Tel Aviv is a city that should have incredible fish restaurants. Although it is just the Mediterranean, we still have local sea bream, Mediterranean sea bass, mullet, and more. In any case, the city values fresh ingredients.
Manara promises to be a great high-end dairy/fish restaurant for a special night out, without the meat. It has a relatively small menu (always a sign of a good restaurant) but still with plenty of options, that change with the seasons (another good sign) and different daily specials. It encapsulates that avant-garde, Mediterranean vibe with modern Israeli art displayed around the room.
We decided to book a table at Manara for our anniversary dinner as we had heard good things. Despite being located in the Sheraton Hotel in Tel Aviv (nothing against the hotel, but sometimes restaurants in hotels still feel like you’re in the hotel), its beautifully decorated with a turquoise and gold palette. Similar to Darya and West Side, the restaurant overlooks the sea, giving you an opportunity to catch the sunset while you eat.
The menu at Manara is split into four parts: Islands, Land, Seas, and Dessert – each part offering a different theme. In Islands, you can find most of the starters, dishes like foccacia, vegetable-focused dishes, and small fish dishes. In Land, you get to the salads and a pasta dish or two. Finally, in Seas, you get to the fish dishes, further split into starters and mains.
From the Islands, we chose the tempura zucchini flower and charcuterie plate. We thought the charcuterie plate would give us a good variety of different fish so we could taste a bit of everything. However, this is probably the dish we were most disappointed with. First of all, it could have been a lot more exciting in both flavors and presentation. Secondly, it was too salty to go with the rest of the meal, dulling the taste of the other dishes. For example, we ordered the artichoke tortellini off the ‘specials’ menu and found it slightly bland, however, it was still enjoyable.
What we can rave about is the sea fish sashimi. Uniquely and brilliantly paired with a tangy cherry tomato gazpacho, it combined fantastically with the fish which was incredibly fresh and delicious. The other fish we ordered was a grouper kebab that was very tasty, particularly when dipped in the garlic tzatziki. My only complaint here is that it was a pretty small dish. The burnt eggplant was also a hit.
For dessert we got the ‘basbousa’ – a semolina cake with honey cream, almond ice cream, and lime. It was definitely unique and was a great light and fluffy end to the meal. (We were given this dessert on the house)
In summary, Manara perhaps didn’t quite meet the high expectations we had, but was definitely a great experience and a restaurant we look forward to visiting again.
Manara at a glance
| Type | Fine Dining Dairy |
| Best Dish | Sea Fish Sashimi |
| Overall Score | 7.8 |
| Cost | ₪₪₪ |
| Website | Make a reservation at Manara |
