A Taste of Paris, Reimagined: Inside Tel Aviv’s Brasserie 18

Shoutout to Brasserie 18 for hosting me and a friend for an incredible meal! Dinner was on the house, but the review is 100% mine.

Elegantly dressed staff move briskly but gracefully through the dimly lit restaurant, designed to evoke nostalgia for a time and place most Israelis have never experienced. 

Candles and cool jazz in the background create a romantic ambience suited equally well for a date night or a night out with friends. Green leafy plants spill along the corners, white tablecloths catch the candlelight, and for a moment you could swear you’d been transported to a quiet street corner in Paris – if not for the fact that this particular brasserie happens to be entirely kosher.

Originally focused on brunch, Brasserie 18 opened in Central Tel Aviv just two months after the start of the war. Rather than let the unrest outside define it, the restaurant turned lemons into crème de citron, generating buzz for its unique take on French cooking and fresh ingredients.

At the helm is chef Shlomo Shriki, a young but seasoned talent who got his start working under famed Israeli chef Eliad Danon. The two went on to shape much of Tel Aviv’s culinary scene together before Shriki struck out on his own about a year ago, taking the reins at Brasserie 18’s kitchen.

The concept is French at its core and unmistakably Mediterranean at heart — a combination still rare in Tel Aviv’s fine dining scene. The menu shifts frequently, built around what’s fresh and exciting that day, so no two visits are quite the same. It’s the kind of place that rewards regulars: come back next week, and the menu might look entirely different.

When we visited, we were treated to a fleet of appetizers and a spectacular wine and cocktail list. First up, a brioche bruschetta with albacore, jalapeño and finger lime — bright, acidic, and gone in two bites. Next, mini tortellini filled with ricotta, honey and walnut, the kind of unexpected sweet-savory pairing I love so much. Then a tartlet with white sweet potato and crème fraîche, beautifully crispy and smooth. Together, a wonderful way to begin the meal.

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We were also asked which cocktails we enjoy most, and after explaining our preferences, we were served two drinks unlike anything I’d had before: a gin-based cocktail with smoked cinnamon and grapefruit, and Brasserie 18’s own spin on a Paper Plane, built with bourbon, Aperol and Amaro topped with a mini paper airplane.

Next came the tuna gratin: thinly sliced potato, deep-fried, topped with tuna tartare and a cured egg yolk. What a rich bite. My favorite dish was still to come — albacore (white tuna) sashimi in a tart sauce with cherries, brown butter, celery and toasted almonds. A combination I never would’ve guessed would work, let alone be one of the best things I’d eaten all year.

The Jerusalem artichoke agnolotti was mind-blowing as well, and the main courses were still yet to come. As if we had any room left, we were brought a tuna steak with creamy mashed potatoes in a rich demi-glace. Then, the showstopper: a filet of amberjack with fresh corn, herbs and spices, topped with a whipped potato-parmesan cream so good it deserves a spotlight of its own.

Dessert did not let up. The chocolate mousse was a standout, topped with sea salt, brownie crumbs and a silky chocolate sauce, the profiteroles were creamy and spongy, and the Tiramisu was the perfect way to prevent me from immediately entering a food coma. 

By day, Brasserie 18 leans into relaxed French brunches decked out with fresh pastries, excellent coffee, and classic morning plates with a Mediterranean sensibility, built around fresh local ingredients and produce. But it’s in the evening that the brasserie fully comes into its own: candlelight, wine, fish, and seasonal local ingredients, all wrapped in that warm French atmosphere.

What truly sets Brasserie 18 apart, though, isn’t on the printed menu at all – it’s the conversation that happens before it. Sit down, and the staff will ask about your preferences, your mood, your appetite for adventure. From there, you’re guided through a French choose-your-own-adventure tailored specifically to you, built around one simple philosophy: guests should get to taste as much as possible.

The brilliance of Brasserie 18 is that it doesn’t just dress up a room to feel like Paris — it gives every guest a meal that belongs entirely to them. The candlelight and jazz set the stage, but it’s chef Shriki’s ever-changing menu that turns a beautifully designed room into a genuinely personal experience. You don’t just remember the atmosphere. You remember your meal, because at Brasserie 18, no two meals are alike.