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See the Sights I Eat, Travel, Enjoy

Branja Café I Photo: Roni Balachsan

Pago Pago I Photo: PR

Achla I Photo: PR

Where to eat Branja Café

sourced and imported. First courses include roasted cauliflower gnocchi with wild mushrooms and Parmesan cream, red tuna tataki with mango cream and ponzu (a Japanese sauce), and among the mains you’ll find fish linguini, sea bass with root vegetable cream, and beef filet in cream and pepper sauce. Don’t miss out on the delicious desserts which include Basque cheesecake with crème anglaise, honey, and thyme, and vanilla and mango pannacotta. This is definitely a gourmet culinary experience, but there’s also a kids’ menu, just in case, with options such as schnitzel, hamburger, and a selection of pasta dishes. pago_eilat Achla This beloved meat eatery holds a special place in the hearts of Eilat carnivores. Owners Chen and Tal Ben-Efraim, two brothers who lost

a relative in the 1997 helicopter disaster, fed thousands of evacuees and soldiers throughout the current war, and on every Memorial Day and Independence Day they host thousands of soldiers in their restaurant. From the moment you enter this place, you can’t help but feel the warm atmosphere that envelops this spacious restaurant (about 400 seats) and the friendly faces of the staff. The meal starts with a cornucopia of salads and dips – hummus, tahini, egg salad, fried eggplant and more, alongside oven-hot Iraqi pitas. Then come the meats. There’s such a rich selection to choose from, and you can also order a sharing platter and enjoy a variety of cuts, including mulard fillet skewers, veal shanks, kebabs, and more. Fish and children’s options are also available. A truly “achla” (“great” in Hebrew) experience. achlaeilat.co.il ■

This long-standing Eilat institution is run by two friends, natives of the city. It’s a lovely neighborhood café that also has a small stage inside for occasional acoustic music shows. Like many local businesses, Branja Café is coming back to life now after long periods of reduced activity due to the war, as more and more tourists from Israel and abroad are coming to town. The menu offers a rich variety of salads, sandwiches, pastas and sharing platters. We enjoyed their brunch menu with green shakshuka and croque madame - a Gouda cheese toasty topped with two fried eggs. The drinks menu is also very diverse, with a wide selection of hot and cold drinks, beers, and cocktails. branja.mytabit.co.il branjacafe Pago Pago Years ago, before having to close, this restaurant was an Eilat foodie favorite. Finally, it has now been reopened, under new ownership, and in addition to its perfect location, right by the lagoon, it has undergone an extensive refurbishment and gained a new young and talented Paris-trained chef. Indeed, chef Alex Rout has completely reinvented the (non-kosher) menu, which is Mediterranean fine dining-bistro in spirit, and based on high-quality, fresh ingredients, both locally

Shopping at the Ice Mall When the heat gets a little too much outside, the Ice Mall is the place to go. Apart from being a fantastic shopping mall, it also offers plenty of fun family activities, starting with the ice-skating rink which gives it its name. Above the rink you’ll find the omega electric zip coaster ride - the longest inside a mall (and the only one in Israel). It’s 307 meters-long and 14 meters-high and is suitable for both adults and kids (minimum height requirement is 120cm). You can ride the zip coaster in pairs or alone, and you can also control the speed (which reaches 15-18 kmph). Other attractions include the VR Dark Ride, laser tag, a mirror maze, a ropes course, a play area for kids, and more. And all of this before even getting to the main event here: the three colossal floors of VAT-free shopping spread across 1,800 sqm of clothes stores, cell phone stores, and more. And for the ultimate shopping experience, get the recently launched Ice Mall Gift Card – its reloadable and gives you a 10% discount, and all sorts of gifts and advantages. And of course, the mall is replete with cafés and restaurant to enjoy in between shopping sprees. icemalleilat.co.il

18 ATMOSPHERE JULY 2025