Restaurant in Jaffa, Israel
Go early. Ranked #2 in Europe. No reservations.
Ranked #2 on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in Europe list three years running (2023–2025), Abu Hassan is Jaffa's most credentialled hummus house and one of the strongest value-for-money meals in the region. It closes at 3 pm daily and does not open Saturdays, so planning around the window is non-negotiable. Arrive early, expect a loud and communal room, and treat it as a morning-to-midday priority.
The most common mistake visitors make is treating Abu Hassan as a casual drop-in. It is not. This is Jaffa's most-awarded hummus spot, ranked #2 on the Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in Europe list three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), and it closes at 3 pm every day except Saturday, when it doesn't open at all. Plan around that schedule or you will miss it entirely. If you do plan around it, you will eat some of the most technically precise hummus in the region at a price point that makes almost every other meal on your trip feel overpriced by comparison.
Abu Hassan operates as a no-frills hummus house on Shivtei Israel Street in Jaffa's older quarter, drawing a daily crowd that mixes locals, market-goers, and travellers who have done their homework. The room is loud, communal, and moves fast. This is not a place for a long, quiet lunch — tables turn, service is direct, and the energy is closer to a busy canteen than a sit-down restaurant. For a special occasion in the conventional sense, it is the wrong call. For a meal that will genuinely stay with you, it is the right one. The distinction matters: Abu Hassan is a high-quality food experience that happens in a low-ceremony setting, not a celebratory dinner venue.
The atmosphere is part of the proposition. Noise level runs high during peak hours, the room fills quickly after opening, and the pace rarely slows before mid-morning. Come early , arriving close to 8 am on weekdays means shorter waits and the freshest preparations of the day. By 11 am the place is operating at full capacity, and by 1 pm the leading options can run out. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across more than 5,000 reviews, which for a hummus-only operation with no alcohol program and no evening service is a credibility signal worth taking seriously.
If your trip to Jaffa is built around food-and-wine pairing, Abu Hassan is a supporting act, not the headline. There is no wine program. The format does not call for one. What Abu Hassan pairs with is the broader Tel Aviv-Jaffa food experience: eat here at breakfast or early lunch, then move to a wine-forward dinner at somewhere like Alena at The Norman in Tel Aviv for the evening. Treating Abu Hassan as a standalone dinner destination is a category error , the kitchen closes hours before dinner service would begin anywhere else in the city.
No reservation system. Walk in, expect a wait during peak hours, and go early if you want the most options. There is no website and no published phone number through which to make arrangements in advance. The booking difficulty is low in the sense that there is nothing to book , but the practical logistics require discipline around the 8 am to 3 pm operating window, Monday through Friday and Sunday. Saturday is closed.
| Venue | Format | Hours | Booking | Avg. Spend | OAD Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Hassan | Hummus house | 8 am–3 pm (closed Sat) | Walk-in only | Low | #2 Cheap Eats Europe (2023–2025) |
| Dr. Shakshuka | Middle Eastern | Longer hours | Walk-in | Low–Mid | Not listed |
| Habasta | Israeli market dining | Lunch and dinner | Reservable | Mid | Not listed |
| HaSalon | Israeli-Mediterranean | Dinner | Reservable | High | Not listed |
| Jasmino | Kebabs | Varied | Walk-in | Low | Not listed |
Abu Hassan is the right call for any traveller who wants to understand what Jaffa's food culture actually looks like at street level , and who treats the 8 am to 3 pm window as a feature, not a constraint. It is not the right call for a business lunch where you need a quiet table, or for a romantic dinner, or for a food-and-wine evening. For those occasions, look toward HaSalon for atmosphere, or Habasta for a more composed Israeli dining experience. But for sheer quality-to-cost ratio and a credentialled reason to be in Jaffa by 8 am, Abu Hassan has no real competition on that specific brief. Three consecutive top-two finishes on OAD's Europe Cheap Eats list is not an accident.
For more on eating and drinking across the area, see our full Jaffa restaurants guide, our full Jaffa bars guide, our full Jaffa hotels guide, our full Jaffa wineries guide, and our full Jaffa experiences guide. If you are building a broader Israel itinerary around high-credential dining, Chakra in Jerusalem, Helena in Caesarea, and Pescado in Ashdod are worth adding to the list.
