Local cocktail master Ariel Leizgold can take credit for the drinks at this welcoming “gastro-bar” with a French bistro feel. Cocktails skew artsy and inventive, with names to match, like the Je Suis Old Fashioned, Cafe Fou, and Ami et Tami (Hansel and Gretel). Chef Yogev Yehro is in charge of the lunch, weekend brunch, and evening menus, which skew classic French — look for moules frites and canard a l’orange.

Celebrity chef Avi Levy is behind the kitchen at Popular, which easily lives up to its name among the city’s young and fashionable crowd. The menu focuses on bold and spicy seafood dishes, Mediterranean renditions of meat classics like Israeli roast beef, phyllo cigars filled with Jerusalem mixed grill (chicken hearts, spleen, and liver), and vegetable-centric dishes like potato carpaccio and roasted cabbage steaks. The weekend brunch is one of the most loved in the city, due to the boundless salads and the lengthy menu with dishes like ceviche with sour cream, beef bourguignon, and scrambled eggs with mushroom ragu. The all-inclusive menu costs a mere 98 shekels ($27) per-person.

Israel’s first Tiki bar comes courtesy of Yotam Shilo and Mosh Budnik, the duo behind some of the most popular bars in Tel Aviv. The retro concept of ultra-colorful, Polynesian-inspired drinks is new to the city, and so far locals are lapping it up, along with the menu of poke bowls, tuna-meets-sushi burgers, and other kitschy bites that pair well with the place’s party spirit and neon decor.

One of the best-received openings in recent memory is Igra Rama, a vegetable-focused — but not vegetarian — restaurant that exclusively uses local ingredients, including whatever’s swimming just off shore. You’ll find fried local Maggie tomatoes atop a cold Maggie tomato soup with local goat cheese or tzatziki, made with ginger, lime, and radishes. The space, around the corner from the Carmel Market in the center of the Israeli balagan (chaos), has the cozy feel of a Tel Avivian home.

What began as a pop-up is here to stay. Located within the Carmel Market, this tiny stand takes standard Israeli street food — pitas stuffed with meats, sauces, and salads — and gives it a global spin. Here you’ll find Asian, Middle Eastern, and South American flavors, all shoved in freshly steamed pita. The caramelized eggplant makes the perfect cushion for ground lamb and an array of colorful toppings, and don’t skip the Tunisian ceviche or anything smothered in the delicious beetroot chutney.

Brothers Asaf and Yotam Doktor have managed to spend the last several years at the forefront of Tel Aviv’s modern Israeli food scene, first with Ha’achim, then with Dok, and now Abie. This is Israeli cuisine in all its glorious simplicity: hyperlocal ingredients, fresh fish, and lots of vegetables and herbs, all prepared without a hint of pretension. With a vibe that’s both buzzy and relaxed, Abie is a reminder that Israeli food goes far beyond falafel and shawarma.

Mixologist Bar Shira’s famed Imperial bar has been named one of the World’s 50 Best Bars three times. Now, situated on the ground floor of the Fabric hotel on Nahalat Binyamin, is Shira’s newest venture: Bushwick. The place is designed to take you all the way from morning coffee to cocktails, without a drinking lull in between. No matter what time of day you start imbibing, the snacky menu of comfort foods — minute steaks with fried eggs, chicken nuggets with Sriracha aioli — does not disappoint.

Chef Yoram Nitzan’s famed Mul Yam restaurant was forced to close in 2015 due to a fire. Now the chef is back with Nomi, located in the David Intercontinental hotel right across from Tel Aviv’s beachside promenade. His is a fine dining take on kosher Mediterranean cuisine, emphasizing local ingredients and ultra-creative takes on modern Israeli dishes like lamb siniya with grilled okra and warm tahini sauce, dover sole with turnip lemongrass broth and Granny Smith apples, and steak and eggs with arugula foam and smoked goose crumble.

L28 is the culinary arm of Startup Nation, a nonprofit organization committed to nurturing Tel Aviv’s booming tech community. Located on Lilienblum Street, a hub for several local startups, L28 is part pop-up restaurant and part culinary incubator, showcasing an up-and-coming Israeli chef every six months, who in turn gains valuable experience, exposure, and mentorship. Check the L28 Facebook page for the latest star behind the stove.

The newest pair of restaurants from the established R2M group (Brasserie, Hotel Montefiore, Delicatessen, and more) is Hertzl 16 and Disco Tokyo. The first is a bit of everything: part bar, part restaurant, part family-friendly art gallery and concert venue. Next door, Disco Tokyo embraces Izakaya-style small plates inspired by the whole of Asia, like mandu (Korean dumplings), samosas, and burgers with sweet Japanese ketchup. All this accompanies an extensive drinks menu of sakes, matcha martinis, and yuzu daiquiris.

Guy Gamzo, of the upscale Aria, is the latest in a wave of chefs who’ve opened low-key street food concepts on the side. Nu Nu Nu roughly translates to “no no no” (complete with wagging finger gesture), and the over-the-top, indulgent menu here follows suit. Picture this: Fat, buttery milk buns, a cross between challah and French toast, topped with neon-yellow mac and cheese, slow-cooked brisket, and chicken barbecue. These are nouveau munchies for the Instagram era.

Modernist vegan food doesn’t get any better than this: a fine dining version of now-shuttered Tel Aviv favorite Miss Kaplan, where chef Shirel Berger drove the city wild with her smoky carrot hot dog. At the intimate Opa, she serves up clever, haute cuisine-style vegan dishes like fennel with smoked apple vinegar, tarragon, and fennel seeds or Chinese cabbage with smoked lime, habanero, and pistachios. Take advantage of the shareable tasting menu, which costs 340 shekels (about $95) per couple to try the whole menu. Reservations are a must.

HaKubia is located in Shuk Hatikva, an under-discovered gem of a market in South Tel Aviv. Here, chef Jalal Salem serves up kosher Middle Eastern dishes, chock-full of super-fresh ingredients straight from the surrounding market stalls. Try the arayes, fried meat-stuffed pitas with white tahini, or one of the creative vegetable plates, like artichokes in white wine with hot pepper and raisins or and crunchy fried cauliflower with tahini. Walk off lunch with a stroll through the market, or pop into the kosher Cafe Hodaya, a buzzy Mediterranean spot just across the way by the same owners.