Tel Aviv's Gaijin Izakaya Reinvents Western Brunch with Japanese Flair

Gaijin Izakaya, a standout restaurant in Tel Aviv, offers a unique brunch experience that blends Western brunch traditions with refined Japanese culinary techniques. Founded by restaurateur Alexander Sakhanovsky, a Moscow immigrant with international experience, the kitchen is led by chef Gilad Dabush, who brings nearly 20 years of expertise in Japanese cuisine, including work in Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan. This fusion creates a modern yet classic Japanese dining atmosphere.

The brunch menu features inventive dishes such as the visually striking Triple Egg Sando, a sandwich with three different egg preparations inside browned shokupan bread, priced at 68 shekels. While highly photogenic, it is not the most flavorful dish on the menu. Highlights include the agedashi tofu with king oyster mushroom skewer and deep mentatsuyo shittake broth (58 shekels), and a creative Udon Carbonara (82 shekels) that reinterprets the Italian classic with an Eastern twist.

Other notable offerings include a Japanese-style eggs Benedict served on airy pancakes (68 shekels), crispy chicken katsu with curry aioli (66 shekels), and grilled veal sweetbreads with onigiri and soft yolk (72 shekels). The drink menu also departs from typical brunch cocktails, featuring non-alcoholic options like the Matcha Cloud, combining coconut water, cream, milk, and matcha (32 shekels), and the adventurous Mont Blanc coffee cocktail with espresso, orange juice, vanilla, cream, and milk (38 shekels).

Desserts maintain the high standards with Japanese pancakes topped with strawberries, anko paste, and kuromitsu syrup (52 shekels), or shokupan French toast filled with pastry cream and black pepper toffee (48 shekels). Gaijin Izakaya’s brunch demonstrates that indulgent food can be served with Japanese elegance and precision. The restaurant is located at 29 Lilienblum Street, Tel Aviv.