Open Sunday - Thursday 12:00 pm till 11:00 pm. Friday, and Saturday night only open for reservations and private parties. Closed Shabbat.
Reservations required! Please call in advance.

Rustic country restaurants are not unusual in Northern Israel, but it is a pleasant surprise when one comes across a kosher establishment in an out-of-the-way location. "A Place in Sejera" is located in Moshav Ilaniya, between Kfar Tavor and Tsomet Golani, and it is a real find, especially for kashrut-observers in the area who are always looking for ways to vary their somewhat limited options for eating out.

Sejera was established in 1907 in the Lower Galilee as a workers' farm - the first communal agricultural settlement in Palestine and the birthplace of the Ha-Shomer movement. Shimon Danieli and his son Barak are direct descendants of some of Sejera's original founders, and they have re-created the family kitchen in a 100-year old farmhouse at the entrance to the settlement.

The building is two-story (a dairy restaurant is under construction upstairs) and quite unique. The tables and chairs, handmade of rough wood, recall the settlement's origins. There are many period pieces such as wagon wheels, agricultural implements, a camel saddle and (somewhat incongruously) a Sefardi Torah case. There is even a small "living room" next to the staircase with comfortable seating - we would have had our coffee there but we didn't notice it until we were on the way out.

The restaurant's philosophy is one of heightened environmental awareness - the vegetables are organically homegrown on the premises and the main courses -- meat, game and fish -- are organically fed and hormone-free. The menu features delicacies unfamiliar to many kosher diners such as quail, mallard and pigeon.

At the waiter's recommendation we started with homemade pita and humus, along with a green salad to die for and stuffed grape leaves. The appetizers were all delicious and we could barely wait for the main courses. My companions chose meat dishes - filet mignon, veal ribs and mallard, served on "plates" made of tree trunk slabs treated with olive oil, salvaged by the owners from being used for firewood. All of the meat courses are served with roasted potatoes; my companions were thrilled with their choices, to the extent that two of them were seen surreptitiously licking their fingers at the end of the meal. I ordered whole rice with lamb strips, raisins and pine nuts and it was also quite delicious (although I admit to being consumed with jealousy after tasting the mallard…).

Dessert was pareve ice cream homemade from tofu with maple syrup. The menu also boasts natural (not pool-bred) fish and a number of pasta dishes including a beef ravioli that tempted me - but in the end we stuck with the meat section.

The bill for four including wine, appetizers, desert, coffee and service was about 600 NIS - not an inexpensive evening, but well justified by the relaxed atmosphere and quality of the food.

The restaurant is open 6 nights a week and is available for groups during the day. Parking is ample and although it was dark when we arrived, we saw that the grounds are landscaped and eye-catching. For area residents and those traveling in our region - this spot is highly recommended!

Note: Barak, the owner, boasts that the restaurant promotes "Avodah Ivrit." All of the workers in the restaurant are Jews and most are from the local area. To guarantee seating, reservations must be made in advance. Glatt meat is available on request.

Prices vary. Whereas the menu offers some very exotic and high priced items, there is also a selection of reasonably priced dishes. Appetizers run between NIS 30 and 55. Pasta dishes are modestly priced between NIS 40 and NIS 65. Fish dishes NIS 65 to NIS 165. Main meat dishes can be had for as little as NIS 55, but don't be surprised to see some rather expensive entrees (filet mignon) which can run to about NIS 110, or a meat platter priced at NIS 200, and something called "Sejarine" listed on the menu for NIS 300. Stuffed pigeon, not commonly found on your garden variety menu, is priced at NIS 180.

Customer Comments:
Submitted by: A. Miller. Date: May 2005. Description: Thank you for the english website you have. We visited lately 'A Place in Sejera' for an important dinner. It was excellent! The food and service are really high standard and to visit the historic sites in the area made the whole trip worthwile.

Submitted by: D. Simons, Date:May 21, 2003, Description: This must be the best kosher restaurant in the north of Israel. We keep it for special occasions. The food is excellent, the service relaxed and friendly and the atmosphere peaceful and calming. In the winter, the open fire adds to the atmosphere, in the summer, a quite alcove table removes one from the Siberia induced temperature. The key is to share the dishes. This gives an opportunity to experiment while keeping the final bill within reason. Trust the waiter. We placed ourselves in his hands and were delighted with his recommendations. The fresh fruit drink mix of kiwi, mango and another exotic fruit was very special. The combination of herbs used in the main dishes is exciting. The salads fresh and unusual. You need to phone to book. Please, no coach parties!

Submitted by: C. Dancziger, Date: January 7, 2004, Description: Thanks to eluna for finding this charmer! It's only 20 minutes out of Tiberias, just beyond Tzomet Golani. The blazing fire in the wood stove and the huge wooden table put us in the mood for the hearty food. The whole family enjoyed the unusual combinations of salads and meat dishes all flavored with sage and basil making them aromatic and a real delight. Good sized portions, pleasant, helpful and unrushed service. Prices are in the high range (1200 NIS for 7 with 2 bottles of excellent Yarden wine, less 10% eluna coupon) but this was a real treat. One complaint- the straight backed wooden chairs would be a lot more comfortable with cushions.

Submitted by: S. Klein, Date: August 8, 2004, Description: We recently organised our wedding at "A PLACE IN SEJERA", it was excellent and an absolute "place to be"! If I think back on it, I still taste the fabulous fillet mignon with the goose liver and blueberry sauce. The service for our guest was high class and very warm. We hope you will recommend this for those who are looking for a high class wedding or other event at a moderate rate. Best regards and thank you.

Getting There:
A Place in Sejera is located 10 kilometers west of Tiberias. Barak claims that his is currently the only kosher restaurant between the coastal road and Tiberias.

To get to Ilaniya, from the main Haifa/Tiberias road, take a right at Tsomet Golani and go south for about 10 minutes. You can also go to Afula and drive straight north for 20 minutes.

Events and Groups: A Place in Sejera can be reserved for groups or special events by arrangement in advance. The restaurant is closed to the general public when a private event is being hosted. Thus it is important to reserve places in advance.

Excerpt from the Jerusalem Report, July 31, 2000. Good Times

In the early 1900s, when David Ben Gurion lived and worked at Sejera in the Lower Galilee, the Danieli family home was the village hangout in the evenings. Shimon Danieli describes the kitchen of his grandparents' two-story house as a kind of a culinary flea market, where neighbors swapped recipes and prepared dishes from their native cuisines.

Danieli, 62, and his 26 year old son Barak decided to revive the family tradition and restore every nook and cranny of the country kitchen, using a 90-year-old photo as their guide, and operate a restaurant here. A Place in Sejera officially opened in January, with an all-organic menu. Their hormone-free meat comes from the Golan Heights, the fish are all natural - not pool-bred - and their vegetables and herbs are cultivated on the one-acre Danieli homestead.

It's village food, says Barak: a mix of overflowing, olive-oiled Mediterranean salads, humus with vegetables, home-cured olives, stuffed grape leaves, and pasta in a sauce that's a Danieli family secret. Shimon smokes steak, lamb, goat and pigeon, Argentinian fashion, using his grandfather's wood-burning stove.

Upstairs from the kosher meat restaurant, the Danielis are putting together a dairy restaurant and coffee gallery. The menu will include home-smoked cheese and handmade pasta, combined into lasagna.