the others by its unusual combination of ingredients, the surprising way in which the food is served, and the stylish, industrial chic interiors of the restaurant in a very quiet neighborhood in Jaffa, nowhere near the Jaffa port where most of the other trendy restaurants are located. The crowd is young and fashionable, but not snobbish. Service is impeccable.

The prix fixe menu changes daily and has two options: a tasting menu and a chef’s menu (185 NIS and 235 NIS, respectively, which is $50 and $65). They have a wine list that includes several wonderful Israeli wines. I love the unusual combinations of meat, fish and vegetables, the unconventional ways in which they are served (for example, one dish came in small wooden containers that resemble shallow flower boxes), and the novel twists on traditional Mediterranean dishes like shakshuka. The portions are small so you won’t feel uncomfortably stuffed at the end of the evening. The food reminds me of Noma (the Copenhagen restaurant that is considered right now to be the best restaurant in the world). Not surprising, given that Eldad Shem-Tov (the founder and chef of Shakuf) completed an apprenticeship at Noma. He has previously worked at Alain Ducasse, Per Se and dw50 in Manhattan.

The restaurant is located in a large cavernous space with very high ceilings. Diners sit on a bar that surrounds and faces the open kitchen, allowing them to see how the food is cooked and how it is artfully arranged on plates. There are a few tables in distant corners for those who don’t want to sit around the bar, but they are definitely not the best places to sit as they are far away from the action.

Because they have room for only 40 guests, you have to reserve in advance. The restaurant may be a bit difficult to find at night. All you will see is a steel door on a run down building in a dark quiet neighborhood. But it is absolutely worth visiting if you are in Tel Aviv.

Shakuf
Magen Avraham 2
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
+972 (0)3 758 6888
Google map showing Shakuf

A new boutique hotel called Varsano Suites has just opened in Neve Tzedek my favorite neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Until now, I’ve been sending people to Nina Suites, which is a terrific place to stay and until recently the only boutique hotel in the area, but unfortunately is often fully booked. Now I can point people to Varsano Luxury Suites, just down the street. There are four types of suites (total of 6 apartments) arranged around an inner courtyard: Studio ($280), Deluxe ($350), Loft ($400) and Family ($550).

All suites have a kitchen, WiFi, washer-dryer, air conditioning (necessary in the steamy Tel Aviv summers), and flat screen TVs. Varsano is just a stone’s throw from the Susan Dallal Center where you can see many theatre and dance performances. You can also walk to the beach, just minutes away, shop in one of the many trendy boutiques in Neve Tzedek, hang out in the cafes and patisseries, or if you feel you need to get your running legs in shape, run all the way to Jaffa, which isn’t so far away. In fact, you can walk there.

Whether or not you stay in the area, read and print out Mapplr’s favorite cafes, restaurants and bars in Neve Tzedek.

Make sure you check out all of my articles on Tel Aviv, including restaurant reviews. But if you must venture outside Tel Aviv, I have other restaurant recommendations in Jerusalem and beyond, as well as boutique hotel recommendations in Haifa, Zafed and Jerusalem. Of course, residents of Tel Aviv will inquire why on earth you would even consider venturing outside the Pearl of the Mediterranean, but as soon as you try to think of a diplomatic response, you’ll realize that their attention has already wandered off to figuring out where the best parties are later in the evening. Tel Aviv is a fabulous party town.

Varsano Luxury Suites
11 Shabazi St.
65148 Neve Tzedek
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 77 5545 500
www.varsano.co.il
Email the hotel to inquire about a booking.

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Go to: Mapplr’s Favorite Places in Tel Aviv on a Google Map

If you are going to Tel Aviv and want to stay in a boutique hotel, check out the newly opened Art + Hotel within walking distance from the beach. What makes Art + Hotel unique is they feature works of art (video installations, murals) by leading Israeli artists. The retro-style furniture and modern design, the rooftop sun deck and art gallery will make this hotel one of your favorites in the city. There are 62 rooms (including 8 suites), plus free Wi-Fi available throughout the hotel.

Art Plus Hotel
35 Ben Yehuda Street
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 7971700
http://www.atlas.co.il/art-hotel-tel-aviv/

Check out all of my favorite hotels and restaurants in Tel Aviv.

Hotel Montefiore Tel Aviv

There are two boutique hotels I recommend: Nina Cafe Suites in Neve Tzedek and Hotel Montefiore near Rothschild Boulevard. Both are fabulous, but unfortunately, quite expensive. So I’ve also listed two alternatives which are less luxurious but they still beat staying in an impersonal chain hotel.

Gordon Hotel & Lounge
2 J.L. Gordon Street
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 520 6100

Varsano Luxury Suites
11 Shabazi St.
65148 Neve Tzedek
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 77 5545 500
www.varsano.co.il

Brown Hotel TLV
25 Kalisher street
Tel Aviv, Israel 65165
+972 3 717 0200
http://www.browntlv.com/

Hotel Montefiore
Montefiore 36
Tel Aviv, Israel
+972 3 5646100
www.hotelmontefiore.co.il

Nina Cafe Suites
29 Shabazi Street
Tel Aviv
+972 52 508 41 41
www.ninacafehotel.com

Melody Hotel
220 Hayarkon Street
+972-3-5215300
www.atlas.co.il/melody-hotel-tel-aviv

Cinema Hotel
1 Zamenhoff Street
+972-3-5207100
www.atlas.co.il/cinema-hotel-tel-aviv

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Click here to see all of the articles I have written about restaurants and hotels in Tel Aviv.