Open Sunday - Thursday: Lunch: 12:00 noon till 3:30pm. Dinner: 6:00pm till 11:00 pm. Open Friday 12:00 noon - 3:00pm. Open after Shabbat till 11:00pm. Closed Shabbat.

I have one word for this restaurant: WOW!
Canela is the "in" restaurant in Jerusalem today and it is easy to see why. This is a different kind of upmarket Jerusalem restaurant. Don't look for Jerusalem stone or Armenian tiles at Canela. The decor is modern, polished and sparkling. Canela is an international restaurant that could be located anywhere in the world, but the first city that comes to mind is New York. Perhaps it is the baby grand piano in the corner. You would probably have to go abroad for a magnificent chandelier like the one that hangs over the sleek bar at the center of the room. Canela is like no other restaurant in Jerusalem, and vive la difference!

Canela is not only about food. This is an invested restaurant and you will enjoy all that has gone into it. The ambiance and the many different spaces at the restaurant make Canela a great place for private meetings, events and smachot. Upstairs there is an unusually sophisticated meeting room that seats 14 people, and is equipped with a video screen, Internet and communication connections. This is perfect for business meetings or private demonstrations. The room opens to a larger area appropriate for private smachot.


The dining experience at Canela is impressive from the ambiance to the excellent service and the superb food. There is a quiet, restful elegance to this restaurant, a respite from the busy city, which makes it a proper environment for conversation or for a romantic dinner. It is no wonder that this restaurant has attracted Jerusalem celebrities. We spotted a Knesset member at the next table and a prominent land developer dining with a government hotshot on our other side.

The menu at Canela is inspired by Chef Marcus Gerkovitz formerly of Rafael restaurant. Desserts, which are edible works of art, are prepared by the pastry chef in a completely separate pastry kitchen.

My companion and I stepped into Canela for a late lunch offered from noon till 3:30 pm. Canela offers a limited menu of lunch specialties. A two-course lunch ranges from NIS 75 to NIS 120 per person.

My companion was particularly delighted with the Mutton Casserole with root vegetables that he chose as a main course. The dish turned out to be a delicious portion of lamb cooked to a soft texture served with several different cooked root vegetables. From its description he had not expected such an unusual and delicious dish. I too was surprised by my dish. I am not much of a gnocchi fan. All too often gnocchi is works out to a heavy carb meal that is not that interesting. I chose it because it was the only vegetarian dish on the menu. The dish served at Canela was like no other. It was served on a large flat plate, with an equal amount of green beans and a wonderful sauce. The dish was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend it highly.

You may want to add a dessert to your meal, but it is not included in the business lunch. The desserts are produced in house by a separate pastry chef. They are especially exotic and delicious, and are worthy of mention.

To sum it up, Canela is a wonderful dining experience and one that you will surely enjoy. Dinner for two can come to at least NIS 350 not including wine. The reasonably priced lunch is a good opportunity to experience this restaurant. The quality and the dining experience will speak for itself, but you will not be overwhelmed by the quantity of food.

From Our Readers:
Submitted by: RAPHY Date: October 07. Description: It was a real treat to be able to eat out at an establishment where the hype is actually matched by the quality of the food and service. To celebrate our twin birthdays my wife, son and I went out for dinner this evening to Canela. The retaurant has a certain understated elegance....although I feel that this could be enhanced with tablecloths. The bread offered was a delightful warm walunut loaf and was served with a dip made of good olive, oil and a hint of saffron. Our starters were delicious...I had the Foie Gras with Eggplant - it was different then what was actually listed on the menu and the 2 baby eggplants were delicious, however a tad oversweet. The foie gras was mouthmeltingly good and it was a well executed dish and well presented.The second starter was the open ravioli with shredded duck, which has a nice flavour. The duck was just a tiny bit overcooked, but it too was overall a well executed dish.For mains my wife had the Fillet of beef which was cooked to perfection. She ordered it medium and in a rare display of culiary acuity not often seen in Israel, it actually arrived medium as ordered. The sauce was a rich red wine demi glace and it was really well seasoned. The potato gnocci were slightly burnt and the steamed baby Bok Choy had too much salt from what one can only assume was a contientious and energetic mashgiach plying his trade removing all traces of undesireable creepy crawlies from the vegetable....but overall and again a good dish. The sauteed chicken livers were perfectly cooked and this too was a good dish. My lamb stew was (to my taste) slightly overseasoned and the chef had either allowed all of the oil to be plated along with the lamb or had decided that chanukah had arrived early and was in a VERY generous and liberal mood with the oil. The lamb was butter soft, the accompanying vegetable puree was tasty and the glazed baby onions had a good crunch to them. The least good out of our three mains, but with a little less salt and about half a gallon of oil less it would of been as good as the other dishes. Our only let down were the desserts. Not much of a choice and what we did choose was a dissapointment. Service was efficient and friendly and it was a delightful experience. Not the cheapest of meals, but good value for a fine dining experience. The portions are not massive - hint hint......but adequete. We will definately be going back and hope that they do something about the desserts as that would make for a truly fine dining experience.