Landwer Cafe, a historic Israeli culinary must!

Landwer Cafe and coffee shop with locations throughout Isreal is a national staple well worth experiencing. The local neighborhood vibe of each location doesn’t feel like a chain restaurant, while the food and atmosphere will entice you to return time and again.

I spent just over two weeks in Israel and therefore I dined at many restaurants, from sidewalk cafes and vendor markets to fine dining establishments. To be honest, I was not really impressed by the culinary scene in Israel. While the food was always quite good, I felt it was overpriced for the quality, presentation and restaurant atmosphere. I did however find an exception at Landwer Cafe and Coffee shop. I had no idea until writing this article that Landwer was a large restaurant chain with locations throughout Israel. The location I went to (twice) near the city center of Tel Aviv felt like a single location neighborhood restaurant.

Like many Israeli restaurants, Landwer Cafe has a large outdoor seating area on the sidewalk, along with an array of seats on the first floor and a few bistro tables on a second floor loft, which is where I sat both times I visited Landwer Cafe. I liked the intimate almost voyeuristic setting of the loft, which allowed me to peer down at the activity below and out the windows to the bustling street.

Both times I dined at Landwer Cafe, I had the famous Landwer’s Breakfast, which consisted of eggs any style, a morning salad, tuna salad, cream cheese, feta cheese, guacamole, labnah with za’atar and chickpeas, halva spread, yogurt with Granola and honey, a fresh fruit cup and slow churned butter. Guests also receive choice of white or whole-grain fresh baked artisan bread along with freshly squeezed juice and a choice of coffee or tea. It sounds like a lot of food, and while it certainty is plenty, it’s not too much as each portion is fairly small. I found this hearty breakfast the perfect way to start my morning, it was a unique spread of food that I found blended absolutely perfectly together.

A bit of history on Landwer Cafe:

Landwer Cafe started back in 1919 in Germany, it soon become a magnet for socialites.  A few doors down from the cafe, Mr. Landwer oversaw production of his own coffee bean roastery, which at the time was roasting some of the finest quality coffee in the country.

As a result of the rise of fascist powers in Germany, Mr. Landwer moved to Israel with his family in 1933 and settled in Tel Aviv. Shortly thereafter he founded the first-ever coffee bean roastery in Israel. In the 1940s Landwer Café had become a household name. Mr. Landwer always insisted on high work ethics and quality food. This tradition has been synonymous with Landwer Café and indicative of the experience the brand has been offering customers since it was establishment nearly 100 years ago. 

If you’ve ever eaten at Landwer Cafe, please leave a comment below and share your experience.