The Israeli Patisserie-Bakery

Hello! This is my second installment of my Nosh and Tel Aviv posts! Today I’d like to talk about the Israeli bakery. The word bakery usually connotes, at least to me, a place that smells like bread- if it is baked on the premises, but also sells sickly sweet muffins, donuts and a hot cup of joe. They are not only extremely monotonous in their offerings but they also are a bit dangerous for anyone watching their diet. Weight watchers would surely shun the chocolate eclairs, the buttery scones and pale, white bread. The other bakeries I think of, especially in New York, are trendy cupcake bars like Crumbs, and Magnolia. What is similar about all of these bakeries is that they are usually walk in, purchase, walk out and devour on the couch in front of the TV. While there really is nothing wrong with all that, I definitely have been in the mood for something different…

Bakeries in Israel don’t really resemble in the slightest these sorts of descriptions. They are more bakery/patisserie/cafes. The bakery I was in today is called Cafe Diemme, located on the corner of Dizengoff and Frishman in Tel Aviv.

As I walked in to this unassuming little bakery that’s no larger than my Hostel’s bedroom, the smell of freshly baking bread came over me. The staff cheerfully sung to the Elton John song that was playing on the radio, as they quickly prepared cups of coffee for the patrons. Move over starbucks!

The first thing I saw, was a bunch of baskets with bread and several sauces to dip the pieces in..for free! FREE FOOD?!?! I was already too happy for words. There was olive oil with balsamic, jam, butter, tomato spread, and sea salt. I helped myself to the snacks and took a look at all of the fresh goodies that the bakery had to offer.

What? No muffins? No Donuts with rainbow sprinkles? This is where things diverged from the average American bakery. The offerings at Caffe Diemme were mainly bread based and resembled focaccia and pizza. Everything looked extremely fresh, baked with newly picked produce and herbs. I thought bakeries were only for breakfast! Here I could probably sit for breakfast, lunch and dinner and not get at all bored!

Elise and I ordered the bread you see at the bottom here. It was basically a pizza crust with sliced tomatoes and fresh herbs. After we ordered, we sat outside and waited for our bread. The waiter quickly brought out what we got and I was surprised to see a steaming hot plate of soft bread and juicy tomatoes. For those of you who know me, I think that warm bread is perhaps one of the most simple pleasures in life. Needless to say, we devoured the bread without saying a word. It was so soft and delicious- and not the least bit oily.

Overall, this was an extremely delicious bakery experience. We also ordered ice coffees and they were REALLY GOOD. I have to admit that I rescind my previous comment about Israeli coffee. It’s a little bit stronger than I’m used to but it’s really growing on me. I can really appreciate it’s flavor and the caffeine boost.

So what I’ve learned from going to caffe diemme is that sometimes, a small, modest bakery can be more fulfilling than sitting in one of those chains cafes. I’m not trying to make American bakeries sound bad, really. I love them- I love muffins and all those breakfast pastries. But it is definitely nice to experience this new type of bakery that has so much to offer. We can’t forget that Israel has its fair share of chain places like the Coffee Bean and Aroma- but I think it’s best to experience the unique places, right? And they’re so easy to find!

As I sat outside, eating my bread with my iced coffee, and basking in the beautiful sunlight, I felt incredibly lucky for being able to experience all of this. It is truly remarkable to be able to live in such a wonderful place. The food is merely a piece of all the amazing things about Israel, but hopefully if I can convey how unique/delightful/delicious it is, then you can use your imagination to picture the rest.

Bon eating,

Ariel