Rehovot has a promising new addition on its dining scene with the opening of Zaks Brasserie. The restaurant sits away from the busy city center, in the heart of a quiet residential neighborhood, and pairs a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of parking with a contemporary, sharply presented menu and a strong list of Israeli wines.
A Connection to Local History
The restaurant's name carries real roots in the city's history. The Zaks family, led by Ephraim Zaks, was among the early pioneers and settlers of Rehovot, and took an active part in building the moshava and laying the groundwork for its community and agriculture.
Ephraim Zaks specialized in growing citrus orchards and almond groves, and both ingredients show up throughout the menu. The restaurant's staff calls them the "Zaks values" and points to how they're worked into the dishes: almonds, olive oil, fresh herbs, and the scent of a citrus grove.
Design and Atmosphere
The dining room has an open, deliberate design that creates a sense of space, air, and natural flow. The relaxed seating layout, combined with a wide opening to the outdoors, sets a loose, unhurried mood. On pleasant days, guests can sit in the green garden.
The open kitchen lets diners see behind the scenes and watch Chef David Levy at work. Levy brings years of experience from kitchens in Israel and abroad, and has built a balanced menu that gives familiar dishes a current twist while keeping a close focus on flavor, texture, and presentation. His attention to small details comes through in every dish.
What We Ate
We opened the meal with a special nod to the Zaks family legacy: a delicately salted almond macaron filled with eggplant and dried tomato compote, an intriguing and distinctive opener. Alongside the meal we chose a Barbera from Lueria Winery in the north, a wine we're especially fond of.
From the Starters
House bread is excellent house-baked sourdough, served with spiced butter, grated tomato salsa, and white eggplant cream (26 ₪).
Sea fish sashimi comes served with green harissa vinaigrette, herb salsa, delicately salted almonds, and black tobiko. It's a beautiful, flavor-rich dish where the fish's freshness stands out (72 ₪).
Artichoke and truffle risotto is a classic risotto in artichoke and truffle cream, with white wine, sage, and a crisp artichoke on top. It's rich and juicy, with a bold artichoke flavor and a touch of truffle. We enjoyed this dish a lot, and it's good to see the menu also offers a strong option for vegetarian and gluten-free diners (66 ₪).
Beef tartare comes served on a spinach bread bruschetta with smoked aioli and quail egg yolk. It's a classic, rich dish, and the contrast between the crisp bruschetta and the tender meat makes it especially worth ordering (74 ₪).
Tomato salad mixes green tomato, Maggie tomato, juicy tomatoes, beefsteak tomato, bay-leaf tomato, oregano leaves, croutons, and pomegranate gazpacho. It sounds like a simple dish, but the freshness of the vegetables and the sophisticated seasoning make the difference (62 ₪).
Sweetbreads are seared over Josper coals and served on a spicy pepper cream, cashew yogurt, and fresh cilantro leaves. When sweetbreads are cooked properly, this rich, high-quality ingredient is hard to beat, and Zaks knows how to cook them right: soft and tender while staying juicy. Paired with the pepper cream, this turns into a great dish (98 ₪).
Moving on to Mains
The mains menu offers a wide, generous range of choices, including veal chops, aged cuts of beef, fish fillets prepared several different ways with a variety of sauces, and of course a classic burger.
We ordered the classic done right as our main, the beef fillet: a seared beef fillet with baby artichoke, root vegetable cream, demi-glace, and herb oil. It's an excellent dish, cooked exactly as it should be (199 ₪).
Finishing with Something Sweet
Dessert can be the weak point at a kosher restaurant, but Zaks' pastry kitchen was a pleasant surprise. The miso brulee comes served with coconut-yuzu sauce, fresh pineapple, coconut sorbet, butter crumble, and Persian lime. It's rich in flavor, with a great interplay of textures and temperatures, exactly what a good dessert should be (58 ₪).
Pumpkin nights is a delicate choux pastry filled with chantilly and citrus cream, served over a light, slightly sweet pumpkin coulis, vanilla ice cream, and a crisp tuile on top. It's a beautiful dish with refined flavors (61 ₪).
Zaks Brasserie's restraint and polish come through at every stage of the meal, right down to the end: the check arrives in an old-fashioned brown envelope, alongside almond cookies.
This new spot is one we enjoyed visiting. We recommend going and experiencing rooted Rehovot hospitality that honors the area's local history, whether for a get-together with friends, a family meal, or a relaxed date night.
Zaks Brasserie is located at 2 Har HaTzofim St, Rehovot (073-7925007), open Sun-Thu 12:30-15:00 and 19:00-23:00. Reserve a table here.
Written by Iris Levy on Facebook on Instagram
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