updated
April 06
 Coffee
& Friends coffee bar restaurant is located in the street side courtyard of
the tall medical building on Ahuza just west of Maccabi Street. There
is indoor and outdoor seating, and seating in between (see below). Underground parking can be accessed from
behind the building on Hanegev Street.
Owners Oren and Oren have done a wonderful job with this restaurant.
Both partners have had years of experience at various branches of Arcafee,
so they know their coffee bars.  The
emphasis, they told us, was on good food, quality ingredients, excellent
coffee and desserts. The atmosphere, which is warm and friendly, is
true to the name of the restaurant.
Specials for the 2007:
- New Night Menu
- 1 hour and 30 minutes free parking underground
We enjoyed a late lunch one weekday afternoon at Coffee & Friends.
The restaurant was warm and cozy on the brisk winter day. Part of the
outdoor area has been cleverly enclosed with a canvas-like safari tent
with windows, giving the feeling of being outdoors. In the winter two stove heaters
keep diners warm in this enclosed outdoor area. In the spring and summer
there is plenty of outdoor seating, secluded by greenery.
 The
restaurant has a rich dairy menu. There are breakfasts (including
shakshuka), and a modest selection of favorite sandwiches and salads.
My companion is crazy about the Coffee & Friends tuna sandwich that
included some exotic and unexpected vegetables both in the sandwich
and on the side.
The focus of the new menu is on the Coffee & Friends Specials, which
is where this restaurant shines. Specials include exotic items like
tortilla shells filled with cheese and tomatoes. There are and two kinds
of salmon. The chef uses vegetables and sweet potato very creatively
and it is a treat to learn the many ways that they can be integrated
into great tasting dishes. There are so many specials to choose from
you can just keep coming back to this restaurant. Prices for the Specials
range from NIS 16 - NIS 44.
Specials of the day are posted on a blackboard at the entrance. If you are lucky, tomato soup will will be posted. This is outstanding soup with plenty of pulp from the fresh cut up tomatoes. Just delicious. We have had wonderful vegetable and pasta dishes at Coffee & Friends but one of the strengths of this restaurant is the desserts. We have never gone wrong on that score.
  When
Oren told us that the coffee is something special, he wasn’t kidding.
Oren and Oren coffee specialists have chosen Saquella, the best coffee
on the market. The secret is in the preparation and they are experts
at preparing it.
This caliber coffee deserves a good dessert so we decided to diverge
from the business lunch and indulge in the specialty house dessert;
a vanilla cream topped with pistachio nuts and a kiwi sauce on a “nest”
of sweet thin noodles. Omigod. Outstanding!
In the daytime Coffee & Friends is a cozy cafe restaurant. In the evening
the focus turns to the bar, and the café takes on a new identity.
We were pleased that the no-smoking policy is in effect till 9pm, so
you can enjoy a smoke-free environment most of the day.
|