Open Sunday - Thursday:7:30 am - 12:00 midnight. Friday 7:30 am - 3:00 pm. After Shabbat till 12:00 midnight. Closed Shabbat.

January 09
Zazoo is a highly stylized dairy restaurant/cafe in Pardesiya. The beautiful interior is expertly designed by Ayal Ratner, and Alona Becher owners of Studio 180. No, you have not fallen through the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. You are at Zazoo. Take it all in. The outsized chairs, the colors, the ceiling, the displays..... just gorgeous.

My first thought when I entered this restaurant was what a shame it is that this gorgeous stylized interior is tucked away in this moshava. This kind of talent should be shown off in a more prominent place! But on second thought, I believe that the charming moshava of pardesiiya sets the tone for this amazing restaurant.

The menu also makes a statement with items that you will not find just anywhere. All of the foods, we were told, are prepared to order. The salad does not sit around waiting for a customer to order it. After you order the salad, the vegetables are cut. This adds a bit of time to your visit, but surprisingly not that much.

While we waited for our starter course, we munched on an order of Admameh, which is soy beans. These are served in the pod, boiled just right, salted, and - very much like peas. They go with beer, we were told, and my companion was pleased to comply.

For our first course I took the halumi cheese with mushrooms on skewers and my companion went with the soup of the day, a root vegetable soup. Both of us were very impressed with our starters. The dishes were very nicely presented and very tasty. As we looked around the restaurant we noticed that the sandwiches are among the more popular dishes. We were impressed with the large sandwich platters heaped with salad. Another best-seller at this restaurant is the shakshuka, served to the table in a steaming cast-iron frying pan.

Bucking the trend, we decided on something more substantial. My companion dug into a very generous rice, vegetable and tofu dish. Tuesday - and only Tuesday - they serve sushi. I was disappointed that I was not able to order this, so I chose the lasagna which was unmemorable, heavy on the cheese and light on the vegetables. But all was not lost because the restaurant has a bar with a full selection of alcoholic beverages and hot drinks. I compensated my disappointment about the sushi with a lovely choco Irish Cream. Don't miss this.

For dessert we indulged in one of the sinful desserts from Bleeker. The most popular dessert, we were told, is the chocolate something or other. This time we went with the crowd's choice which was amazing.

Our bill came to nis 250, but I imagine that had we gone for sandwiches, skipped the alcohol and the dessert we could have brought the price down to under nis 200.

Note that the restaurant also has a children's menu and wireless internet.

If you have the time to sit and enjoy the ambiance try the Israeli Breakfast. This comes with salad, cheeses, antipasti, bread and spreads. There are also a fine array of salads.

From Our Readers:
Submitted By: Josh T. Date: February 09. Description: Zazoo is unbelievably good. They actually asked us if we had found them through Eluna. Place had a quiet, neighborhoody feel, with kids running around but not noisily. The owners seemed to know the kids and their parents. The food was very special and unique. The onion soup was not overly cheesy, just a light onion-flavored broth with two planks of crisp, toasted bread floating in it. The pasta was fresh and cooked to perfection. The shakshuka was spicy and thick. The coffee was perfect. The décor was also lively, interesting, and comfortable. It’s the place the neighborhood likes to hang out at, and it makes me want to live in that neighborhood.