Yehudit

Menu
**
₪₪

Not worthy of its biblical namesake.

In the Bible, Judith is a heroine that exits mourning and slays the evil Assyrian to save her town from destruction. We hail her. Celebrate her. Laud her. She is to be revered.

The restaurant bearing her name- Yehudit - in the Machane Yehuda Market is no biblical Judith.

This plain-old grill and steak joint offered nothing exceptional, unique, different or special. If this restaurant were in Denver or San Diego or Tampa, maybe that would be a kosher metzia (special find).  But this place has the audacity to place itself on the Rodeo Drive of grills and kosher food in Jerusalem. And this is a Walmart (not on prices) surrounded by Bulgari, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. It does not fit or measure up to the robust tastes (double entendre) of its neighbors.

 This restaurant starts you off with a classic and narrow line of salads and one can choose steaks, skewers and kebabs as a main dish. Each dish will be accompanied with sides like rice, salad or fries/chips. The bread is baked on premises in a brick taboon oven. It is good – but not exceptional. The pargit was bland, the steak fatty and the kebab devoid of season. Nothing hit the mark for me and my guest.

This is a classic grill place but there is no angle or special sauce or unique spice that brings this to the top of the heap. It is just average, at best. And when I can eat a few hundred yards away at Sima or Crave or Aka or Segev or the myriad of other offerings in a, ahem, stone’s throw of distance, this is not worth the prices, your time or worthy of its biblical name sake.

I hate writing this, but sadly it was true for me, not worthy of a second visit. Making the matter worse,  these were Tiffany prices and Kmart quality.

My 2 shekels of counsel: skip this place and wish them the very best in their future endeavors.