The 6 Best Fish & Seafood Restaurants in Israel (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 6 picks

The best fish restaurants in Israel in 2026 are Uri Buri in Akko, Manta Ray on the Tel Aviv beach and The Old Man and the Sea at Jaffa port. Israel has a short Mediterranean coast, a Red Sea port and a freshwater lake, and the best kitchens buy from all three. Six worth the drive, and what each is good at.

1. Uri Buri — Old City, Akko

The most celebrated fish restaurant in Israel, in a stone building by the Akko harbour.

₪₪₪₪ SplurgeBest for Couples · Groups

Uri Buri, in a vaulted stone building inside Akko's walled Old City, is widely considered the best fish restaurant in the country and has been for a long time.

The approach is to say what you like and let the kitchen decide — the menu is a starting point rather than an instruction — and the dishes are small enough to order several.

It books out well ahead, particularly in summer. Plan around it rather than hoping.

Good to know: Ask the waiter to build the meal for you and say only what you dislike. It is how the restaurant is meant to work.

Google Maps Website

2. Manta Ray — Alma Beach, Tel Aviv

Fish and mezze with your feet almost in the sand, on the walk between Tel Aviv and Jaffa.

₪₪₪₪ SplurgeBest for Couples · Groups

Manta Ray sits on the beach at the southern end of the Tel Aviv promenade, on the stretch between the city and Jaffa, with tables looking straight out at the Mediterranean.

It is best known for its mezze — a long procession of small salads and dips before the fish arrives — and for a breakfast that is one of the better ones in the city.

The location is the reason it is always full. Book, especially for sunset.

Good to know: Book for about an hour before sunset and eat the mezze while the light goes.

Google Maps Website

3. The Old Man and the Sea — Jaffa port

An absurd number of mezze plates, then grilled fish, at the port — and it is enormous.

₪₪₪ UpmarketBest for Families · Groups

The Old Man and the Sea at Jaffa port is famous for the opening barrage: something like twenty small salad and dip plates land on the table before you have ordered anything.

The fish that follows is straightforward grilled and fried Mediterranean cooking, done well and in large portions.

It is loud, family-heavy and enormous. Nobody comes here for a quiet romantic dinner and nobody leaves hungry.

Good to know: Order roughly half the fish you think you need. The salads alone are a meal.

Google Maps Website

4. Jacko Street — Near the Carmel Market, Tel Aviv

Fish and seafood cooked with real ambition, in a small room away from the beach.

₪₪₪ UpmarketBest for Couples · Solo

Jacko Street is a small Tel Aviv restaurant built around fish and seafood, with a kitchen that treats it as a subject for cooking rather than something to grill and serve with lemon.

It is not on the water, which means it costs less than the beachfront restaurants and takes the food more seriously than several of them.

The menu shifts with what came in, so ask what is good tonight.

Good to know: Sit at the counter if you can — it is a small kitchen and worth watching.

Google Maps Website

5. Barbunia — Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv

The unpretentious neighbourhood fish restaurant, and the best value on this list.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Couples

Barbunia on Ben Yehuda has been serving straightforward fish and seafood to Tel Aviv for years without ever attempting to be a destination.

The formula is simple: mezze, then grilled or fried fish, at prices well below the beachfront restaurants a few streets away.

It is busy, casual and reliable, which is exactly what most people want from a fish dinner.

Good to know: Walk-ins are usually possible here on a weeknight, which is not true of the others on this list.

Google Maps Website

6. Decks — Tiberias, Sea of Galilee

Lakeside grilling over citrus wood, on a deck over the Sea of Galilee.

₪₪₪₪ SplurgeBest for Couples · Families

Decks sits on the Tiberias waterfront on a wooden deck over the Sea of Galilee, grilling over citrus and olive wood and serving the lake's own St Peter's fish alongside meat.

The setting does an enormous amount of work — the Golan cliffs across the water, the light on the lake — and the kitchen is better than it needs to be.

The natural dinner after a day around the Kinneret.

Good to know: Ask for a table at the far end of the deck, out over the water, and book for sunset.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What fish is local to Israel?

From the Mediterranean: sea bass (lavrak), sea bream (denis), grey mullet (buri) and red mullet (barbunia). From the Sea of Galilee: St Peter's fish, a tilapia served whole and fried. From the Red Sea and from farms: denis and lavrak again, plus imported salmon and tuna, which are not local despite being everywhere.

Is seafood kosher in Israel?

Fin fish with scales are kosher; shellfish, prawns, calamari, crab and eel are not. That means kosher-certified fish restaurants serve no shellfish at all. Non-kosher restaurants — most of the best ones in Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Akko — serve the full range.

What does a fish dinner cost in Israel?

Roughly ₪160–₪280 per person at a good fish restaurant, and ₪300–₪450 at the top end. Whole fish is usually priced by weight, so ask what the fish weighs before it is cooked rather than being surprised by the bill.

What is the mezze that arrives before the fish?

A spread of small salads, dips and pickles brought to the table unordered at most Levantine fish restaurants, with bread. It is usually included in the price, though some places charge per person — worth checking. It is also substantial enough that people routinely over-order the main course.

Where is the best seafood in Israel?

Akko and Jaffa, both working fishing ports with restaurants that buy off the boats. Tel Aviv's beachfront restaurants are more polished and more expensive. Tiberias is the place for freshwater St Peter's fish from the Sea of Galilee.

Do fish restaurants in Israel need booking?

Uri Buri in Akko books out weeks ahead in summer and at weekends. The Tel Aviv and Jaffa restaurants generally need a day or two's notice for a Thursday to Saturday evening. Weekday lunches are usually walk-in.

1. Uri Buri — Old City, Akko

2. Manta Ray — Alma Beach, Tel Aviv

3. The Old Man and the Sea — Jaffa port

4. Jacko Street — Near the Carmel Market, Tel Aviv

5. Barbunia — Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv

6. Decks — Tiberias, Sea of Galilee

Frequently asked questions

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