'Etzel Oved ba-Kfar' has arrived in Tel Aviv: Meet 'Etzel Oved ba-Ir'
Yesterday it finally happened: after long months of waiting, the beloved restaurant opened its doors for a soft launch in a very central location. So what do they eat at 'Etzel Oved ba-Ir', are the prices the same as in the mother branch in Or Yehuda, and will we see long lines here too?
2026 is undoubtedly the year of skewers, and north Tel Aviv has received another skewer house. Not entirely new like the 'Sneh ha-Bo'er' skewer house, but an old friend, if not one of the most beloved and well-known skewer houses in the country. Say hello to the first Tel Aviv branch of 'Etzel Oved ba-Kfar', and its name in Tel Aviv: 'Etzel Oved ba-Ir'. The new location is situated in the area of the tennis courts at the intersection of Rokach and Shitrit streets, just a stone's throw from the Luna Park.
It is a very large restaurant with about 500 seats. It features a huge grill, and the tablecloths are replaced by parchment paper, as Nadav Bornstein tells us. The meal begins with a thick, large taboon pita and 12 salads served with honor to the table (36 shekels per diner over the age of 6). There is also hummus (32 shekels), chips (31 shekels), vegetable salad (32 shekels), and falafel with tahini (25 shekels).
The menu also includes new dishes like mushrooms roasted with Odia and potatoes or sweet potatoes on the fire (22 shekels). There is also a cabbage skewer (25 shekels), which has become the Tel Aviv flagship dish. Compared to the original branch, 'Etzel Oved ba-Ir' does not have shawarma yet (though it is on the menu for 82 shekels per plate, so it will arrive soon), but skewers and steaks are definitely there. There are 13 types of skewers, among them classics like pargit (chicken thigh), kebab, hearts, and chicken liver (38-42 shekels), as well as special ones like chicken breast kebab (43 shekels), goose breast (65 shekels), entrecote skewer (65 shekels), turkey testicles, and veal sweetbreads (96 shekels).
There are also two fish dishes: salmon skewer (52 shekels) and fish kebab in chraime sauce (75 shekels). Other options include schnitzel with chips (45 shekels), goose liver (150 shekels), hamburger (65 shekels), hamburger with goose liver (95 shekels), entrecote steak (185 shekels), lamb chops (185 shekels), fillet medallions (185 shekels), and a nostalgic dish, the goose fillet duet (205 shekels). For desserts, there is malabi, bavaria, chocolate cake, creme brulee, baklava, and American ice cream (27-45 shekels), all parve.
'Etzel Oved ba-Kfar' has been considered for years one of the most sought-after addresses in Israel for meat-on-the-fire lovers. Its success was not planned in advance; the place opened about 20 years ago in a simple shack inside a nursery in the rural area of Or Yehuda and gradually became a beloved institution. It is precisely this simplicity that made it a pilgrimage site for a wide audience. In recent years, the place has received an additional boost and has been discovered as a preferred destination for celebrities like Noa Kirel, Omer Adam, Bar Refaeli, and Odia, who documented themselves eating there, causing the place to explode on social networks.
The new restaurant in north Tel Aviv has large windows and overlooks the tennis courts. It took almost a year to build, and it offers a completely different experience from the modest atmosphere that characterized the original restaurant in Or Yehuda. Oved continues to expand, with another smaller branch currently in the works in the 'Ha-Duvdevan' complex in Kiryat Ono.
Tennis complex, 63 Rokach Blvd, Hadar Yosef. Sunday-Thursday from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Kosher.
