"In the heart of Aventura, a nondescript strip mall houses a restaurant that transports diners to Tel Aviv without needing a plane ticket. Diners are greeted with a complimentary spread of salatim, offering small tastes of beet, corn, and carrot salads. The menu offers a diverse selection of comfort foods that a doting safta (grandma) would serve. Favorites among Israeli regulars include hummus and falafel, Yemenite beef soup, chicken liver with onions, schnitzel, or lamb chops. Wash it all down with a lemonana, a refreshing lemon and mint slushy." - Alona Martinez
"The Freebie: Complimentary salads and pickled things. You will be confused the first time you come to this Israeli classic in Aventura. You will wonder why they are bringing you half a dozen small plates of various salads and pickled things before you've even ordered. But they don't have the wrong table—that's just what they do for everyone. It makes even a casual lunch feel like a royal feast. Unfortunately, their excellent hummus with falafel isn't free, but you should still order it anyway." - mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo
"Dine on Israeli cuisine at this Aventura deli, which serves strictly kosher only meats. The extensive menu caters to an array of cravings offerings items like hummus, fried eggplant, and spicy matbucha, to soups, salads, sandwiches plus entrees such as kebabs, Moroccan fish, and margez, served with choice of sides. Breakfast is also available, as well as fruit and vegetable juices, and desserts." - Stacy Moya
"Etzel Itzik Deli is a great—and affordable—Israeli restaurant in Aventura open for breakfast and lunch. On any given day, you can find a crowd of locals eating schnitzel, beautifully crispy falafel, shakshuka, and lots more dishes on the huge menu. It’s not a big spot, but can easily accommodate groups of two or four. The dining room is covered in Polaroid pictures of regulars enjoying some of the best hummus in town, and there are a few outdoor tables as well." - Ryan Pfeffer
"The breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus at this Aventura eatery feature Israeli food at its best. Bourekas (baked pastry) are filled with egg, hummus topped with mushrooms, and all meats are kosher, including lamb shoulder, sweet breads, chicken liver, and the chicken fingers on the kid’s menu. Saturday specials include Jewish specialties, like jachnon and cholent hamin shena." - Juliana Accioly