Jerusalem hotels, restaurants, attractions, tours & events. Helping since 2008

Although the calendar and weather are edging towards spring, Jerusalem is still largely in winter mode. Locals are equipped with umbrellas and boots; jackets and sweaters are in easy reach. Before the restaurants change their menus to the lighter fare of the summer season, you can still catch body- and soul-warming dishes.

Do you fancy a thick soup? A stick-to-your-ribs meat meal? Or perhaps a heaping plate of vegetables and couscous? Restaurants all over Jerusalem are happy to offer you shelter from the wind. So before the wan sunshine turns overbearingly strong and hot, warm yourself on chilly days with our picks for the best hearty, cold-weather meals in the capital.

Lamb tajine at Darna

Hop over to Darna in the Russian compound and indulge in the iconic lamb tajine dish. Lamb and vegetables or fruits (the produce may change seasonally) are slow-cooked over a charcoal fire in a specially shaped earthenware crock. Tajine refers both to the meal and to the two-part cooking vessel, which consists of a shallow dish and a conical top. The spices, flavors and techniques used for this dish are distinctly Moroccan. The décor and design of Darna can help transport you to the sunny climes of North Africa, even if the winter wind is still blowing just outside the door.

Siga wot at Ethio-Israel

For an entirely different taste of Africa - this time sub-Saharan - try the siga wot at Ethio-Israel. Also located in the Russian Compound, the restaurant is Jerusalem's only kosher-certified Ethiopian eatery. Siga wot is a traditional beef stew, thoroughly infused with onions and berbere (ground hot chili pepper and other spices). It is eaten without cutlery; diners scoop up the hot stew with strips of injera, a malty flatbread made with teff, a staple Ethiopian grain.

Kubeh soup at Mordoch

A classic answer to winter's chill is a hearty soup. Near Machane Yehuda is Mordoch, an Iraqi/Kurdish lunch spot (though it's open until early evening), famous for their kubeh. Kubeh is the Middle Eastern equivalent of a dumpling: the outside is made with semolina and bulghur, and it envelopes a delicious pocket of spiced ground meat.

Kubeh is sometimes deep fried, but it is wholly satisfying plunked into a bowl of hot soup. Mordoch offers several kinds of soup, including adom (a deep red-purple beet base) and chamusta ("sour" from tangy, earthy chard).

Goulash at Link

For a classic European dish to chase away the cold, try the goulash at Link. With chunks of beef, onions, red pepper and a hint of tomato, it is spiced with paprika and simmers all day. At this restaurant on downtown's HaMa'alot Street, the goulash is served with rice on the side - just as owner Yehuda Aslan's mom used to make it on cold winter days when he was growing up.

As Aslan tells it, on a chilly winter day ten years ago, when Link was preparing to open for the first time, she served her homey goulash to the staff. Aslan, who had been searching for a robust soup to round out his menu, immediately realized, "This is the soup!" It's been on the menu since the opening day and remains a signature dish.

Couscous and vegetables at Marvad Haksamim

Vegetarians or vegetable lovers shouldn't be left out in the cold, either. A traditional couscous and vegetable medley at either of Marvad Haksamim's Jerusalem outposts (King George or Emek Refaim) has the potential to warm you from the inside. This Jerusalem institution has been serving up a mélange of foods from the Middle East (delicacies of Yemen and Iraq) and beyond for over 50 years.