The Carmel market area is not one we normally frequent, unless we go to the market itself, which we do only a couple of times a year (we do highly recommend the market for tourists, however, since all tourists we have taken there have absolutely loved it!). That's actually a shame, however, since there are some amazing restaurants on the small streets around the market. One of them is Gedera 26, a restaurant we had been hearing about for years, but it was only recently that we decided to go there for lunch.
The interesting thing about this particular restaurant is that it combines Swedish and Iraqi food in the menu, since the owner/chef has a Swedish father and an Iraqi mother, so he cooks things he knows from his childhood, that he spent in both Israel, with his mother's Iraqi family, and in Sweden.
Both the oriental and the Scandinavian dishes are well prepared and tasty, and since most people do not know both Swedish food and Iraqi food very well, even if they might know one of these cuisines, we'd guess that almost everyone can find something interesting and new to try here.
We should mention, however, that the menu changes daily, since what they serve depends on what's on offer in the market nearby. So you might not always be offered your favorite dish if you become a returning guest.
The staff is super friendly and when we ate at Gedera 26, even the chef came out to speak to us, so we definitely liked the service, and the cute look of the place too!
We will definitely go back, preferably as soon as possible!
(the restaurant is located on Gedera street 26, hence the name)
