I recently returned home from the vacation of a lifetime! I had always wanted to visit the Holyland of Israel but fears for my safety had kept me away. This year appeared to be a fantastic time to visit, since safety concerns in the country had not been in the international spotlight for quite some time. So off I went to finally visit this exciting biblical destination! Much to my delight, during the past year, I had been reading that the vegan dining scene has been growing by leaps and bounds in Israel. I was eager to experience this for myself, as well.

My dinner meal on my Air France flight was a tasty black bean patty, a side of sauteed spinach, and stewed carrots. The entree was accompanied with a salad and mixed fruit. A multigrain bun was provided with vegan buttery spread. As usual, Air France knows “how to do vegan right”! The meal was really good.

The next morning, the airline provided a vegan breakfast for me. A sesame bagel, banana, and orange juice satisfied my hunger pangs.

During the connecting flight from Paris to Tel Aviv, lunch was provided. My vegan entree consisted of zucchini, cauliflower, and peppers over pilaf rice and a flatbread sandwich made of diced vegetables in an olive oil dressing. My snack was an applesauce cup. This was yet another good meal from Air France.

By early evening, I had arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel! This would be my home base for the week from which five day tours would originate. I purposely booked my hostel accommodations in Old Jaffa Port,a neighborhood of Tel Aviv. This historic port with its coastal beach, narrow cobblestone streets and ancient buildings was just the atmosphere that I was seeking. The exterior of my hostel was lovely with its intricately detailed wrought iron gates and pinkish facade. The interior of the Old Jaffa Hostel was quite charming, as well.

It was too late in the evening for touristy sightseeing, but not to late to start exploring the vegan dining scene. I set out with my food-centric itinerary in my hand and hence I went off into the sunset to find these vegan eatery gems!

My first stop of the evening was a vegan-friendly bakery called “Piece of Cake”(Piece Of Cake Bakery) in downtown Tel Aviv.

I purchased a halwa flavored pastry which would be perfect for breakfast the following morning before my 7am Jerusalem tour began. The pastry was delicious.

Next on my list was a stop at the vegan “Seeds” deli and bakery(Seeds Bakery). They offer both sweet and savory vegan treats. The owner showed me each area of the shop and described each of the items for purchase in the fridge and displaycases. This is a well-stocked bakery with a nice variety of vegan baked goods.

The baked goods run the gamut from all kinds of cakes to sweet and savory pastries.

Fancy cupcakes with sprinkles met my gaze through the door of a refrigerated unit. They looked amazing.

Cake pops, truffles, and chocolate pieces were showcased in another fridge.

On the savory side, the local bureka pastry was offered on the menu. I purchased a bureka made of spelt flour, filled with cashew cheese, and topped with sesame seeds in the pastry. It was really good.

I also purchased a slice of a chocolate “Roulatta” cake. The chocolate cake was layered with swirls of chocolate cream filling and topped with a chocolate piece. It was absolutely scrumptious and flavorful!

My final purchase at Seeds was a Krembow. The local sweet treat is basically a cookie with vanilla cream inside. The delish snack was indeed a good choice.

Israelis eat dinner late at night, thus I did likewise. After the bakery visit, I headed to a vegan restaurant for my dinner meal. HaSchwarma HaTivonit(“The Vegan Shwarma”) (The Vegan Shwarma ) is a fast food restaurant that offers Israeli, American, and Mid-Eastern food. Since shwarma is all the rage in this part of the world, I desired to try its vegan version. The signage on the building is written in Hebrew, so its important to look for the address and go inside.

My shwarma sandwich was made of seitan slices with vegan cheese topping in a pita bread. This authentic taste of Israeli food was quite good, especially with the yummy local pita bread.

After dinner, I was excited to visit one of the plentiful vegan-friendly ice cream shops in Tel Aviv. Fortunately, “Gala Gelateria” (Gala Gelateria) was located closeby, on the same street at Seeds Bakery and The Vegan Shwarma restaurant. The vegan-friendly gelateria offers several vegan flavors, including some unique ones.

I opted for one of the unique flavors:lotus. This soy-based ice cream flavor was delicious!

My first night in Israel had come to an end. The quaint old port of Jaffa will definitely be a location to explore further during the week. The Tel Aviv food scene was indeed living up to it’s online reputation of being a vegan haven. It was time now to get some sleep, in order to be alert and energized for the following day’s sightseeing in Jerusalem’s underground City Of David and more vegan dining!