Yakota (Rav Yisrael Yakov Landau from Be’er Sheva) 27 Mordei HaGataot, corner of 18 Anilevich, Be’er Sheva Phone: 08-6232689 Opening Hours: Sun – Thurs : 12:00 – 24:00 Fri : 11:00 – 1 hour before shabbat

Yakota (Rav Yisrael Yakov Landau from Be’er Sheva)

27 Mordei HaGataot, corner of 18 Anilevich, Be’er Sheva
Phone: 08-6232689
Opening Hours: Sun – Thurs : 12:00 – 24:00
Fri : 11:00 – 1 hour before shabbat
Type: Meat
Price Range: I forgot to write it down, as I was so fascinated by what I was reading on the menu! Med- High range

Yakota is a Moroccan Restaurant in the fourth largest city in Israel – Be’er Sheva.

As you walk through the Old City looking for the restaurant, you finally come across a building where the windows are shaped in a Moroccan style and you realise – you found it! You walk into Yakota and there’s Moroccan designs on the walls and the table settings are in the same style. Only after leaving the restaurant, I noticed that there is a theater opposite it.

When I perused the menu some of this food seemed too daring even for me try! There were bulls feet(ker’a) and calf stomach stew (kersha). You could get spleen, veal tonsils, bull’s testicles, calf lungs.. I think you get the picture I’m guessing they promote nose to tail eating and therefore not wasting any part of the animal. Mind you, you can also order normal animal parts – as you will see.

The owner came out to help us with our menu selection. He’s the type of owner/chef that loves his food and clientele. His passion for food rubs off on his guests and you get swept up in the moment. He didn’t recommend any of the exotic dishes but something that we might enjoy.

As a starting point to the hidden banquet, we were served nine dips with Moroccan and normal bread. The breads were warm and soft and just fluffy goodness, even though they were flat.


different dips

The first dip was orange with a touch of rosewater, almonds and craisins. The flavor combinations were something my palate wasn’t used to and I thoroughly enjoyed them. There were soft Moroccan artichokes with subtle flavors and a hint of chili that wasn’t overpowering. I also might have detected some cardamom in this dish but I didn’t verify the flavor.

After this was sweet roasted capsicum containing a bit of spice. We then tasted the baba ganoush, where the smokiness of the eggplant didn’t outshine the other flavors. The Moroccan eggplant dip was also smoky but contained a slight kick to it. There was a normal plain tomato salad and some pickled vegetables. To finish off all these tastings (which were a meal in themselves) we had Moroccan vine leaves.


Pastia

Entree was Pastia. As the waitress brought out the dish I could smell my favorite spice cinnamon! Pastia is crunchy filo pastry filled with mushrooms, craisins and cinnamon with icing sugar on top. This has to be one of the most interesting starts to a meal that I’ve experienced in a long time. This entree was amazing in flavors and so different. I was excited for the Mains!


Main dishes

The mains we ordered were shared dishes, which we were happy about when we saw the portion sizes. We even had leftovers after the meal! First was a lamb stew. The lamb was falling to pieces- it was so tender because of the length of the cooking time. It tasted very lamby. The vegetables included were hard to taste, as the dish had been cooking all day.


Coscous

The second dish was veal in tomato with a bit of spice – and once again the meat just melted in your mouth. The couscous served on the side with sweet carrots and buttery pumpkin was delicious and it was a great way to soak up the amazing sauces from the two stews.

Dessert could’ve been a meal by itself, as there were two tiers of tasting cakes. One taster had a crunchy base with a sponge in it.


Dessert tier

The second cake contained peanuts which was sweet and crunchy with a slight bitter after taste. There was a cupcake with pink icing- I thought this one was for kids. There was one chocolate coating cake and a semolina pastry. There was another pastry with sesame seeds and sweet syrup and the last was a coconut meringue.

All I can say is that Yakota puts Darna in Jerusalem to shame! It’s definitely worthwhile making the trip to Be’er Sheva – only one hour by car from Jerusalem, or one and half hours by bus and a bit over an hour via train from Tel Aviv. You can walk to the restaurant from the train/bus station in Be’er Sheva or get a taxi, as they are cheap.