Azura Restaurant

What Ezra Shrefler began in 1952 as a lone Turkish-Syrian food stall in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market has since germinated into a family empire, with two venues in the heart of the Iraqi section of the market and an additional location in Tel Aviv. Nir Shrefler, Ezra’s son, now manages the Jerusalem locations. “My father has the gift.

Tucked away in the corner of Mikve Israel Street, Azura is the little sister of the famous Azura restaurant in Jerusalem. Here you will find smooth and creamy hummus, seasoned to perfection with succulent chickpeas, olive oil, and parsley on top. Unlike the American-style hummus which tends to be less creamy and grainy in nature, Azure’s hummus owes its delectable buttercream-like texture and nutty flavor to the tahini used in the preparation.

Since then Azura has changed locations a few times, and in the early 1980s it returned to Machane Yehuda—the soul of Jerusalem’s food scene—and became a fixture in the Iraqi market. As the popularity of Machane Yehuda’s food scene grew, so did Azura, which originally occupied one storefront and has grown to the next one as well. Nowadays Ezra’s children, and especially Eliran, have taken over.

This is a very famous Azura restaurant for traditional Middle Eastern cuisine. They have excellent hummus, moussaka (fried eggplant with meat), kebab, bean soup, and other homemade food typical of the region. The place looks very simple and is hidden in a narrow alley, but you can easily recognize it by the huge crowd of people lisping at its doors.

Located in the Machane Yehuda Market, Azura is famous for its Turkish-inspired delicacies. From hummus, kebabs, and rice to boiled potatoes and red beets, Azura prepares every dish the old-fashioned way. You may find yourself having to wait in line at lunchtime, but that only shows you how popular this stop is.

Elran is the son of the late Ezra Scherpler, who operated the beloved Azura in the Machne Yehuda market in Jerusalem for decades. Azura falls into the category of “workers canteen,” a simple, homey restaurant that fed laborers homecooked food to sustain them while they literally built the country.

In Ottolenghi’s words, “it tells the story of Jewish immigrants and how their food has manifested itself since grandma’s time”. That famous eggplant dish stuffed with ground beef and pinenuts from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook?. Inspired by the very dish at Azura.

Azura’s little sister in Tel Aviv is a must-try for lovers of Middle Eastern cuisine. The Tel Aviv branch has nothing to envy to its older sister in Jerusalem!. For anyone craving delicious Iraqi and Kosher cuisine, Azura is the place to go.

Always get it with chunks of chickpeas as in the above photo. For the rest, ask the server what he/she personally recommends. Chances are, it will be a dish of the day.