The chef of the trendiest restaurants in Tel Aviv has shed his ego in favor of mama's food

About Pranzo

Chef: Einav Azgari

Cuisine type: Home-cooked meals

Kosher: No

Restaurant design: David Ohayon

Menu type: Lunch and dinner

Price range: 44–84 NIS for a business lunch. Every day from 19:00–19:30 there is a 30% discount on all fresh food sold by weight.

Address: Basel 37, Tel Aviv

Phone: 054-8285517

Opening hours: Sunday–Thursday 10:30–19:30; Friday 09:00–16:00

Pranzo is a "kitchen deli" on Basel Street in Tel Aviv. Behind it are Hezi Nahum, Omri Sibul, and Mikey Cohen. Nahum and Sibul, founders of the Mela cafe, teamed up with Cohen to create an alternative to urban eating habits. To do this, they recruited Einav Azgari, one of the most respected chefs on the local food scene ("Servisaria", "Bar a Vin", "Nordinio", LP, and more).

In the last year, Azgari decided to slow down, shed his ego, and return to the pots: "Cooking stews and rolling kubbeh is returning to what I loved in the first place — preparing food for people that accompanies them in their daily lives." Azgari's stews can be bought to take home by weight, or you can sit and eat on the spot for a business lunch: choose a main dish (protein), add two sides (salad and grain), and settle the bill for 44–84 NIS per diner.

Why we chose it

Who wouldn't be happy to have a chef like Azgari cook for them every day cauliflower mafrum, meatballs in tomato sauce, beef bourguignon, oven-roasted chicken with caramelized onions, Greek moussaka, or salmon in miso butter? Pranzo is based exactly on this fantasy. Azgari cooks "grandmother's food" from all kinds of ethnicities, which feels like home but bears the touch of a chef who knows exactly what he is doing. The chef has returned to being a cook, and now he is cooking for people, not for Instagram. In this sense, Pranzo is much more than a ready-made food deli; it represents the rise of the "restaurant-delis" — a new generation of eateries that blur the line between a restaurant and a home kitchen.

Chef's bio

Einav Azgari, 49, was born in Kibbutz Hukok. After the army, he worked in Rosh Pinna, then moved to France following the advice of chef Eyal Lavi. Upon returning to Israel, he worked in catering and later co-founded places like "Bar a Vin" and "Nordinio". After working as a chef for the Imperial group and the closure of LP in 2025, Azgari took a professional break to open a new chapter. The answer: Pranzo.

Signature dish

"This is the best-selling dish here by far, so it's probably the signature dish," says Azgari. "The Israeli wants to eat schnitzel for lunch." Previously, Azgari served a veal schnitzel fried in goose fat, but in a deli, there is no room for such cooking. Now he bakes it using an air fryer method, resulting in a healthier schnitzel that you can eat every day.

4 more delis of the new generation

1. HaMitbach Shel Telo (Tzahala): A wonderful food house by sisters Telo and Roni Avrahami, focusing on high-quality raw materials and soulful home cooking.

2. Tena (Ramat Aviv): A combination of a daily kitchen, deli products, a cafe, and a wine bar.

3. Lupa (Levontin): An Italian restaurant-deli by chef Eitan Vonunu, featuring fresh daily pasta and dreamy lasagnas.

4. Ila (Shenkin): An urban "dining corner" combining seasonal cooked food with products from small local producers, curated by food expert Efrat Anzel.