April 06
We were delighted to discover this quaint family restaurant on King George Street, in the heart of Jerusalem, not far from the top of the midrachov. There is a pay parking lot at the corner on King George at HaMaalot, just a few steps from the restaurant.
The modest size of this restaurant does not in any way reflect the investment that owner Guy and his family make in the quality and sincerity of the enterprise. The menu in both Hebrew and English offers appetizers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, pastas, hot drinks and a great selection of rich dairy desserts. These are freshly prepared, and graciously presented at your table by either the owner himself or a charming waitress. Portions are generous and prices are unusually reasonable.
At Macaroni they take their pasta seriously. The consultant and culinary guiding light is  master chef Mena Shtrum. Shtrum is an authority on the Italian kitchen and the author of the book “Not Just Pasta.” The result is exceptional.
Visit Macaroni for the pasta dishes that you wish you could make at home.
“What’s good?” I asked owner Guy.
He was so enthusiastic about so many of the dishes, we didn’t have a clue as to what to choose.
Try the Gilo De Boso, for example. This dish is made of Durham wheat pasta prepared with olive oil, garlic, a variety of mushrooms and white wine. Sound good? Just taste it. Another of the specialties is the sweet potato ravioli with cream sauce. An unusual and very special dish is the rolada filled with ricotta cheese and spinach served on a bed of tomato sauce. The Melenza Fusili is another house specialty and a customer favorite. In this dish the pasta is served with tomato sauce, eggplant and Mozzarella cheese.
 A guide to the different types of pasta is printed right on the menu. The English menu has hardly any errors – a sure sign that someone took the extra effort to do it right.
The portions at Macaroni are generous and the dishes are filling. Their 2-course business lunch at NIS 35 must be one of the best deals in Jerusalem. So generous, the folks at the table next to ours had them bag what remained of their lunch.
Macaroni will deliver to locations in the area of the restaurant. Not a bad option, but don’t miss the quaint atmosphere of this little Italian restaurant on King George Street.
Appetizers NIS 20 - 28, Pizza NIS 34, Sandwiches NIS 28, Salads NIS 24 - 32, Pastas NIS 32 - 39, Desserts NIS 16 - 24. |
