Next to the lovely Old City, Jaffa’s flea market has become a centre of vibrant nightlife over recent years. After the cafes and shabby-chic secondhand and antique stalls close, the bar and live music scene begins. Shaffa bar-restaurant (which is also open during the day) was one of the first to start the trend, organising massive all-night street parties with local bands, including System Ali (a half-Arab, half-Jewish rock band), and French Moroccan/Israeli singer Riff Cohen. Belgian singer Natacha Atlas, known for her Arabic-western electro-hip hop, has performed here, too.
The bar’s fusion menu is great and the waiting staff are a bunch of real characters. Waitress Yuli took one breakfast dish, called oligarch’s autumn (buckwheat, scrambled eggs, yogurt, cream, fennel and a hot Yemenite dip), revamped it with tahini and nuts and renamed it Yuli’s Spring. Or try Shaffa and the King of Siam, a fresh Thai salad with peanuts and coriander. On Sundays, a completely vegan menu is served.
There’s a diverse musical offering here. Every Monday, The Ottomans Ensemble play Turkish jazz, which often turns into a party with people belly dancing. DJs play every night – a mix of electronica, urban, funk and Oriental sets. There’s a “chilled hour”, too, every Friday at 6pm, with a live pianist playing European classical music.
With its simple design, and indoor and outdoor seating, Shaffa is effortlessly cool without being self-consciously trendy. My friends DJ there regularly and I join them whenever I’m in town, to plan our Middle Eastern ensemble sets. It’s the place to be.
• 2-3 Nahman Street, Jaffa, facebook.com/shaffabar
