July 2025
Show me two Jews in Ramat Hasharon who demand a restaurant with a mehadrin Chatam Sofer hashgacha. Not known for its kashrut-sensitive population, I would think that there is not much demand for this stringent kashrut in this city. Then what brings so many people to this restaurant?

Cafe111 is a corner restaurant at 111 Sokolov Blvd and Yavne St, the border between Herzlia and Ramat Hasharon. The restaurant has is a pleasant front patio facing Sokolov, a large public parking lot next door, and street parking on both sides of Yavne street.

Owner Eliav opened Cafe111 in this location nearly 20 years ago, but the restaurant only became kosher in the last 16 years. Chef David has been with the restaurant since the start and recently Eliav's son Alon, has joined as the hands-on manager of the restaurant, The restaurant has a mix of clients, including a following of regular customers who the staff knows by name.

We visited Cafe111 for a late lunch at a time that we thought would be the lull after the regular lunch traffic. To our surprise the restaurant was full. The table that we dashed for, when we realized the acoustics, was already reserved. The patio, even on the warm summer mid day, was also fully occupied. Most of the diners were Israelis. We heard very little English at the restaurant, though there is a sizable English speaking community in the area.

The decor of the restaurant is 90's, though to be kind, it can be called vintage. The owners plan on renovating, but judging from the popularity of this restaurant, folks seem to be satisfied with the restaurant as it is.There are the basic cafeteria-style tables and chairs and well-worn menus in both Hebrew and English. There is a coffee bar at the far side of the room, and the old-fashioned cash register. A modest glass display case holds basic cakes, none too enticing. So what is the secret?

In 1992 James Carville, advising Bill Clinton in his successful run for the White House, coined the phrase ph.“"It's the economy stupid.” In that vein, we could say of Cafe111 "It's the food stupid." And despite the convenient parking and the hashgacha, it was for the food that we gathered here today.

The menu is much like every other coffee shop menu, with a selection of salads, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, etc. A business lunch, advertised on the menu from noon till 4, includes a small salad with a main course and two drinks. The menu specifies that the deal does not include fish dishes. Yet every other dish that we asked about was also not included in the business lunch, which lead us to wondering.

We gave up on saving a shekel and ignored the deals. Breakfast is served throughout the day, and because the dishes that he hoped to order were not on the menu, my companion chose shaksuka from the breakfast menu. Behold! Shakshuka was on the business lunch. Deliberating about which kind of shakshuka to choose, our waiter, Shai, kindly interjected his opinion. Perhaps it was the waiter or the decor that reminded me of dining at Ratner's the old Lower East Side New York restaurant, where the waiters told you what you were going to order. In this case both my companion's shakshuka and the recommended lasagna were spot on. Lesson learned: if the waiter's name is Shai, take his advise.

As a starter, we chose one order of cauliflower florets to share. The cauliflower starter arrived at the table together with my companion's main dish. Wanting to enjoy the shakshuk while hot, most of the cauliflower was left for me. This was no compromise because this dish was outstanding. Cauliflower florets is one of my standard starter dishes, and I could probably write the definitive comparative study of cauliflower florets in restaurants throughout Israel. In that tomb, the dish at Cafe111 would receive the top prize. The florets were light and crispy. The cauliflower inside was still hot. The dish was fresh, with no sign of being the frozen variety that we are sometimes served. The dish came with three dips: green tehina, sweet chili, and something red that looked suspiciously spicy. No thank you.

While I was enjoying the starter, my companion was raving about his shakshuka served with a small salad and a fresh loaf of bread. This is the best Shakshuka anywhere, he said, and the bread is fresh and crusty as well. It is just because you are hungry, having held out for a late lunch, i suggested. No, this is just delicious. And with that, we understood why this restaurant is short of tables in the middle of a weekday afternoon.

The salads, says Alon, are the restaurant signature dishes. The list of salads is impressive, with some unusual salads like pecan and goats cheese.

The restaurant has a full-time barista working at a professional coffee machine. When you have the coffee you will know why a dedicated barista is necessary. The coffee is Ditta Italian, new to us. This is one good cup of coffee, hot and rich. Perfect.

We finished off our meal with a delicious milk shake, chosen by our waiter Shai, with a generous portion siphoned off for my companion, as always. Next time we go out to a coffee shop with friends, it will be Cafe111, he informed me. The food at Cafe111 beats all the other dairy coffee shops in the area.

The bill for lunch for 2, inclucing one business lunch and two moderately priced dishes, came to 235 shekels, rather high for lunch, and of course we added a tip for shai.

The restaurant hosts groups every evening so reservations should be made through Ontopo.

From the Menu:

Crispy cauliflower (starter) NIS 48
Vegetarian lasagna NIS NIS 76
Shakshouka NIS 74
Pizza NIS 64
Salads NIS 75
Fish dishes NIS 110 +

Cafe111 invites you to visit the restaurant with a 10% discount from 2 pm to 5:30pm with your eLuna coupon.