Hundreds of loyal customers were crying in their beer, arak, and whiskey on Friday (Nov. 3) as they bade farewell to the Shanty restaurant and its indefatigable proprietor, Alon Sela.
“It was very sad – and happy. I saw people from the last 31 years. Three generations. It was very emotional,” the self-taught chef, 61, told In Jerusalem following his gourmet restaurant’s final closing.
Since 1992, the landmark eatery in a century-old stone house tucked away in an alley in trendy Nahalat Shiva was popular among those who appreciated its succulent cuts of meat, seafood risotto, gnocchi, biryani with rice, pistachio ravioli, and tuna ceviche. The well-stocked bar was always open until the last customer left, Sela noted.
In a city divided by tribal allegiances, Shanty was an unobtrusive late-night hangout, a neutral chill-out hideaway with a cool, jazz-infused vibe where politics and religion were left at the door, he said.
A must-see restaurant when visiting Jerusalem
Tripadvisor called Shanty “A must when visiting Jerusalem.”
“I got through the [second] intifada, terrorist attacks, the construction of the light rail, and COVID,” Sela said. But after the Hamas massacre on October 7, there were simply no more tourists. And no more business.
Busy disposing of his restaurant’s contents, he said, “Thank you to all those who supported us. You were my engine, my inspiration. We had some good years here.”
Sela credited his hard-working staff, of whom there were once 10, together with his family for contributing to his success over the decades. He was influenced by his time spent in San Francisco from 1983 to 1992, he explained, and he emulated the laid-back ambience he found in many restaurants there.
With his self-deprecating sense of humor, Sela noted that his trendy restaurant transliterated its name into English with a “y” at the end, suggesting a falling-down shack rather than the Sanskrit word shanti, meaning “inner peace” or “calm.”
But there was nothing decrepit about Shanty. Sela and his establishment were part of the bedrock on which Jerusalem’s hospitality industry rested.
Just when Jerusalem could use some calm, Shanty will be missed. ❖