Not trying incite a political argument here, so don’t leave any nasty comments. But if anyone wants to support a local Palestinian business in light of recent news, I would recommend trying this place in northern Tokyo.
I went there for the first time today. We were the only ones there so we could chat with the owner a bit, and he was a truly kind soul. The other chef is from Syria and also extremely welcoming. The food was absolutely amazing; we had the tabbouleh, hummus with pita, mansaf, and kebab.
*** SUMMARY OF EDITS because I’ve had to add so many due to angry DMs and comments. The intention of this post was to introduce a restaurant and also encourage supporting local business owners. Let’s support communities that may be affected by the ongoing crisis ON BOTH SIDES. While what’s going on in the news is a political issue, it’s also a humanitarian one that is affecting many people. We don’t need to politicize the pain felt on both sides. Thank you to everyone who contributed by sharing nice restaurants.
Some recommendations for Israeli restaurants in Tokyo from commenters: Shamaim, David’s Deli. Please check those out to support if you’re interested (I’m planning to myself)!
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37 comments
Thanks for the tip 🇵🇸!
There’s Fuul on the menu? Omg I need to go here. Thank you for posting this.
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Oh my. I used to live near there for 4 years and never knew if this place. Shame on me.
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Thank you I’ll be there 🤞🏾🇵🇸
Wow like at all these propaganda guys getting angry over a good post
Thanks for the recommendation, it looks delicious!
There’s a really nice Israeli restaurant in Ekoda. The menu is very similar of course. [Shamaim](https://maps.app.goo.gl/5PKu7JqqoyojwT9k8)
As someone from Lebanese heritage, I’m just happy to enjoy some comfort food in Tokyo. But also 🇵🇸 support
edit: oof, why the downvotes?
Thank you. Our family loves Middle Eastern food. We’d love to try a Palestinian restaurant. Thanks for pointing this one out to us.
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Thanks for sharing!
Is Palestinian cuisine a thing? Or is it just regular Arabian food cooked by a Palestinian dude?
Very cool! Thanks for sharing
Middle Eastern cuisine basically. Palestinian cuisine isn’t the right term since the food varieties you mentioned aren’t exclusively Palestinian. In fact, they are not even attributed to ‘Palestine’ as far as their origin is concerned. Hummus originated somewhere in Egypt. Tabbouleh is Syrian/Jordanian cuisine mainly. Kebab was popularised by the Iranians and later became a part of the Arabic cuisine.
That said, all of these items are eaten in Palestine and Israel as well, since there is not much demarcation between the countries as far as the cuisine is concerned. Tahini, Hummus, Tabbouleh, Pita and many other delicacies such as Falafel and Kebab are enjoyed all over the levant and mid east. The right term hence would be ‘Middle Eastern Cuisine’, ‘Levantine Cuisine’ or even ‘Arabic Cuisine’, if you may. You can also use ‘Palestinian Cuisine’ like you did, but I believe that would be too narrow a term.
I’ve never had Palestinian food before. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the recommendation 😍
Also while I’m here, there’s an amazing Uyghur restaurant called [Silk Road](https://maps.app.goo.gl/kT9vV8H8dDQddaAGA?g_st=ic). I highly highly recommend it!
Wanted to go there last week but decided to bring the kids to the Mexican restaurant instead. This one is definitely on my bucket list.
I would say that it’s very difficult to have developed a unique culinary identity when a culture has existed for less than 100 years and is mainly refugees from other nearby cultures, but the United States played the same cards and developed relatively unique regional cuisines in a similar timespan (though there was a much greater distance between their new culture trying to emerge and its feeder cultures). I’m pretty curious about what dishes would be considered uniquely Palestinian.
> Not trying incite a political argument here, so don’t leave any nasty comments. But if anyone wants to support a local Palestinian business in light of recent news
Asks others to keep things apolitical, immediately makes a political statement. :/
This is all simply Middle Eastern food. There is nothing specific to Palestine here.
Looks like the OP covertly wants to start a political debate in the name of country-specific food, when there is no such thing. On top, he/she tried a lame defense by mentioning an Israeli restaurant with a vague description.
The Train to Bisan.
It’s been years now, but I worked at one of the Israeli restaurants in Tokyo (out of the… 2 or so? total) during my working holiday. It’s called David’s Deli and it’s in the Shirogane area. I’m half Israeli myself and have a bit of familiarity with the cuisine and I can say the food is great, so AMA about the place if you’re interested. Lunch menu is 1000 yen and you can get, for instance, chicken schnitzel with pita and hummus and a coffee. The owner is an old Jewish guy and there were 3 staff members other than me in total. A Turkish (I think) lady named Shima who does all the baking, a Japanese guy named Horigome (an odd fellow who smiles a lot) who does the cooking (and he makes the hummus himself out of chickpeas), and a Nepalese guy on cash.
Also, apparently some super famous Japanese actor really liked David’s Deli and regularly came to sit at a second floor window seat to enjoy the view of the temple across the street or something. You can ask about that if you ever visit.
Never would have known this place existed without this post! Will definitely pass by! Thanks OP!
Eat there many times. It is delish
OP really went both sides when it came to food lol. excited to check out the Palestinian place
Thank you, added on my list !
Do they have Palestinian fried chicken? Larry David wants to know.
No such thing as “Palestinian” cuisine. It’s EXACTLY the same thing as Egyptian, Syrian, Israeli, Jordanian and Lebanese cuisine. This region of the world has been eating those dishes for a thousand years. To be fair, these dishes were created by Jews, Babylonians, Assyrians, Bedouins and early Arab tribes.
Thank you – lots of places to check out!
How are prices?
For me the problem is the “in light of recent news” combined with the fact you only mention one side (Palestine). It immediately making it political. If it is true that you want to support the regular citizens of both sides, you should add Israeli food, too (before the controversy after your original post, ofc).
Yes it must be difficult, I know. So I think it is better to just share the Palestinian food without “in light of recent news”.
https://youtu.be/C1SvETSZlvo?si=u1_Iy2PVl8ZZjuvg
We both agree that hummus is very healthy.
My guy is deleted I wonder why..
Awesome thank you! I miss the Middle Eastern cuisine so much. Can’t wait to check these out! ❤️
I like food and never want to let politics get in the way of a good meal. This thread reminds me of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. Larry David has to make the choice of Palestinian chicken or a Jewish deli. Long Live Good Food !
I like food and never want to let politics get in the way of a good meal. This thread reminds me of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. Larry David has to make the choice of Palestinian chicken or a Jewish deli. Long Live Good Food !