Asif is a cafe, a museum, and a nonprofit organization dedicated to Israeli cuisine, supported by Michael Solomon, Naama Shefi, and a long list of other Israeli culinary stars. It’s a space to take stock of the country’s rich culinary past and present, a concept that many Israelis only consider once they eat at Israeli restaurants abroad. Dishes on offer express a great respect both for the Israeli kibbutz, where much of the national, mostly vegetarian cuisine was developed in the early years of the state; as well as for the cuisine of the Middle East, from which millions of immigrants arrived from the 1950s onward. Offerings are modern without being pretentious, and include authentic versions of dishes like the kubaneh, a traditional Yemenite Shabbat morning bread, smoked mackerel and preserved lemon Tunisian sandwich, and Jerusalem kugel, a classic Ashkenazi egg noodle casserole.

While you wait for your order, wander around the gallery on the ground floor, the rooftop farm growing hyssop and other local herbs, or flip through Israeli cookbooks on a second floor library that overlooks the restaurant. The portions are generous, but you can also stop by the in-house deli before you go to pick up special spice mixes or cheeses and honeys sourced from Jewish and Arab agricultural communities throughout Israel.