Cafe Mizrahi/Pasta Basta

Café Mizrahi 12 Hashezif St Jerusalem, Israel
972 2 624219

My son and I were in Jerusalem for my granddaughter’s wedding. It was a most joyous occasion. The singing and dancing at the wedding was a memorable experience. The wandering violinist played music from Fiddler On The Roof during the reception. The klezmer band had the young men and ladies dancing and stomping their feet while whirling around in circles. I will never forget it all.
My son and I also explored the wonders of this magnificent city. Our hotel was close to the enormous market (shuk) The fruits and vegetables are so fresh and colorful. Other stalls sell breads, olive oils, olives and cheese. It is enormous and the produce is so tempting. The fresh dates were the size of my small finger and the nuts, candy, and breads were all beckoning.
In the evening the stalls were all closed and the place had a forlorn appearance. Go to the south eastern corner of the market. Walk west two lanes and go north one lane. In this area you will discover several restaurants that are buzzing at night with young folk. We were so excited to discover this café. There are only a few tables outdoors and also inside. It has an atmosphere that is different from the fancy cafes on the street. We found it exciting to be sitting in this little café in a closed market.
Joni was our server and made us feel welcome. I was not surprised to hear he is a graphic designer. He charmed us. Joni told us this was the first restaurant in the market started 8 years ago.
Jerusalem is a kosher city so you will find separate dairy restaurants and meat restaurants.
For a tiny spot we were amazed at the possible choices. Ray ordered the Pasta Special. Fresh Pasta with Jerusalem Artichoke, leek, hyssop and cram was declared to be outstanding. (48 shekels) This translates to less than $16.00. Fish Kebab was also offered. It is wrapped in a market’s laffa with yogurt, ray tahini, parsley, tomato, radish, red onion, rocket, green chili and preserved lemons (64 shekels or about $22.) Whenever I go to Israel I have to have a daily feed of my favorite Shashooka. It is made from fresh market vegetables with two poached eggs and served in a hot casserole. It is very much like Mexican eggs.(44 shekels) Hand Made Gnocchi is prepared with asparagus, chestnuts, cream and truffle paste.(62 shekels)
Israelis love salads and you can see them enjoying enormous salads any time of the day or evening. Yaya’s Salad is composed of spinach and bok choy leaves, julienne of kohirabi, apple, beet root, carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, cranberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon, yogurt and raw tahini.(53 shekels)
Sandwiches are always an option. The breads in Israel are so delicious. Camembert & Warm Mushroom Sandwich is a specialty.(38 shekels) Russel’s ‘Flut’ is prepared with olive oil and grated tomato, brinza cheese and olives.(24 shekels.)
The olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruits are so delicious and obviously purchased right in the market. The flavors burst on the palate.
The Chocolate Pie was the crowning glory. It was silken smooth and very chocolate tasting. We crawled back to our hotel satisfied with a stunning day in Jerusalem topped off by our meal at this tiny café.


Pasta Basta in the Jerusalem Market

My son and I ventured back to the Jerusalem Market for a second time for dinner. Pasta Basta had been recommended by my granddaughter who lives in Jerusalem. It is the busiest spot in town and the pasta is fresh and absolutely fantastic. Once again there are very few tables and the hustle and bustle around this place is such fun. The title in Hebrew is translated to mean a lot of pasta or sufficient pasta.
You choose Penne, Fettuccini or Whole Wheat Fettuccini.
One group of sauces is 19 shekels. That translates to around $6.00. Tomatoes, cream, butter and parmesan and ali olio is available.
More exotic sauces are 23 shekels and include pesto, red pesto, 4 cheeses or thick beetroot sauce.
Now add any of your favorite ingredients. We both chose some grilled aubergine. ($1.50) Spinach, olives, mushrooms and sweet potato are some of the additional choices.
Every pasta dish is topped with parmesan cheese.
It is such fun to watch the pasta being prepared. The young server was rushed off her feet delivering the orders to the table. The pasta was al dente and so fresh. The sauces were fantastic. It all seemed to melt in my mouth.
The Tomato Soup and Lentil Soup (16 shekels) were very popular on this evening. A Green Salad was being enjoyed by many of the clients.
Desserts included Panna Cotta, Tiramisu. Fabrizio’s Chocoalte Cake and Sorbet.
We enjoyed some delicious Israeli wine.
The food was as authentic as any café in Italy. It was such a wonderful experience to travel with my son. I was totally rejuvenated. The food was a feast and I will have happy memories of this visit for a long time.
The total meal including wine was no more than $30.00 for 2 people. How could you ever top that?