Gillis on the water - premier eatery in the port
If you like nice places, lots of fresh air, a great menu, head for Gillies at the Old Port in Tel Aviv (Tel: 03-6057777, Hanger 26, Tel Aviv Old Port). On Fridays and Saturdays morning it's short on elbow room but fun to mingle, and great to eat. All popular eateries in Tel Aviv with a good reputation tend to be booked up on these mornings. Gillies is a big restaurant specially when you count the outside deck. On a busy day they serve 100 to 120 people at a time. The menu is a mix of modern Israeli and international dishes. Breakfast and lunch on weekends are about the same, with the added lunch special once in a while. There is a fixed price breakfast with eggs, omelets, sandwiches, and a smoked salmon dish. All three of us chose a version of the breakfast, one the eggs, one the Shakshooka, and one the cured salmon in Tequila.
Gillies at the Old Port on a Saturday morning, a fine place to sit by the water. The meal comes with fresh warm bread that can easily fill you even before the main dish. Together with the Champagne drink, you may want to skip out on the main event. But wait, no such thing. The eggs here are wonderful, although I would rate the Shakshuka "Ashkenazi". That's my description of a Shakshuka with not enough spiciness to make you order your own water jug. But that's not a fault of the place, it's probably just a consequence of the style and the regular diners. If you like your sauce spicy, ask for extra 'hot'. The cured salmon in Tequila turned out to be a great choice. I never imagined doing this with Tequila, so extra point of creativity to the chef here. The Champagne drinks were all good, we has a sampling of all three and they were excellent flavors as together with the breakfast dishes (orange juice, grapefruit juice, and creme de Cassis).
Breakfast half done, take a break and enjoy the sea view. If you come for dinner at Gillies, go for the meat dishes. This is one of good places to order a steak in Tel Aviv and the burgers are excellent as well. They always have a special on the board and the side dishes and deserts are juicy and tasty. Gillies also has a respectable wine list with good complements for the main dishes. Prices are in the 60 to 120 shekel for main dish with 15 to 30 shekel for side dishes. Reservation in peak hours definitely required.
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