Kosher for Passover Bargain Salad & Sandwich in Jerusalem

Today my friend and I went to Jerusalem. We saw a fascinating exhibit of Pre-State Haggadot in the National Library, Givat Ram, Hebrew University, then we needed to eat lunch. Finding certified/supervised Kosher for Passover No Kitniyot, legumes which most Ashkenaz Jews don't eat on Passover, food isn't all that easy. I figured we'd find something in Center 1, but it's a good thing my friend suggested the Central Bus Station.

One of the sandwich and salad places had both kitniyot and non-kitniyot salads and sandwiches. They were clearly labeled and on separate counters.

Non-Kitniyot were NS30 for either a sandwich or a salad, while the kitniyot were NS25, at least the sandwiches were. We took salads, which were a nice size. I had Tuna, while my friend took the Greek Salad. There was no dressing. We should have asked for olive oil. We received a fork and napkins. There are tables and chairs in the nearby food court, so we had a nice leisurely lunch together. The tables seemed clean and cared for.

Afterwards we walked through Center 1 on our way to the bus home. It's a good thing we didn't take my advice. It was like a ghost town. Most of the stores were closed, especially the restaurants and fast food places.

Surprise Sandwich Discount

Tuesday night I ended up without a dinner date and without food from home, so I literally walked up and down Jerusalem's Emek Refaim Street looking for something worth buying and trying to burn some calories. It was too depressing to think of sitting by myself, while the world out there was socializing, so I figured I'd pick up a sandwich. Well, there weren't many reasonably priced sandwich options. The bagel place charged over ns20 for tuna, and the bagels are the "fake" puffy round rolls. I would have paid it if there had been real bagels, boiled and baked. They are almost impossible to find nowadays.

Suddenly I remembered the Cafe Neeman Bakery up on Pierre Koenig off of Emek Refaim. I wasn't sure what they'd have at that hour, since it's more a breakfast and lunch place.

When I entered I could smell freshly baked rolls and bread. Customers were coming in for bread and rolls to use the following morning.

I found a small selection of readymade sandwiches in long Israeli "sandwich rolls." I asked the price:

"NS18.50, but only NS15, because it's late."

That seemed in my budget, and I was hungry. And the sandwiches looked fresh. Only when I got to where I was staying did I notice that I hadn't taken the one I wanted, but there was nothing I could do. I ate the chavita, fried egg, on white bread. It had sufficient, though not a lot of, salad. It was tasty and filling. Even the full price is reasonable, being under NS20.

Each of these Ne'eman Bakeries have different selections and prices, but all seem rather reasonable. Yes, I do recommend going there.

Best Salad Deal in Jerusalem

The other day my friend and I needed a quick lunch before going to our "next stop/event." All I wanted to eat was a salad, and she was more flexible. We found ourselves in the Jerusalem Central Bus Station and checked out all the the options in the food court there. Even though there are about ten Israeli-style "fast food" places, nothing appealed to us, or at least to me.

Suddenly I remembered that there's a branch from the Neeman Bakery chain on the other side of the escalators. We went to check it out. They had a small custom-made salad for NS17, and it cost less than a shekel more to be able to eat at the table and be served in a regular bowl instead of the plastic container. My friend ordered soup. They both came with a nice-looking wholewheat roll, which she took home, since we didn't need to eat them. I was asked what dressing I wanted, and they were very generous with the olive oil.

My salad was fantastic. I had a choice of tuna and took the one that was plain. In addition, as you can see in the photo, I was able to get all sorts of cut salad until the bowl was overflowing.

This was a very pleasant surprise, and I plan on eating there in the future. I found the salad filling and the service excellent. You order at the counter, and they bring you to food to your table.