From morning to midnight, Pizza X welcomes all of Rishon Lezion

All the openings (and closings too, if only we didn’t have to), new menus and limited-edition dishes, festivals and holidays, special meals, and once-a-year events (we wanted to write New Year’s Eve, but we already realized a long time ago that almost every two weeks there’s some “International Day of…” and in our places, that’s reason enough for an event).

A visiting chef and a hosting chef as well, a restaurant in disguise and a team switching places—why not, really. A dish getting its own roof (and walls), but also a “hole in the wall” is exciting enough for a report. Eilat and Haifa, the Sharon and the Shfela, and Tel Aviv (but by no means only it).

In short, here’s Israel’s food news. And this time—jungle, pink fridge, and famous dough. And that’s just the first dish.

One of the craziest chains (in the best way possible) and most decadent (in an even better way, if that’s possible at all) expands calories to a city that has been waiting for it together. Welcome to Pizza X Rishon Lezion.

The promise: An “urban jungle” in the city’s famous Culture Hall complex, a little sibling to the spots in Tel Aviv and the premiere location in Modi'in (with sweet memories from the excellent pop-up at Carmel Market), and with every intention to welcome hungry visitors after an outing, before an outing, or straight from home, “in slippers and pajamas,” all the way until the small hours of the night.

What else? Full-energy design, as expected, and a pink surprise fridge (very much as expected) hiding a new signature dessert, a rather wild brunch (9:00-14:00), and mainly “pizzas unlike any in this city,” from the hands of Omer Simon.

This means starters like “Camembert Dough” (baked camembert in dough with onion jam, NIS 56), family garlic bread (NIS 42), and herb-coated cauliflower florets (NIS 48), a wide pizza collection including “Mushroom Party” (truffle cream sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, and parmesan, NIS 87), “Don’t Get Confused” (cream-pesto sauce, mozzarella, onion jam, Saint More cheese, and pineapple, NIS 76), “The Fantastic Four” with mozzarella, Bulgarian cheese, gorgonzola, and parmesan (NIS 72), “What a Mess” (mozzarella, pepperoni, Roman-style artichokes, onion jam, and jalapeño, NIS 78), as well as “Pigs and Goats” (mozzarella, bacon jam, bacon, Saint More cheese, and arugula, NIS 86) and “Paradise” (mozzarella, onion jam, gorgonzola, and pepperoni, NIS 76).

Alongside these, pastas (NIS 54–68) based on pappardelle, Patrician pork sausages, and fried polenta fingers stuffed with mozzarella (NIS 42), and sweets such as thick crumble cookies in S’mores and Amsterdam versions, calzone filled with Nutella and mascarpone (NIS 46), and the “Diabetic” dish (fried and sugared dough balls with two sauces of choice) promising, well, a very specific experience.

In the mornings, Neapolitan dough is fried and served with fried eggs and yogurt, alongside parmesan balls (also fried, of course), scrambled eggs with ricotta, cream cheese, and parmesan in pearls, mozzarella toast, Saint More and bacon, and shakshuka.