The 5 Best Street Food Spots in Nazareth (2026)

Updated September 2026 · 5 picks

The best street food in Nazareth in 2026 is the knafeh at Mahroum Sweets, the katayef at Abu Ashraf's Diwan al-Saraya, and falafel near Mary's Well, with the Elbabour spice mill as the essential stop between them. Nazareth has the best sweets in Israel, and a street-food walk through the old city is one of the best food experiences in the country. Here are 5.

1. Mahroum Sweets — Old City edge

The founding shop of a 130-year-old knafeh dynasty.

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Mahroum is the family sweet shop behind one of the best-known Arab confectionery names in the region, making sweets in Nazareth since the late nineteenth century, with branches that now reach well beyond the city.

The knafeh is the reason to come — orange pastry over hot, stretchy cheese, flipped and soaked in syrup, cut to order from a huge round tray — and the counter of baklava and pastries is enormous.

Eat the knafeh at the shop while it is still hot; it does not travel.

Good to know: Order a portion of knafeh to eat on the spot, then buy a box of mixed baklava to take home.

Google Maps

2. Diwan al-Saraya (Abu Ashraf) — Old City, near the Ottoman Saraya

Abu Ashraf's tiny café, famous for katayef made all year round.

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Diwan al-Saraya is a small café in an old house near the Ottoman Saraya building, filled with antiques and run by Abu Ashraf, who is as much the attraction as the food.

He is known for katayef — little folded pancakes stuffed with cheese or nuts — which most bakers make only during Ramadan and he makes all year, served with Arabic coffee.

It is the most characterful stop in the old city and should be on every food walk.

Good to know: Order one cheese and one nut katayef with a cardamom coffee, and take your time — it is a place to sit.

Google Maps

3. Elbabour (the Galilee Mill) — Old City, in the market

A historic spice mill with hundreds of spices, herbs and teas.

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Elbabour is a spice mill and shop in a nineteenth-century building in the market, run by the same family for generations, and it is one of the must-see stops in Nazareth.

Inside are sacks and jars of hundreds of spices, herb blends, teas, grains, dried fruit and nuts, and the smell alone is worth the visit. The za'atar and the house spice mixes make the best souvenirs in the city.

Staff are happy to explain blends and let you smell before you buy.

Good to know: Buy the house za'atar and a baharat blend — both keep for months and beat anything in a supermarket.

Google Maps

4. Falafel Abu Hani — Near Mary's Well and the Greek Orthodox church

A long-running falafel counter with homemade sauces.

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Falafel Abu Hani is a small falafel counter near Mary's Well and the Church of St Gabriel, frying to order and stuffing pitas with salads and its own sauces.

It is exactly the lunch you want between churches — quick, cheap and very good, with pickles and extras on the side.

Expect a short queue at lunchtime.

Good to know: Ask for everything in it, including the pickles and hot sauce.

Google Maps

5. The Old Market stalls — Old City souk

Fresh bread, olives, seasonal fruit and pickles from the market lanes.

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The market lanes above the basilica are where Nazareth still shops for food, and grazing through them — fresh-baked bread, olives, cheeses, pickles, seasonal fruit and roasted nuts — is a meal in itself.

Stalls are small and family-run, and prices are local. It is the best way to taste the Galilee's produce in one walk.

Go on a weekday morning, when everything is open and fresh.

Good to know: Buy bread early and assemble a picnic from the stalls as you go.

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

What is knafeh?

A warm dessert of shredded pastry or semolina baked over soft white sheep's cheese, soaked in sugar syrup and topped with pistachios. It is eaten hot, and Nazareth is one of the places in Israel most famous for it.

What are katayef?

Small pancakes folded around sweet cheese or chopped nuts, then fried or baked and dipped in syrup. They are traditionally a Ramadan sweet, but a few Nazareth bakers make them all year.

Is there a Nazareth food tour?

Yes — several local guides run old-city food walks, and the Fauzi Azar guesthouse runs a daily walking tour that passes many of these places. Doing it yourself with this list is also easy; everything is within a ten-minute walk.

When is the best time for a Nazareth food walk?

Late morning, Monday to Saturday, when the market stalls and bakeries are all open. Many old-city shops close on Sunday.

1. Mahroum Sweets — Old City edge

2. Diwan al-Saraya (Abu Ashraf) — Old City, near the Ottoman Saraya

3. Elbabour (the Galilee Mill) — Old City, in the market

4. Falafel Abu Hani — Near Mary's Well and the Greek Orthodox church

5. The Old Market stalls — Old City souk

Frequently asked questions

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