Denya Cafe Restaurant

September 2017
Denmark Square (Kikar Denya) in Jerusalem's Beit Hakerem neighborhood, honors the Danish people for rescuing 7,000 Jews, 90 percent of its Jewish population, during the Holocaust in 1943. The monument in the square is shaped like a boat, recalling the boats on which Jews were smuggled to Sweden.

Denya Cafe is just across the street from Denya Square. The Jerusalem light rail whizzes right in front of the cafe, but if you have come by car there is parking in the lot at the square. Cafe Denya and Katzefet, the ice cream parlor next door, are part of the same complex. This is a spacious area with plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors.

Denya is a pleasant cafe/restaurant with a full menu. We consider Denya a restaurant because it offers. such a full choice. There are pasta dishes, salads, pizza and focaccia, as well as several fish dishes. You will be greeted warmly whether you are there for just a drink or for a full meal. But whatever you choose, don't miss the smoothies.

eLuna Visits Denya Cafe/Restaurant.

We chose to sit inside on the warm summer day, passing up spacious outdoor seating, which would be more appropriate for a cool evening. Denya has menus in both Hebrew and English. Going light, we decided to share a starter and have two main courses to share. We started our meal with a lovely fruit slush, a non-alcoholic drink with crushed ice. It was just what we needed on this warm day. Later we were to discover that Denya Cafe specializes in great drinks and shakes. Not to be missed.

For our starter we chose the cauliflower Polenta. This cleverly presented dish is one of the restaurant's signature dishes. The polenta is a buttery cauliflower puree with whole mushrooms, chestnuts and chives sauteed in truffle oil and topped with sliced Parmesan cheese. The dish, which is an individual size serving came in a very cute small pot. The puree was delicious with whole pieces of mushroom and chestnuts, a great combination. The portion is generous for one, but for two sharing, as we often do, it is just enough to whet the appetite.

For our main courses we chose the lasagne roll and the fish & chips (seen in photos below). Out came two beautiful dishes, generous, and attractively presented. The waitress had told us that the lasagna was served as two rolls, so we were not expecting the standard lasagna casserole with vegetables that we know. The two rolls in a rich creamy sauce would best be described as blintzes in a cream sauce. The rolls were tasty and filling, and had the dish been called blintzes our expectations would have been in line with what was served.

The fish and chips were crispy and tasty and a good choice for our lunch. The crispy hake fillets with a crumb coating were served with dips and sauces. This was a generous portion that we shared easily.

We certainly did not need any dessert after this meal but I could see from the orders at the other tables that the desserts were a popular item. We ordered a shake to go, and we enjoyed it on the way home.

The restaurant was preparing for a party, while we were dining. There was plenty of space and the preparations did not interfere at all with our service or our dining. Denya Cafe is a very good venue for a get together as this is a spacious and convenient location.

From the Menu: Cauliflower Polenta starter NIS 45. Lasagna roll NIS 58. Fish & Chips NIS 68. Salmon NIS 89. Sea Bream Fillet NIS 99. Sandwiches NIS 40. pizza NIS 55. Smoothie/milk shake NIS 30. .