Chef Einav Azguri Brings Authentic Home Cooking to Tel Aviv's Pranzo

Chef Einav Azguri, renowned for introducing the Basque cheesecake to Israel, has quietly joined Pranzo, a restaurant-deli hybrid on Basel Street in Tel Aviv, part of the Mela group. At Pranzo, Azguri focuses on creating soulful, nourishing home-style dishes with a chef’s touch, emphasizing fresh, daily-made meals without preservatives or a central kitchen. The menu features standout dishes such as lasagna with fresh pasta and rich ragù, salmon in a miso butter sauce, and a velvety moussaka with roasted eggplants and tender meat.

Pranzo’s inviting space includes a deli counter with ready-to-go meals and a shaded outdoor seating area overlooking the lively Basel plaza. The offerings include traditional favorites like vine leaves, bulgur mujaddara, cauliflower fritters, Iraqi-style kubbeh, and the signature chicken musakhan that melts in the mouth. Complementary sides such as buttery mashed potatoes, quinoa with greens, homemade couscous, and steamed vegetables round out the menu.

Customers can purchase meals by weight to take home or enjoy a business lunch on-site, with prices ranging from 44 to 88 shekels. The deli also stocks spreads like chopped liver, salmon-herb spread, homemade zhug, and chili oil, plus desserts including rich chocolate cream and a family-sized tiramisu. On Thursdays and Fridays, the food selection expands for the weekend. Pranzo operates Sunday to Thursday from 10:30 to 19:30 and Fridays from 9:00 to 16:00, offering delivery via Wolt and a daily 30% discount on fresh food sold by weight between 19:00 and 19:30.

Azguri describes his return to cooking daily meals and traditional dishes like kubbeh as a return to his passion for feeding people with genuine, fresh food. Pranzo offers a healthy, flavorful dining option for the hot August days and beyond in central Tel Aviv.