By Delicious Intern, Lindsay Stein

When people come to Israel, they expect to eat loads of hummus. Maybe their ideal way to ingest hummus is to enjoy it in a warm falafel pita or with succulent shawarma. But to Israelis, using hummus as just a spread or an additive to their meal does not give the “chickpea spread” justice.

Israelis give hummus the credit it deserves. Hummus is often the meal. The main course. When individuals go to eat hummus, they wipe the bowl clean.

Although I have only been living in Tel Aviv for a little under two weeks, I can proudly say that I have already had many delicious encounters with the hummus hotspot, Shlomo & Doron.

Just off of the Carmel Market in the Yemenite Quarter, this hole in the wall hummus joint quickly fills up around lunchtime. It is important to go early, unless you are with Inbal of course. When employees at Shlomo see Inbal, they quickly clear off a table and bring over stacks of fluffy pita, spicy sauces, lemon, and pungent white onion. Yes, onion that is. Unusual? I thought so too. But the onion is a great alternative to pita because of its perfect scoop-like structure and lightness.

For non-hebrew speakers like myself, it is quite a different experience snagging a seat at this local dive. It is challenging to order the type of hummus I want... let alone, ask for the check. With a little help from google translate and fellow english-speaking-hummus-eaters, I get by. Trust me, it is always well worth it.

My favorite hummus is the “Humshuka,” which combines two Israeli favorites: hummus and shakshuka. Although I did not try shakshuka until I arrived in Israel this summer, it is now my go-to dish. What’s better than just shakshuka? This sweet, chunky tomoato sauce served with a classic poached egg and Shlomo’s famous hummus!

Shlomo & Doron is a must when visiting TLV! This hummus hotspot is a popular destination on both the Carmel Market and Shuk + Cook tours.