DrunK iN teL aViV – Tel Aviv Bars and night life

The Shalvata bar and restaurant, at the Tel Aviv port, overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and is a pleasant place to start the evening during the summer months.

Shalvata, Tel Aviv Port
Phone Number: 03-544-1279
Sunday-Friday, 9:00 A.M. until the last customer

It seems that the claustrophobic feeling during the day is strengthening the evening’s hottest trend – the rooftop bars that have spread throughout the city. This summer every other roof offers a sea breeze and drinks. Personally, as a devoted bar rat, I was skeptical of the phenomena because I found it hard to picture a rooftop recreating the same atmosphere as a smoky, dimly lit bar. But because the words “trend” and “Tel Aviv” are synonymous in Wikipedia, I decided to investigate.

As befits our small city, overrun with people who love to go out, the rooftop bars quickly took over, and this summer there’s a roof for every kid and every mood. For example, for a date or a night out with friends, there’s the roof at Suzannah, on Shabazi, with a cool crowd that’s semi-Florentine-Neveh Tzedek – people who are pretty satisfied with their life choices but who don’t always embrace outsiders from northern Tel Aviv.

For those looking for a slightly more sleazy night out, there are many options…

The first is HaGag (The Roof) on Sa’adya Gaon (a veteran place) that offers a crowded, lovely experience comprised of Tel Aviv locals, as well as a busload of younger people from Herzliya Pituach/Rishon Letzion (depends on the night), a pretty good sound system, and if you’ve gotten tipsy, there’s the natural progression of descending from Mount Olympus, crossing the street and entering deep into Hades – the dark basement at the Dog, so that you won’t be exposed to the sunrise.

A newer roof that we checked out is atop the Marina Hotel, at Kikar Atarim. They’ve opened a bar alongside the pool on the hotel roof, with a view of the sea and lots seating areas. The clientele is comprised of people from a bus that runs from a Holon high school, alongside people who graduated from high school in 1993, out for a second round. It’s not homogenous at all. Unfortunately that’s not the problem, but rather the horrible sound system – an old boom box playing Air Supply. Maybe the sea breeze blew the wind out of our sails. It’s a nice place for the afternoon…

Another bar that should be noted is the Sublet, at Beit Gibor, though I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, so let’s skip over to the next roof.

The Vista, on the Migdalor building at the corner of Allenby and Ben Yehuda – has hosted many events this summer. As opposed to the makeshift feeling that we got when we walked in, I was pleased to discover a nighttime atmosphere (something that seems hard to supply in open places) and music reminiscent of neighborhood bars with matching clientele – not flashy, but friendly and nice. This is a good option for a night out with friends.

To sum up, during this humid season it’s actually nice to go out and enjoy the breeze and semi-fresh air, and there are already roofs available to meet everyone’s needs. I remain an AC woman, even in the dark, and am still addicted to the real bar atmosphere, where the four walls greet customers with a sensuous hug when you walk in and the sound blurs your senses. Go out and see for yourselves!

There are so many hot girls in this city, it’s unbelievable! All ages and all types, they come out at night, tan and delicately (usually) but impeccably made up, reapplying lipgloss before the shine fades… Wife-beaters and mini jeans skirts or light, colorful designer dresses… Just so you know – I’m a straight girl and am still impressed!

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the men in this city, who leave the house as if saying to their wives, “What? You think I’d leave the house like this? I’m just going to a friend’s…” And then they show up wearing jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops and still think they’re God’s gift to women… (aside from Itzik Zohar, who donned a loud blue-green button-down shirt… but still thinks the same thing…).

Yesterday I decided to go out early, to grab a seat at the bar… So I was already at the Sublet at 9:30 P.M., only to find a glass on each stool, indicating that it was reserved… Luckily Omer Gershon, the perfect host, found us two seats on the bar that we later realized was “the back of the bus” – or the athletes’ bar.

On my right were Erik Banado and his wife (again…), Hila Nachshon, Itzik Zohar (not together, obviously), Liran Shtrauber (in a vest!!!) and others that you might recognize but aren’t sure where they’re from and why they’re there. At 10:30 P.M. the place was packed, the music was great and people kept arriving, like there was no tomorrow…

Sublet Bar Tel Aviv
Koifman 6, Beit Gibor Roof, Tel Aviv, near the Dan Panorama Hotel, in the Textile District

Yesterday was my last exam – in Physiological Anatomy.

Armed with the vast knowledge I’d accumulated on the human body and the adverse effects that a smoke and alcohol filled environment can have, a good looking friend picked me up and we went to the much discussed, and not so new place (in Tel Aviv terms) – The Sublet.
It’s a roof, right on the water, above Roshfeld’s restaurant (that’s what I was told; I personally don’t have money to dine there…). The entrance is via a wooden staircase that leads to a gigantic roof with a huge bar on the left and an elevated porch on the right.

I was greeted by the beautiful Ilana Berkovitch and Erik Banado, who was the object of my youthful desires, as a fan of Maccabi Haifa…
What I want to say is that the clientele is good and beautiful, or as my friend said – “An academic crowd.”
Within five minutes I was surrounded by familiar faces, because in case you didn’t know – there are 100 regular partiers in Tel Aviv, and the décor around them changes based on time and location…

I sat on the bar, sipping a cool Corona for NIS 28 a bottle (I had three…), and I didn’t miss out on the munchies, singlehandedly polishing off an entire pizza – one of the best I’ve ever had!
Basically, this is a great place to spend the summer, and my next goal is to check whether they’re open during the sunset, because that could be awesome!

Sublet Bar Tel Aviv
Koifman 6, Beit Gibor Roof, Tel Aviv, near the Dan Panorama Hotel, in the Textile District