Dr. Shakshuka has served up Tripolitanian fare with style and flavor for twenty years. One of the few Kosher offerings in Jaffa, it has become a destination for tourists as well as a staple for Kosher-keeping locals seeking an elegant and tasty experience. 

Dr. Shakshuka’s dining rooms, with high ceilings festooned with copper pots, and open-air courtyard are so peaceful that you  might forget you just  emerged from the Jaffa flea market and other major thoroughfares. With this much dining space, Dr. Shakshuka is a great place for a large party and the dishes lend themselves well to sharing and passing

Salads alone are worth the visit; do yourself a favor and order the salatim as an appetizer course. What will follow is a parade of small plates with a variety of flavors and textures, among them a sweet pumpkin puree and spicy resek (tomato salsa). I found the soup underwhelming, but the spicy hraymi fish was rich and flavorful as well as visually appealing.

Main courses take two different forms: shakshuka and cous-cous. Shakshuka is an eggs-and-tomato stew cooked and served in a piping hot skillet. You can add sausage and other toppings as well as control the level of spice in the dish.

We found that the real treat was the home-made, hand-rolled, cous-cous, the Eastern equivalent to homemade pasta. This is a far cry from boxed cous-cous you often encounter, this cous-cous was ever-so tiny, light, and fresh. Cous-cous accompanies a long list of stews made of chicken, beef, potatoes, eggplants and beans. Stews are spooned onto the cous-cous which soak up the rich flavors. The loobiya bean-and- beetroot stew really stood out. There are vegetarian options as well.

I did not have room for dessert, but that has never stopped me. It is worth the effort to try finding a bit of room for safra, a traditional Libyan semolina cake soaked in syrup.  It is well worth splitting among your party.

One item worth noting as you get ready to leave: this is a cash-only establishment.

Location: Bet Eshel 3, Jaffa
Hours: Sunday-Thursday: 8am- midnight
Friday: 8am-Shabbat
Saturday: end of shabbat midnight

Kosher: yes

English menu: yes

English staff: yes