Inside ITO: Jaffa's New Japanese-Inspired Burger Joint Drawing Crowds
Chef Itay Anon brings a Japanese-inspired twist to Jaffa's Greek Market with his new burger joint, ITO, featuring crispy double smashburgers and premium wagyu sando burgers.
What makes a burger Japanese? It was a hard question for Itay Anon, owner of ITO, a hyped new burger joint in Jaffa's Greek Market. After a brief thought, he explained that the burger itself is not strictly Japanese; rather, the entire surrounding concept takes cues from Japan, featuring soft, symmetrical brioche buns, katsu cheddar aioli, and pickled cabbage.
Anon, who is also a co-owner of the well-known Beit Kandinof restaurant, is joining a growing trend of fine-dining chefs expanding into fast food and casual eateries. However, Anon has chosen to champion the smashburger—a style previously overlooked by top local chefs—and turn it into the star of his new spot in the heart of the Jaffa Flea Market.
Tasting the Smash and Sando Burgers
We tasted both types of burgers available at the venue. The first is a double smashburger: extremely thin, charred, and crispy, topped with pickled cabbage, accompanied by impressive-looking fries. The smashburger is slightly smaller than medium, but each bite is wonderfully fatty and bursting with flavor. The balance is precise, rich, and deeply satisfying, especially for cheese lovers. The fries are exceptionally tasty, wonderfully crispy, and completely devoid of any mealy texture. The pickled cabbage adds a surprising yet spot-on punch to the dish, which costs 58 shekels on its own or 82 shekels as a combo meal with fries and a drink.
The second signature item drawing huge crowds is the sando burger—a hybrid between a classic burger and a Japanese sando, featuring a wagyu beef patty. Traditional sandos are made with soft, crustless shokupan bread and filled with delicate ingredients. ITO's version uses square-cut crustless shokupan bread enclosing a premium wagyu patty from the Seven Springs Farm in northern Israel. Due to the high-end ingredients, the price is steep: 78 shekels for the sando alone, or 102 shekels for the combo meal. While the concept is creative and the flavor is unique, the portion might leave some diners wanting more.
Ultimately, ITO proves that fine-dining expertise can breathe fresh life into the crowded smashburger market. Set in a vibrant neighborhood with few direct competitors, Anon's new venture delivers top-tier street food by merit rather than hype.
