Revisited July 2021
Pankina is one of the fine high-end dairy restaurants in Tel Aviv. It is a special restaurant that can raise the level of pasta and vegetable dishes, to gourmet.. Pankina mixes Italian flavors with the ambiance of Tel Aviv. There is lovely curb-side seating at cloth-covered tables. The atmosphere is distinctly Tel Aviv while the cuisine is authentically Italian. What a combination.
Pankina restaurant is run by a team of Italian gentlemen. You will be greeted by Shali, the dashing host with the most. Emanuel brought his culinary expertise from Rome, where he ran the kitchen in several restaurants. The food, the service, the dining experience is top notch.
Pankina Revisited July 2021
I love a restaurant with a large selection of starters, and Pankina is my kind of restaurant. The fine selection of starters make it hard to choose. Though highly recommened we decided to pass on the Carpaccio and Tuna Tartar.and go with classic Italian starters. Arancini is a starter that you won't want to miss. The Arancini dish includes several balls of  Risotto with a crispy coating, and a mushroom filling in a Marinara and Parmesean sauce. Sounds simple huh? Don't try this at home. Only real Italian chefs dare to offer Arancini, as this is the benchmark of the Italian kitchen, so don't miss this mark of the authentic Italian chef.
The specialty of the house is the bruchetta with cheese and tomatoes on toast. This should be your appetizer, we were told, which was excellent advise. The Mozzarella Fritta of fried mozzarella with crispy coating
in a tomato salsa sauce was the runner up at our table.
The fish courses at Pankina are plentiful. My companion enjoyed the sea bass fillet, while our friends enjoyed a whole fish. The fish was served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. These were so good, we asked and were served another helping. The fish was especially nice paired with the house white wine.
I am a sucker for lasagna. So even though I could not eat the whole dish, i enjoyed this warm, cheesy, dish with eggplant.
The restaurant packed up the rest for me, which i enjoyed for lunch the following day.
"Is this a special occasion?" we were asked. Indeed, we were celebrating summer birthdays. And out came a delicious panna cotta dessert, served in a mug, with a sparkler.
Everything at Pankina is so delicious I was tempted to try the sparkler. But alas.
Highly recommended.
On previous visits to Pankina we have enjoyed the Ravioli Di Ricotta for our main dish. This was a delicious pasta dish of ravioli filled with ricotta cheese in a zucchini and cream sauce. The spaghetti Pantesca is a spaghetti dish rich in vegetables with bite size pieces of fresh tuna. This is a slightly spicy dish, where the fish does not overpower the flavor. There is also a vegan version of this dish.
 Getting There and Parking: The restaurant is located on Gordon Street, just before the corner of Dizengoff St. The owners suggest parking in a lot on Frishman at the corner of Ben Yehudah.
It is best to have reservations at this restaurant and if the weather permits, to request seating outdoors.
From the Menu: Arancini Starter: NIS 59. Tuna Tartar NIS NIS 69. Mozzarella Fritte NIS 49. LaCanea Zucchini NIS 39., Salads NIS 42. Ravioli filled Ricotta NIS 67. Spaghetti Pantesan with tuna NIS 89. Lasangna of the day NIS 52. Cocktails NIS 45.
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