Sonya Getzel, Tel Aviv

Sonya Getzel, 1 Simta Almonit, Tel Aviv

Sonya Getzel Cafe is a hidden oasis in the midst of the hectic flurry of shops on King George.   Placed inconspicuously in an alleyway translated simply as “Anonymous Alley,” the cafe offers a quiet respite with a beautiful secret garden and incredibly delicious food.

A big draw for Sonya Getzel Cafe in Tel Aviv is that the menu is filled with wonderful sweet and savoury dishes, offering an incredible balance between whatever your tastebuds desire at the moment.  After a long walk to the cafe, wandering the streets, you can be sure this cafe will satisfy your hunger.  They are known for the shakshuka, and baked cauliflower.  And their refreshing berry lemonade slushies to start and their chocolate souffle to finish are divinely sweet.

Surprise your friend, or escape with your significant other for a midday getaway by taking them to Sonya Getzel Cafe, Tel Aviv.  Kick back and relax, but make sure you give yourself some time.  Service is decent, but you will also find you aren’t in such a rush to leave.

Dishes at Sonya Getzel

• Berry Lemon Slushie 20NIS
• Shakshuka 42NIS
• Baked Cauliflower 36NIS
• Americano (with meal)
• Chocolate Souffle 34NIS

Total = 142

Sonya Getzel Restaurant Rating

Sonya and the Secret Garden/blue_heading]

Have you ever just wandered?  I was in that mood to get out of my house and find someplace different to grab a coffee and maybe some food, sit, write and relax.   I have passed by my usual places on my street and just kept walking.  I walked down Ben Yehuda, towards Allenby all the way to the Shook HaCarmel (The Carmel Market).  From here I made my way down Shenkin, all the while passing by many places that could have potentially been suitable to slip in for a quick bite and a refreshing drink.  But I just wasn’t feeling it.

So I kept wandering.

I had managed to walk 45 minutes all the way to a friend Tamar’s place of business, Mitbachi (which translates to My Kitchen). There she teaches cooking classes, rents out the space for social events and prepares ready to eat food that is astoundingly good.   It’s a simple, relaxing space and when I walked in to enjoy a few cool moments of air conditioning, she had wondered why I had wandered so far.

“Just need a place to relax, someplace different.”

Tamar had suggested a couple of places but then lit up when she said “Have you been to Sonya Getzel? It’s really cute!”

I had not, and I felt unsure as to why she would describe any cafe’s as cute, unless the place is designed by a 8 year old girls – replete with pink wall paper, fluffy clouds, Care Bears and what can only be described as “an homage to unicorns.” I would much rather a place be comfortable than cute.  But Tamar insisted I would enjoy it, great food, and since I was looking for some vestige of peace and relaxation she told me of the secret garden.

“Excuse me?” I said.

“You’ll see,” Tamar softly whispered, as she disappeared in a cloud of sparkles and pastel colored smoke.

And like that…<blink, blink>…she was gone.

Sonya Getzel, Tel Aviv is an oasis of calm in the surroundings that is the madness of King George.  If you head to 18 King George Street and hang a left in the Anonymous Alley, the cafe is just a few steps away.  It’s named Anonymous Alley because apparently the Mayor at the time got into some big with Mr. Shapira (Sonya’s husband) about the name.  Every night Mr. Shapira would put up a street sign with his name on it and another alley had his wife’s name on it.  And every morning, the Mayor had instructed the city workers to replace that sign that just said “Anonymous Alley.”  Or so the story goes.

Ms. Shapira is Calling

As you enter the place looks small and empty.  I figured I’d sit at the one table by the outlet to plug my computer and get some work done, but curiosity got the best of me and I ventured just a tad bit further and….

Behold…..

The Secret Garden.

[I’m not entirely sure but this might have been something Bruce Springsteen was singing about gardens here.]

I found a place at a colorful table in the back under the trees.  A few iners around me were chatting away, smiling and enjoying the food.  The servers seemed friendly and attentive enough.  I figured I’d have stayed for a cool drink and maybe a baked pastry.  I stayed for two and a half hours.  Sonya Getzel is a place you want to set up shop and never leave.  The food was incredibly warm and tasty and with a lot of variety.  I just kept trying one thing after another.

Mmmmm….

The berry lemonade slushy was incredibly refreshing and a definite treat on a hot day.  If you’ve spent all day busily shopping on King George and need an escape, start with the variety of slushies Sonya offers.  They are supposedly known for the shakshuka, again offering several variations of the standard tomato and egg dish (one with meat, one with spinach, etc.)  I took the traditional variety which came with a very colorful salad.  I almost turned down the bread, but the kind waiter strongly suggested it.  Freshly baked and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  It would have made Dr. Atkin’s break his diet in the first week.

As I kept finding reasons not to leave, I kept ordering more food.  I ordered the baked cauliflower which took about 15 minutes to prepare but it was worth it.  Served very warm with some kind of béchamel sauce that add so much flavour to the baked vegetable.  To finish off the meal I ordered and devoured a freshly baked chocolate soufflé accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  The food was fresh, the environment was unbelievably relaxing and with so many different items to choose from you’ll definitely get carried away with your imagination.

Blarg!

Blarg: Nothing really to blarg about here, the place was such a joy.  At some point our waiter disappeared and it took a little bit for his replacement to notice us.  But it just gave me more time to relax and put my feet up.  Long day in the battle grounds of King George were killin’ my dogs.

NomNom:  As Blarg was saying, it’s a great place to kick back and relax and put your feet up.  The Americano was a good blend, and nicely served with a small cookie.  An elegant touch.  While the soufflé and the cauliflower do take some time it is definitely worth it.  If anything I strongly recommend the soufflé!

Gary: Sh@k@sk5%!!

Blarg: Ya, the shakshuka was pretty good too.  It is what they are known for.