Many of us have had to cancel vacations abroad because of the war. One way to compensate yourself is a special dinner at a restaurant. If you are looking for one in Jerusalem, look no further than the Mamilla Rooftop.
As soon as you walk into Mamilla Hotel, you feel your blood pressure drop. Then take the elevator to the eighth floor and prepare for one of the best views in Jerusalem. Try to time your visit for sunset, but the view of the walls of Jerusalem is also breathtaking at night.
The Rooftop has an excellent Israeli wine list, but my favorite husband and I chose to start our meals with a cocktail, which always makes a dinner feel like a festive occasion.
On the recommendation of the server, I had a Scarlett (NIS 63) with Bulldog gin, red berries syrup, and lemon juice. Cliff, my other half (note I did not write better half), had a Letitia (NIS 62) with Yerushalmi gin, Jullius bitters, sugar, and lemon juice. Both were well made, and we enjoyed ourselves as we perused the menu.
Here came my own disappointment. I remembered the lamb chops from the last time I ate at the Rooftop over two years ago. Unfortunately, they were no longer on the menu, but each dish we ordered was delicious.
You get what you pay for
I started with an appetizer from the summer menu, with tuna sashimi. I love fresh tuna, and the fish here was soft and delicious. The dish was so pretty that it was almost a shame to mess it up by digging into it, but somehow I managed.
The Rooftop has its own tabun and makes all of their breads and doughs on-site. Cliff chose a lamb pide (NIS 88), a boat-shaped dough filled with spiced lamb ragu and tehina. It was a huge portion, and if I had ordered it, I would not have been able to eat a main course. I recommend this appetizer, but it is definitely enough for two people to share.
For our main courses, I couldn’t say no to the Royal Filet Mignon (NIS 295), which was medallions of medium-rare filet mignon served with a marrowbone and mashed potatoes and green beans. I tried to eat slowly to savor every bite.
Cliff went with the Taiko Salmon (NIS 156), which was a nice-sized salmon steak served with miso, truffles, shimeji mushrooms, and polenta. It was very well made and filled with umami flavor.
On Monday nights, there is a DJ with live music. Happy Hour is every night from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., where cocktails are 1+1. I’ll be sitting by the window!
The Rooftop is certainly not cheap, but in this case, the adage “you get what you pay for” certainly applies.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
The Rooftop
Mamilla Hotel
11 King Solomon Street
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Special cold menu on Shabbat
Kashrut: Rabbanut Yerushalayim