Beer Bazaar
Etz Chaim 3, main covered street in the shuk
Phone - 02 671 2559
Hours: Sunday through Thursday- 11 a.m. to last customer
Friday - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday evening - 2 hours after Shabbat ends to last customer
Kashrut - Rabbinut yerushalayim
Avi and Helen Moskowitz from Brooklyn owned two businesses in America. When they came to Israel, they wanted to open and create a startup "to help the Israeli economy," explains Tova Israeli, their daughter who handles marketing. In 2013, they opened Beer Bazaar in Tel Aviv with a partner. Today, there are two more Beer Bazaars in the Carmel Shuk, one on Levinsky Street, one on Rothschild and, since November 2015, one in Machaneh Yehudah.
Beer Bazaar at Machaneh Yehudah has 100 Israel craft beers, all mehedrin and six are house beers.
In the main room, there are10 bar stools on which to sit. In the private courtyard, there are 6 bar stools at a bar, 47 seats at tables, and 29 bar tools divided to both sides.
The Beer Bazaar serves lunch and snacks and since we frequent them vey often for their lunch offerings, we decided to drop in one evening for dinner.
On the lunch/dinner part of the menu, there are only two sandwiches and hot dogs, but these are our favorites!
For snacking, there is Beef jerkey (NIS26), a South African treat (NIS28), humus, nachos and salsa, endamame, pretzel and dips, nuts forbeer, smores pie, and beer popsicle. Beverages and spirits; beer by the bottle and other sizes are also on the menu.
Tova, our hostess, started out as a waitress, then shift manager, events manager and now does the marketing and teaches high school. "It's primarily a beer garden, more of an Israeli craft bar," she said.
"The food is inspired by the beer. Everything on the menu compliments a beer in a different way. The meats are cured here."
And what great meats.
Beef jerky (NIS26) is a naturally cured and smoked snack--very chewy, very spicy and very good.
Biltong is a South African snack (NIS26) soft, in strips of heavenly meat!
We can't deny it--the next two are our favorites: Lamb bacon turkey club (NIS52). Turkey bacon, lamb bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion are so high, you have to look to see you can divide each half to fit into your mouth!
The hot pastrami with coleslaw, beer mustard, kettle cooked chips and pickles (NIS46) called a Tarantius, is likewise mouthwatering and my companion's absolute favorite. Frequently, he asks, "if you're going to the shuk, bring home the hot pastrami from Beer Bazaar for lunch."
I'm a bit more conservative, and the New York-style hot dog with sauerkraut (NIS26), beer mustard, pickles and kettle cooked chips is really my favorite.
What are the best sellers, we asked Tova? "The best sellers by far are the lamb bacon club and the hot pastrami."
The former chef, Chaim David, created the recipes. When he left to become a brewer, he left his recipes, and every recipe is made the same way.
Whom do you attract as customers? "We attract tourists as much as we attract locals," said Tova. "During the day from 11 a.m. to 3 or 4, customers are tourists, some businessmen and older people."
When I lead my shuk walks on Sunday and Monday at 11 and stop to explain about Beer Bazaar, most of the people are a bit older and mention this is a good place for those luscious sandwiches.
From 4 to
9.pm, Tova tells us people come for dinner. After 9, the very young, 18 to 30, come.
Thursday night "is crazy night. The private room opens out onto Jaffa Road where there are tables and chairs, and we can get 600 people."
"We are here to evolutionize Israel craft beer and appreciate Israel craft beer," she adds.
If you're looking for a fun place, with lots of energy all the time, for lunch or dinner or to chat with Eitan, the Brooklyn chef and manager, or to try Israeli beers, stop in at Machaneh Yehudah's Beer Bazaar.
The author was a guest of Beer Bazaar.
