Carmel: A Top 5 Pita Experience in the Shuk

As I have said before, the street food scene here in Israel revolves around pita bread. The pita becomes the vessel for whatever you desire to stuff inside. Israelis are more than willing to stuff their gullets with an overstuffed pita while on the street for a quick bite to eat. It is that no-frills eating experience which makes eating street food in Israel such a pleasure. One of my favorite places for indulging in a pita is Carmel. Located conveniently at the beginning of HaCarmel Market across the way from Pasta Basta, Carmel specializes in a variety of grilled meats that they stuff into their incredible pitas. Carmel is unique in that they grill each meat to order on their charcoal grill. Carmel's menu includes favorites such as chicken thigh(pargit), chicken livers, chicken hearts, beef kofta kebab, lamb mixed grill(meorav), and merguez sausage. Carmel also features daily specials depending on what is fresh in the market. Specials have included veal sweetbreads, grilled rump steak, and beef short rib. Fillings to compliment your grilled meat of choice include tehina, amba, mixed herbs, fresh white cabbage, grilled chilies, grilled tomatoes, and grilled onions. Other specialties Carmel features include the arusa, which is a meat stuffed pita that is then grilled. If you are vegetarian, Carmel does offer a grilled vegetable pita and even a vegetarian arusa. To top off your pita experience, Carmel offers a grilled Nutella pita for a sweet ending. Each pita at Carmel costs between 30 to 40 shekels, which is the standard for a street pita in Tel Aviv. So it is not like you are paying an arm and a leg for your food. The service at Carmel is by far the best I have experienced while eating street food in the HaCarmel Market. The staff is very friendly and is extremely patient with their clientele. Carmel is great for tourists as well as they feature an English menu as well. Out of the many street food options in the city, Carmel is in my top 3. The atmosphere, quality products, and friendly service all add up to a fantastic local food experience in the middle of HaCarmel Market.

Address: Hillel Hazaken 18, Tel Aviv
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11AM-11PM
            Friday: 11AM-4PM
            Saturday: Closed