No dress code. This is a casual hummus house in a busy street-level setting. Comfortable clothes suitable for a busy, slightly cramped lunch spot are all you need. No one is arriving in a jacket and tie, and overdressing will just make you conspicuous.
Only if your definition of special is eating some of Europe's most-awarded hummus in a loud, no-frills room before 3 pm. For a celebratory dinner with atmosphere and a wine list, go to HaSalon instead. Abu Hassan is the right special occasion meal for food-focused travellers who treat a #2 OAD Cheap Eats in Europe ranking as a reason to show up at 8 am , not for anniversaries or client dinners.
There is no dinner. Abu Hassan closes at 3 pm every day it operates, which means your only option is morning or early afternoon. Arriving between 8 and 9 am gives you the quietest experience and the leading selection. After 11 am the crowd peaks and popular preparations can sell out before closing.
Hummus is naturally plant-based, so the core menu is accessible to vegetarians and vegans. That said, specific allergen information and the full scope of what is available day-to-day is not published online. There is no website and no listed phone number to check in advance. If dietary restrictions beyond plant-based eating are a concern, arriving early and asking in person is the only reliable method.
Abu Hassan is a traditional hummus house, not a bar format. There is no bar seating in the conventional sense. Seating is communal and table-based, and the experience is closer to a canteen than a counter-service bar. If you are travelling solo, expect to share a table during busy periods.
For Middle Eastern food with a broader menu and more relaxed hours, Dr. Shakshuka is the most direct alternative and is easier to drop into without planning around a tight window. For a sit-down Israeli lunch with more composed dishes, Ha'Achim is worth considering. If you want a dinner option with a real wine program and a reservable table, Habasta or HaSalon are stronger choices for that format. Abu Hassan wins on pure food credentials and value; the others give you more flexibility.
The core product is hummus, and that is what the three consecutive OAD Cheap Eats in Europe rankings are based on. Ordering the hummus with whatever hot toppings are available that day is the standard approach. There are no published signature dishes or a fixed menu available for reference , the menu is tight, focused, and changes with daily preparation. Order what is fresh, ask what is recommended that morning, and do not overthink it.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Hassan | Humus | Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in Europe Ranked #2 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in Europe Ranked #2 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in Europe Ranked #2 (2023) | Easy | — |
| Dr. Shakshuka | Middle Eastern | Unknown | — | |
| Ha'Achim | Israeli | Unknown | — | |
| Habasta | Israeli | Unknown | — | |
| HaSalon | Israeli - Mediterranean, Israeli | Unknown | — | |
| Jasmino | Kebabs | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Abu Hassan measures up.
Dress casually — this is a no-frills hummus house on Shivtei Israel Street, not a sit-down restaurant with a dress code. Jeans and a T-shirt are standard. The crowd is a mix of locals, market-goers, and visitors; no one is dressed up.
Only if the occasion is 'I want the best hummus in Europe.' Abu Hassan has ranked #2 on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in Europe list three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), which makes it a genuine milestone for food-focused travellers. For a candlelit anniversary or a celebration that needs wine and table service, this is the wrong venue.
Lunch is your only option — Abu Hassan closes at 3pm every day it's open, and is shut on Saturdays entirely. Arriving closer to 8am on a weekday gives you the most choices before popular dishes sell out. There is no dinner service.
Hummus is naturally plant-based, so vegetarians and vegans are well served by the core menu. Beyond that, the venue data doesn't document allergen protocols or specific accommodations. If you have serious dietary requirements, the no-website, no-phone situation makes advance checking difficult — factor that in.
Abu Hassan is a walk-in hummus house with counter and table seating — there is no bar in the traditional sense. Seating is informal and turnover is fast. Come expecting to share space with other diners rather than settle in for a long sit.
Dr. Shakshuka on Beit Eshel Street is the most direct alternative for casual, mid-morning eating in Jaffa — broader menu, longer hours, easier to walk into. Ha'Achim works if you want a more contemporary Israeli format. For a full sit-down meal with a wine list, Habasta or HaSalon in Tel Aviv proper are the step up.
The hummus is the entire point — this is a specialist operation, not a broad-menu café. The venue data doesn't document specific dishes or prices, but the format at this type of Jaffa hummus house typically centres on hummus with toppings, ful (fava beans), and fresh bread. Arrive early: popular options sell out before closing.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
