M25 Meatmarket Tel Aviv

I have a confession to make. One I’m a little bit ashamed of.

Here goes.

Until a few days ago, I had no idea the western part of the Camel Market was home to the M25 meat restaurant.

There. I’ve said it.

Why am I so embarrassed about my M25-related ignorance? If you’ve eaten there, you’ll know.

Let’s start at the beginning. Two friends from Russia recently recommended M25 to me, just in passing, when they were visiting Tel Aviv on business. They happened to pass M25 while exploring the market area one afternoon, and decided to give it a try.

When I met up with them the next day, they were genuinely enthusiastic about the restaurant, clearly keen to tell me how great their experience was. They even showed me a few pictures of the dishes they’d devoured — and they certainly whetted my appetite.

Both friends know I have a passion for reviewing Tel Aviv’s best restaurants, and we all agreed my loyal readers deserve to discover M25 too (unless, of course, you’ve already done so!).

So, was their recommendation justified? Read on, dear reader!

the place:

As mentioned, the restaurant is located in the colorful and authentic Carmel market; this unexpected setting adds to M25’s unique style. I ventured into the venue after wandering the market for a while, absorbing the area’s vibrant atmosphere.

I highly recommend doing the same if you’ve never visited, especially tourists coming to Tel Aviv for the first time.

The entrance to the restaurant is located near its butchery, which offers a selection of choice cuts. The open kitchen adds to the authentic, exciting atmosphere too, allowing you a view of the chefs hard at work.

Wooden chairs and tables adorn the restaurant, while relaxing music plays at just the right volume to cultivate an inviting ambience. M25 is a simple, relatively small place, but what it lacks in special decorations it makes up for with a homely warmth.

Please note: the regular dishes are written on a wall-mounted board, but for the special dishes of the day you have to ask the butcher.

Score for place: 9/10.

the TASTE:

Starters

For the first course, we ordered beef tongue with a green salad. And, following a recommendation from the waitress, we also chose Arayes — which she described as ‘the flagship dish’ of M25.

The beef tongue was juicy, and combining it with Dutch mustard was a brilliant choice, creating a truly spectacular flavor.

Score: 8/10.

The second starter, the Arayes, is definitely a must-have. After taking a few bites, it was obvious to me why the employees consider it a flagship dish.

This is a juicy pita stuffed with lamb prepared on a grill, served with tahini and tomato salad. What makes this dish popular is the delicious meat, the flavors of which are absorbed by the pita: this makes it crunchy on the outside, a nice contrast in texture to the a delicious kebab inside.

This dish was enough to fill my stomach, and I recommend sharing it with someone else if you want to leave room for the meat to come (which is what the restaurant is known for, after all).

Main Course

For the main course, I ordered PRIME RIB 600g with roasted tomatoes and potatoes. I usually avoid mentioning prices in the “taste” section, but I’ll make an exception here: I paid NIS 41 per kilo, which is certainly cheap compared to other high-end Tel Aviv restaurants serving a similar portion.

In addition to the prime rib, I ordered one skewer of Lia fat: the butcher explained to me that a combination of fat with prime rib could significantly enhance the overall flavor.

What distinguishes the taste of M25’s meats is that they’re all cooked on charcoal grills. Anyone who understands the art of preparing meat knows there’s a big difference in the way this tastes compared with meat cooked on the standard electric grills used in countless restaurants across the globe.

The prime rib was soft, juicy and true prime rib-lovers who like eating off the bone will enjoy it right up to the last bite☺

The Lia fat was also a great complement, adding to the prime rib’s exquisite taste.

Score for Prime Rib: 9/10.

Dessert

After I finished the prime rib, I had just enough room left for dessert. The waitress offered two  recommendations: the chocolate mousse and the crack pie.

I decided on the crack pie after seeing someone at a nearby table eating it — it looked irresistible. In case you don’t know, crack pie is a honey cake served with oatmeal and “cream fresh”.

The cake was solid, and though it couldn’t compare to the meats (of course) it was still a nice dish to end the meal.

Score: 7.5/10.

service and price:

Throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but notice the restaurant was completely full. At the same time, I was impressed that the only two waitresses managed to cope with so many customers, remaining friendly and polite despite the pressure they were under.

M25 is certainly a successful restaurant, and I think the outstanding service plays a big part in that.

Score service: 9.5/10.

As for the price, M25 offers real value for money.

Especially the prime rib: the restaurant manager claims this is the cheapest of its kind in Tel Aviv — just NIS 41 per kilo. The meat’s taste and quality was of a very high standard too, on a par with some of the other luxury restaurants I’ve visited recently.

Score for price: 9.5/10.

a quick summary:

In conclusion, I’m happy to say my friends from Russia were spot-on in their recommendation.

M25 achieves its goal: to be a quality restaurant serving meats prepared to the highest possible standard, without any superfluous decoration or gimmicks. Crucially, reasonable prices are suitable for every budget.

Will I go back to M25?

Well, the answer is a resounding yes! In fact, I’d already been again at the time of writing this review, to celebrate a friend’s birthday party. And I’m certain I’ll go back again in the future!

My Total Score for M25 Restaurant is 9.5/10!

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Best Restaurants in Tel Aviv
Average rating:  
 1 reviews
by Efi on Best Restaurants in Tel Aviv
Great restaurant

Enjoyed there very much,

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. olga

    11 Mar 2019 Reply

    Thanks for this review !

  2. Florian93

    12 Mar 2019 Reply

    Will visit there soon thanks to you 🙂

  3. Sharon

    22 Mar 2019 Reply

    I have been there more times than I can count…perfect place for meat indeed

  4. Eddie

    23 Mar 2019 Reply

    Loved your post man! keep it up!

  5. esti

    27 Mar 2019 Reply

    very fun read

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Address:

Simtat HaCarmel 30, Tel Aviv-Yafo

phone:

03-517-3086

opening hours:

Monday-Thursday: 11am-11pm. Friday: 11am-4:30pm. Saturday-Sunday: closed.

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