Azura
Menu
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A top 3 stop when in Israel for some of the best eats not offered anywhere else!
Whether in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem and you have the craving for something special and unique, Azura is the place to go! As one of my eating guru friends said best, “it is like there is an Iraqi chemist back there making all the perfect combinations of spices and flavors, just for me.”
That says it all.
Azura is an Iraqi niche, names after its founding father Ezra Shefler and can be found in the famous Machane Yehuda Market. It has has been around since 1952, but started hitting its stride a bout a dozen years ago. Nowadays, more and more tourists are coming by to taste the experience.
Unlike many other places, Azura is open for lunch and only lunch. You will not find dinner at Azura. They make dishes, many that simmer and cook for hours or even days at a time and close when the pots are empty or it hits 5:15. Whatever comes first.
This sacred space is true to its form. There are a handful of options on the menu that are all made with Iraqi flare, from the older country with grandma and grandpa’s recipes. They are simply perfect. It doesn’t dabble in new dishes or innovative ideas. This place only plays its hits – because they are all top of the charts.
You can go in two directions at Azura - - the stuff you have always thought about or perhaps your cousin dares you to try like brains, ox-tail and testicles or lungs, while taking 12 pictures of you and uploading them to Instagram with uncontrollable laughter. Whatever suits you?!
Lunch at Azura
Introducing a serious foodie, Rabbi Felipe Goodman to Azura. He went back for lunch the next day!
Me, I would go with some more traditional classics: The meat hummus – which is seasoned ground beef delicately danced around hummus. I would enjoy the Azura, which is a baked eggplant with beef. The Sofrito is a small taste of the Garden of Eden – braised beef with peppery spices cooked in soft potato and onion. My wife is a fan of the Moussaka. I cannot blame her. Made to perfection with the perfect amalgam of spices and sauce, it is more delicious with every bite.
For me though, what I live for at Azura is the Kubbeh Soup. A Semolina, thick dumpling stuffed with meat drowning in one of five broths (sour, sweet and sour, sweet, and beet and bean and beef), each one is nothing short of perfection. Even on a 106 degree day, you will see a group of loyal Azura eaters, including this blogger, enjoying some piping hot soup and kubbeh and the chemist’s blend of spices and flavors.
If you are a foodie and like to try delicious and unique foods, Azura is on the top of the list. Rarely am I in Israel and not at Azura in the first 24 hours of my journey! I hope to see you there! Ill be the guy sweating and eating soup!
