ISRAELIS SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

Conventional wisdom claims Israel is in the continent of Asia even though technically she is geographically situated on the African tectonic plate. Israel even shares a common border with Egypt. That explains why Israel is “Africa Hot!” And, perhaps that explains why Israelis are so obsessed about ice cream. Who can resist ice cream on a hot sunny day? Israel has an abundance of sunny days and consequently loads of ice cream. The ice cream here is even infused with middle eastern flavors like bamba, olive oil & salt, arak, tahini & honey, halvah, labneh, za’atar and there is even a hummus flavor. Israelis take their ice cream very seriously. Ice cream vendors walk up and down Israel’s endless stretches of sandy beaches shouting “choco, banana, vanille.” At the end of every nature hike, no matter how far off the beaten track, an ice cream truck will always be waiting with a refreshing cold ice cream treat. In Israel, there are conspicuous refrigerators filled with ice cream delectables in front of every convenience or grocery store. There is even a Hebrew expression for when one randomly bumps into an old friend one hasn’t seen in a long time, “pa’am shlishit glida” or “third time ice cream!”

Here, in no specific order, are a few of my favorite ice creameries in Israel, not mentioning the national chains for example, Aldos, Golda, Leggenda, Vaniglia etc.

Mousseline, Jerusalem- a small parlor serving smooth and delicate French ice cream with non-traditional flavors like my favorite, wasabi, to satisfy my love for all things spicy.

Barbarini, Ashdod- actually a pizzeria serving some incredible home-made Italian ice cream. You can start with an ice cream appetizer before the pizza as I do!  

JetLek, Ashdod- definitely serving ice cream “outside the box” or I should say, “outside the scoop” like their melting chocolate domes and other creative ice cream creations.

Glidat Be’er Sheva, Beer Sheva- a classic old school Israeli ice cream parlor with a great variety of flavors. This is a great place to cool off on your way to the the desert.

Buza, Kibbutz Sasa- deliciously fresh ice cream with a social conscience. Buza is an Arab-Israeli collaboration between Adam Ziv from Kibbutz Sasa and Alaa Sweetat, owner of the renown Aluma restaurant in Tarshiha. Ice cream pays no mind to politics and the pistachio ice cream is incredible.

Shfaram Ice Cream, Shfaram- a landmark ice cream place deep inside the sweet village of Shfaram, where the Zeitoun family has been serving their authentic pistachio ice cream for 3 generations. Delicious, especially when paired with one of their traditional Arab sweets. 

Eissalon, Haifa- far and above the best ice cream in Haifa, made from scratch on premises with all natural ingredients and interesting flavors like lemon basil, tehina and carrot cake or labneh and za’atar (yes, that’s really an ice cream flavor!).

Aglida, Ramat Yishai- This is a fun ice cream stop especially for the kids because of their playground and massive selection of flavors. Ramat Yishai is a great stop when crossing the country first with a meal or delicious baked good at Nadav Kinnuchim  followed by ice cream at Aglida….. or visa versa😉.

Glida Dida, Emek Hefer- a worthwhile stop on Highway 4 when driving up or down the Mediterranean Coast and you are craving a cold treat.

Penguin Ice Cream, Kfar Saba- open since 1951 and the place of my first introduction to ice cream in Israel, so my sentimental favorite. Old fashioned, simple and fresh homemade ice cream with generous servings at a reasonable price.

Italian Park, Tel Aviv- the ice cream here is prepared fresh every morning and is one of the best of many to choose from in Tel Aviv

Otello, Tel Aviv- my new favorite Israeli gelateria and the closest to the real thing in Italy. I especially love the cones filled with warm chocolate from the endless fountains….. and the salted caramel.

Anita, Neve Tzedek- very popular with great ambiance in the heart of trendy Neve Tzedek at the intersection of Shabazi and Penes Streets (inside joke). The ice cream is pretty darn good, too.

Arte Glideria, Tel Aviv- Tel Aviv does it again with this one! Italian couple, Marco Carmorali and Stefania Pagani are making authentic Sicilian ice cream. I love the Italian coffee flavor!