Two restaurant chains resume deliveries during ongoing crisis

Street food places - like falafel and sabih vendors and ice cream shops - are now reopening and restaurants that had closed will spring back into action as well.

By BUZZY GORDON

APRIL 30, 2020 18:21

Loveat (illustrative) (photo credit: Courtesy) — Loveat (illustrative)

(photo credit: Courtesy)

The government relaxed restrictions on businesses right after Passover, and the cat was out of the bag. There was no stopping the momentum, or the clamor to expand exemptions to all sorts of enterprises. The restaurant sector finally caught a break: customers will again be allowed to pick up orders and take them home, instead of relying solely on delivery and being bound by limited delivery zones.

As a consequence, street food places - like falafel and sabih vendors and ice cream shops - are now reopening and restaurants that had closed because they did not want to be at the mercy of delivery services will spring back into action as well. No one is talking about resuming restaurant seating yet, but if people can manage to maintain social distancing and keep the virus at bay, that day will also come.

Moreover, coupons for discounted restaurant meals from companies like Baligam and Groupon - which never really went away - will likely see an uptick, as a way of getting the word out that a restaurant is operating again.

Meanwhile, restaurants that had been feeling the pinch have been playing the voucher game themselves. In order to stay afloat, fine dining establishments that had to close their doors altogether because they did not feel they were able to provide appropriate delivery service have been selling “corona vouchers” on the website Headstart (headstart.co.il). These vouchers - purchased at discounted prices now - may be redeemed for future meals when normal service resumes.

Meanwhile, there are still plenty of restaurants offering take-away and delivery service. After already spotlighting 15 places over the last six weeks of quasi-lockdown, this week we feature two popular chains, both known for premium coffee and wholesome foods, listed here in alphabetical order.

Cafe Landwer

Landwer is a chain comprising 14 branches, eight of them located in the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area and six in the Galil. What started as Israel’s first coffee-roasting company has grown into a chain of family-friendly restaurants.

And in fact, the chain’s current delivery (and take-away) menu begins with a section titled Landwer Family, a selection of family favorites (NIS 19-84), most of which are reprised in the main menu, which uses familiar classifications. This is important because the restaurant’s two delivery menus: an English version created by Wolt (the delivery company) for the chain’s Givatayim branch and the standard nationwide Hebrew menu are by and large the same, with the exception of the Family category.

The subsequent food menu sections are: Main Courses (NIS 49-67), Salads (53-63), Sandwiches and Panini (NIS 44-56), Kids’ Meals (NIS 29-32), and Desserts (NIS 32-45). There are vegan/vegetarian options in all categories.

Recommended dishes from each section are (in order of their appearance above) Chicken teriyaki, Mushroom pasta in cream sauce, Lebanese salad, Roast beef sandwich and the chain’s signature dessert: rozalakh. The latter mini-pastries come with a choice of two fillings: Nutella or Lotus cream.

Cafe Landwer. 12 branches: one kosher (Givat Shmuel), 11 not kosher (including Rapaport St. 3, Kfar Saba).

English delivery menu: https://wolt.com/en/isr/tel-aviv/restaurant/landwer-cafe-givaatayim;

Full delivery menu: https://delivery.landwercafe.co.il/

Loveat

The Loveat chain has carved out a specialty niche featuring organic coffee - including its signature cold brew - and natural food. The entire chain consists of only four branches, all in Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Interestingly, for such a small chain, it has an entire webpage devoted to a directory of various menus. Just click on the rectangle you want. This review is based on the Hebrew delivery menu (although the English one is a good general guide) and the actual food prepared by the Habima branch. Bizarrely, the website lists only an email address, and not a single telephone number.

The delivery menu comprises five sections of food, plus an extensive drinks menu. The food categories are: Salads (NIS 46-56), Sandwiches (NIS 28-46), Hot dishes (NIS 48-56), Healthy snacks (NIS 28-45) and Small bites, including muffins (NIS 16). There are vegan/vegetarian and gluten-free options in all categories. Loveat’s own drinks (NIS 14-20) are small bottles of cold brew coffee (with choices of non-dairy milk), homemade flavored iced teas and natural juices made from scratch.

Recommended dishes include Quinoa tabouleh with feta cheese and avocado, Chicken curry with whole round rice, Carrot muffin and Beet-apple juice.

Loveat. Not kosher. Four branches, including Tarsat 4, Tel Aviv. Phone: 054-500-9707.

Menu directory: loveat.co.il/food; English menu: loveat.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/habima_web_eng.pdf

Delivery menu: loveat.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ta_menu-1.pdf

The writer was a guest of the restaurants.