Pompidou

August 2026

Do you recognize the restaurant in the photo? Here's a hint... open since 2013, you have probably been there before. This is the new, redesigned Pompidou Restaurant on Emek Refaim. The same restaurant that you have enjoyed countless times, with a modernized interior and a new menu. The new Pompidou is not "old wine in a new bottle." This is a whole new vintage.

The new upgraded restaurant reopened this summer after a massive renovation. The new modern design is strikingly beautiful and a delightful place to dine. The main dining area is well-lit and spacious, with comfortable upholstered seating. The colors are relaxing light coffee tones. Not just the interior, the menu has also been upgraded and redesigned.

The restaurant opens in the evening, Sunday through Thursday, and again after Shabbat The light rail construction project runs right through Emek Refaim disrupting traffic on the street. The upside is that there is plenty of parking on the side-streets in the area.

Dine outside on the Pompidou patio or inside in the main dining area. Groups will be seated in the separate raised area where they can enjoy each others company at large tables. The entire restaurant is available in the mornings and off-hours for private parties and smachot.

In keeping with the style of the restaurant, the menu is a simple but elegant one page affair, clearly written and available in both Hebrew and English. The menu offers starters and main courses. Drinks and desserts are on a separate menu.

What do you choose when all the dishes are so enticing? I am a big fan of starters and Pompidou has a good selection. At the advice of our charming waitress we chose three starters which my companion and I shared. These are all new dishes at Pompidou and well worth trying. The three were beautifully presented and generous enough for each of us to get a taste of each.

The deliciously crispy fish fingers were served with two dips, one with basil oil and the other lemon oil. These are called fingers because you will be licking yours. I could have stopped right there, but then I would have missed the other outstanding dishes. The Polenta & cheese fingers are served on a platter of truffle flavored cream sauce with chestnuts and mushrooms. This is a unique and creative presentation of polenta. There were just enough of these for each of us to appreciate the flavors. The garden salad, topped with nuts, cranberries, fruit and blue cheese is a full portion. After sharing the other two starters and in anticipation of the main courses, we left too much of the salad untouched.

"The pasta dishes are a highlight at Pompidou" says owner Gal. Maybe, but I had to try the fish. So my companion and I shared one pasta dish and one fish dish. My adventuresome companion chose the Shimeji Agnolotti, described on the menu as wild mushrooms, truffle cream sauce, chestnuts and chives. Shimeji are small white Japanese mushrooms with a slightly nutty flavor. Agnolotti are pockets of pasta filled with the Japanese mushrooms, or basically ravioli with a college education. Gal was correct, the pasta dish was exceptional.

For a fish main dish you can choose between salmon fillet and "The catch of the day served with the daily side dish." Out came a perfectly prepared fillet served on a rice mixture. It was totally delicious and a high protein, low carb alternative.

With our food we enjoyed a cocktail and glamorous iced coffee that was so beautiful it could have passed for a cocktail. Here, here for the Pompidou barmanit.

It is simply prohibited to skip the desserts at a quality restaurant like Pompidou. Who could choose from all the attractive desserts? Again we sought the wisdom of the waitress, whose recommendation was faultless. The Pompidou kitchen has its own take on Tiramasu, which satisfies both the creamy dessert crowd and chocolate lovers. The creamy dessert is covered in chocolate with chocolate crumbs on the side. .

From the Menu Starters: Polenta and cheese fingers NIS 56 Crispy fish fingers NIS 64 Citrus garden salad NIS 66 Main Courses: Papardella Salsa Rose with Parmesan NIS 86 Spaghetti Arrabata & Ricotta with spicy tomato sauce NIS 76 Shimeji Agnolotti, wild mushrooms, truffle cream sauce, chestnuts and chives. NIS 82 Salmon and fish of the day NIS 129