Amigos
November 2022
"Were you able to get a table at Amigos?" friends asked on our return from the Galil. Every time they go up north the restaurant is so packed they can't get a table. And there is no shortage of space, with about 100 seats indoors and another large number of tables on an outdoor patio.
With a little "protekzia" (we are eLuna) we got a nice table at Amigos.
 What makes this restaurant so popular?
Amigos is a good meat restaurant with good food, convenient location and a staff that makes you feel welcome. Owner and native Kiryat Shmona resident Yehuda Danino cut his teeth on a Mexican fast food restaurant in the city. Over six years ago he dropped the Mexican and focused on this pure meat grill restaurant. The rest is history.
Speaking of history, old timers may recall the restaurant EshBesh, in this same location. You will hardly recognize it ias Amigos. The restaurant is spruced up and upgraded. It is no wonder that Amigos is continually rated in the top 10 restaurants in the Galil, both kosher and non-kosher.
Start your meal with a full table of no less than 17 salads. Were we just hungry or was it the clean air or the mountain views of the Galil? Freshly made every day, the salads at Amigos are special. This amazing display is free of charge with your main course and are replenished as they quickly deplete.
The salads are served with a basket of warm fresh-from-the-oven, house-baked rolls, soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. Yum. You'll be inclined to make a meal of the salads and the rolls, but don't even think of it, because you will miss the delicious meat dishes coming up.
But wait! Before you even get to the main courses, the menu offers a list of show-stopping starters. There is beef carpaccio, cigars stuffed with meat, whole grilled eggplant, fried cauliflower with homemade sweet chili and more. In cold winter weather, there will be slow-cooked soups to warm you up .
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The "Specials" section of the menu offers main courses ranging from a 280 gr of Entrecote burger served with chips, to the high-end platter of 3 veal chops, chicken livers with onions, marinated chicken breast, aged entrecote steak, and marinated pargit steaks, all served with a choice of side dishes. For the less adventurous, there is breaded chicken schnitzel or vegetarian burger. All come with the famous 17 salads. Amigos is a family restaurant so bring the kids and let them choose from the child-appropriate dishes.
As for Skewed meat, there is grilled chunks of pargit, lamb kebabs, and chicken hearts. I had one pargit skewer and two lamb kebabs, served with a side of French fries. The pargit came to the table on long sword-like skewers. The meat, was soft and tasty, and the kebabs juicy and rich in lamb flavor. The swords turned me into a knight in shining armor. At least while I was at Amigos.
As a nod to non-meat eaters, the menu offers two fish options: a salmon filet and a filet of musht (St Peter’s fish). The latter is served in a chreimi sauce, Moroccan sauce with a tomato base, paprika, cilantro and other spices.
Sharing a big platter of tasty meats with friends - as the name of the restaurant suggests - is one of the great joys of life. The menu offers a mixed platter of meats for two diners, four diners, and six. The mixed grill, says owner Yehuda, is the restaurant's signature main course.
The platter includes 5 different types of premium meats. Meat connoisseurs will appreciate the "premium" menu of optional additions to the mixed platters, which includes skewers of duck, filet steak, lamb chops and Merguez sausages. The mixed platters are served with your choice of chips or rice, or whatever other sides are cooked up that day
We asked Yehuda the obvious question....
With all of his experience and this very popular restaurant, when will he open branch restaurants in other cities.
No thank you, says Yehuda. We focus on making this restaurant the best that we can. We want Amigos to be a place where our customers love to come again and again. We are proud that most of our customers appreciate the quality of the restaurant that we have built," explains Danino. "Our loyal customers missed us during Covid and returned to the restaurant when we reopened. This is what we hoped for when we opened the restaurant and we are happy to continue with this path forward.
Notes...
1. Off season for this restaurant is just after the holidays. The summer traffic followed by the holiday travelers has died down and the winter snow has not yet appeared on the Hermon. You should be able to make a reservation during this period.
2. Free parking in a lot alongside the restaurant.
3. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible with ramps parallel to the steps into the restaurant.
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