The surprise of the week: The new Tel Aviv deli you should know

There are moments when all you want is comforting, good food, the kind that doesn’t try to impress but simply to be. Daddy, the new deli that opened in Kikar Basel, aims exactly there: Everyday food, prepared on-site, on the border of homemade – but with a professional hand you can feel in every bite.

From the moment you enter, you can see the place is built around abundance: A display case full of patties, vegetable stews, meat dishes, stuffed vegetables, kubbeh in various colors, and soups. But the abundance isn’t messy – it’s intriguing. The kind that says: “Wait, let me taste one more thing.”

The brisket, for example, is one of those things you just can’t ignore. A tender, deep piece of meat, almost melting, with a flavor that manages to be rich without being heavy. The liver pâté that followed was exactly what pâté should be: Smooth but not too much, precise, the kind that leaves you wanting more.

A big surprise came from the beet kubbeh. A dish everyone loves, yet easy to get wrong. The semolina dough was thin – even though the patties were not small at all. Inside the dough hid well-seasoned meat, all wrapped in a delicate sauce that shows how much thought went into it. The mafrum continued the same line – precision that preserves structure, balanced seasoning, and a bite that feels like a Friday at the home of someone who really knows how to cook.

On the vegetable front, we were surprised here too: Roasted chestnut pumpkin, broccoli, and cabbage – all remained juicy, gently seasoned, without going overboard and without losing their natural flavor. Alongside them, we tried homemade couscous and rice with garlic confit, which add a homey feel to the plate – the best compliment you can give a deli.

What’s interesting about Daddy is not only what you eat, but how you eat. You can sit inside and take a particularly fair lunch deal (NIS 55 for a hot dish, two sides, and a small salad), or you can fill containers to take home for dinner as if you cooked it yourself – only much better.

Alongside the prepared dishes, there are also New York–style deli sandwiches, a small pantry with olive oils, boutique cheeses, and sausages made especially for the place, and a fridge with packaged dishes made with technology that preserves freshness – especially useful for those looking for “real food” for the office or the kids.

The design, by Studio Neta Bashan, is clean and inviting, without announcing itself. The kind that gives the real stage – the food – room to speak.

In the end, Daddy is not just another deli. It’s a place that offers fresh, hot, precise food, the kind that can accompany an ordinary weekday and make it a bit nicer. So simple, so tasty.