Ashkelon’s 24/7 Coffee Club Revives Trendy Tel Aviv Vibes with Unique Menu
A new 24/7 coffee club named Kofi Club has opened in Ashkelon’s Friedr Square, bringing a trendy Tel Aviv-style café-bar-restaurant concept to the city. The venue features a humorous design with animal sculptures and Greek statue references, paying homage to the nearby museum. It operates on a self-service model with digital ordering screens and stainless steel trays for food, which patrons clear themselves.
Kofi Club offers a diverse menu curated by Eli Gutman, a seasoned restaurateur from Ashkelon. The highlight is an extensive matcha drink selection, including flavors like salted maple, caramel banana, strawberry, mango, and coconut cloud, priced between 23 and 29 shekels. Since opening, the café has served over 5,000 matcha drinks without complaints. The food menu includes New York-style pizzas (55 cm diameter slices costing 25 shekels each), various sandwiches such as sabich in focaccia and grilled cheddar cheese, pastries, salads, and desserts like Basque cheesecake and matcha ice cream.
The venue caters to different crowds throughout the day: parents with strollers in the morning, young adults at lunch, and nightlife patrons in the evening. It prohibits laptop use indoors to maintain its atmosphere. The bar offers a full alcohol menu with cocktails, wine, and unique dessert drinks. The decision to remain open around the clock is driven by demand from late-night workers and early risers, with bakery deliveries arriving at 4 a.m.
Behind the scenes, a team of 55 staff members including baristas, pizzaiolos, pastry chefs, bartenders, and managers operate the venue. Kofi Club is the fifth business opened by Gutman in Ashkelon, alongside partners Guy Gil, Yogev Zaguri, and Rami Almaliah. The café’s trendy vibe and quality offerings have quickly made it a popular urban hotspot, demonstrating the growth of culinary culture in Israel’s periphery.
Kofi Club is located at Friedr Square in Ashkelon, is not kosher, and welcomes visitors 24/7.
