Shimmy's American-style diner in Hadera

August 2026

Shimmy's is a chain of kosher deli restaurants currently in 5 locations throughout Israel. Shimmy's will scratch your itch for American nostalgia foods and, though strictly kosher, will satisfy any treif food-envy that you might have.

The menus are nearly the same at all the restaurants, with some variations. The restaurant in Hadera is a cross between a sit-down restaurant and a fast-food eatery. There is an open kitchen where a team of young people manage the planchas and put the orders together. The restaurant is spankin' clean, and a place you want to eat.

Shimmy's branch restaurants have the look and feel of a1950's American diner, with a palette of black, white and red. The menus and the staff uniforms, T-shirts numbered for famous Jewish baseball players, have the same color scheme.

The playlist is rock & roll from the ’70s and ’80s, mercifully lowered when requested. Enter your order on kiosk machines. The efficient do-it-yourself ordering process moves things along, getting your food faster and hassle-free.

“A good restaurant is half about the food and half about the vibe, service and hospitality." We got the idea of the vibe and the service. We were anxious to find out about the the other half, the food.

Shimon Shain, the founder and inspiration of the Shimmy's restaurant chain made aliyah in 2016 from Los Angeles and made his home in the Golan. Two of the branch restaurants and the beef at these restaurants come from the Golan. The hot dogs and pastrami are made in a boutique smokehouse in accordance with the chef's specifications. Shimmy is a hands-on owner, periodically visiting each of the locations.

Todd Aarons is the culinary inspiration behind Shimmy's. Todd was the original chef and part owner of Crave Restaurant in Jerusalem. His signature foods are the non-dairy meat substitutes and milk substitute like vegan cheese used in kosher cheese burgers and the corn dog coating. His Lamb Bacon has dubbed him the chef who gets "as close-to-treif-as-kosher-can-get." This is a pretty safe bet because most of the diners at these restaurants have never had a treif cheese burger so they would not know how authentic they are.

Step right up to either one of two kiosk machines to place your order. The menu offers American diner favorites including smash burgers, corn dogs, fried chicken sandwiches, and great pastrami. The toppings include vegan cheese and lamb bacon; hot dogs and a Reuben sandwich. You won't see corn dogs on too many menus in Israel. These are battered and fried hot dogs, served on a stick. The batter for corn dogs is made with buttermilk, not a challenge for chef Aarons. Surprise! The vegan cheese is the bright yellow color of American cheese. Millers.

On our visit to the restaurant we were VIP guests of the charming restaurant manager Yonatan. He recommended the Shimmy's signature smash burger with waffle chips and some corn dogs to taste. For the uninitiated a smash burger is a thin crispy burger cooked on a plancha. A heavy spatula flattens a ball of ground meat onto the hot plancha. The patties are very thin, which creates a craggy, crispy crust called the Mallard reaction, the same flavors found in well seared steak. Shimmy's smash burger comes with lettuce, tomato, and sweet pickles that are made with the restaurant’s bespoke house sauce.

The upgraded smash burger is the double Oklahoma burger. This is “an Oklahoma-style smash burger with onions, mustard, house sauce, and sweet pickles complete with vegan cheese and lamb bacon." No need to upgrade for us. My companion devoured the smash burger and the waffle chips. Both the waffle chips and the classic straight chips are prepared in a non-meaty chipster.and both passed the crispy and delicious test.

Shimmy's stocks all the sodas that we remembered from our youths in the US. There is Brown's Root Beer, Cream Soda, and Black Cherry. That brought back some memories..

We have it on good word that the southern fried chicken sandwich is the restaurant favorite. Rather than chicken breast. this sandwich is made with pargit (chicken thighs). The sandwich comes with smash mayonnaise, sweet pickles, and lettuce, and either honey drizzled on top or spicy Nashville sauce, or both. There are also chicken nuggets made the same way,

The beef hot dog is a 130g kielbasa-style beef sausage comes with a large plate of vegan chili-cheese fries or waffle-cut fries.

For those who favor non-meat dishes, like this writer, Shimmy's offers several options. The tempura-fried portobello mushroom in the vegetarian Portobello & Cheese sandwich is prepared in the non-meaty chipster. Vegan yellow cheese, sweet pickles and smash mayo is added to the American-style bun, for a full sandwich that competes with any of Shimmy's sandwiches. Non-meat diners may also choose the vegetarian Bacon, Egg & Cheese dish: This is crispy lamb “bacon,” fried egg, vegan cheese and smash mayo on an American-style bun.

There is also a huge green salad with very good Shimmy's dressings. That'll keep you chomping while your companion has his meat sandwich, with plenty to take home.

Getting there: Shimmy's is located on the upper level of Hadera's Mul HaHof Village mall, just off highway #2. Shimmy's has a prominent place among the other eateries on the upper floor of the center. There is plenty of parking on the second level so drive right up the ramp. Look for the red sign. Not the yellow arch, not this time.