The Inbal Grill

The most stylish summer outdoor barbecue in Jerusalem must be at the Inbal Hotel. Diners at “The Inbal Grill” can expect a mouth-watering selection of prime cuts, served in the picturesque setting of the Jerusalem hotel's stone courtyard. The expert Inbal grill chefs prepare the meats to your taste. Guests enjoy continuous tableside service, and as much food as they want. A fine selection of wine offsets the menu.

The Inbal Grill is open from May through September. Don't miss this grand opportunity.

About The Inbal Grill Menu

The Inbal Grill, set in the outdoor ground-floor courtyard of the hotel, takes the popular all-you-can-eat, fixed price format, upscale a notch, or two. There is a maître d’ – receptionist, linen tablecloths and elegant service.The grill itself is right there in the courtyard. You can watch the meat being prepared, and the smell certainly stimulates your appetite.

There is no menu to peruse, and there are no decisions to make. After you are seated, the waiter explains what to expect, and then it begins. (This is where the non-meat eaters have to declare themselves. See below.)

The house focaccia is brought to the table, accompanied by a sun dried tomato and an olive tapenade, and the food just keeps coming. You have just a few minutes to try the soft fresh bread and spreads when seven salads are brought out. The elegant salads are appropriate for the setting. There is potato with dill, candied carrots and sweet potatoes, cauliflower salad, a cherry tomato salad, a very attractive garden salad, a mushroom salad, and a homey cole slaw. I didn’t get to try them all, because the food just kept coming. Did I say that already?

The hot side dishes arrived just seconds before the meat was brought. They were simple sides: Cajun fried potatoes and grilled vegetables.

Where are we going to put all these plates?
We were a party of three at a table for four. Nevertheless, with the focaccia in the center, then seven bowls of salad and later four or five serving plates of meat in addition to our personal plates,we struggled to find a place to put things down and finally had to balance them on top of one another. Empty plates were cleared right away, but there was so much food that the plates were rarely empty. I hate to complain about too much food, but there it was, and all you can eat of it.

The first meat was a plate of pargit (deboned chicken legs), perfectly seasoned and grilled, just the way I wish I could do them on my barbeque at home. Next came entrecote steak and hamburgers, both cooked well done. We went for the steak, somewhat neglecting the hamburgers, but then the chicken breasts and chorizo spicy hot dogs arrived. We asked for mustard for the hot dog, and a spicy brown mustard promptly arrived in a small dish. The combination was really good, and I realize that I missed an opportunity to ask for ketchup for the hamburgers and the fries.

I had barely gotten into the hot dog when the spare ribs arrived. The waiter called them spare ribs, but I would call them asado – slow cooked cubes of beef off the bone, in a sweet sauce,  This was the dish that I liked best, and one for which I asked for seconds.

Desert was two flavors of sorbet, with tea or coffee. Wine by the bottle, demi-bottle or glass carries an extra fee.

Guests of the Inbal Grill who prefer fish to meat must declare themselves at the start. A fish main course will be supplied from the regular hotel dining room, in synch with the meat courses served to the other guests at the table.

Just a few of my favorite things:
The food of course was very good. The Inbal is a class act, and they know how to prepare a fine meal. The salads were much more elegant that you get in the average Israeli grill – there was no humus or eggplant and tahini in site. The service was impeccable – the staff did not hover, but they came quickly when you wanted them, and they never kept us waiting. I tested the all-you-can eat model by asking for seconds of the asado, and it was brought without hesitation. There was more than we could eat at all times: meat, salads and focaccia. The other meat that had seconds of was the spicy hot dog with mustard. It may not be the highest class fare, but I liked it.

The 3-course fixed price all-you-can-eat menu is nis 190 per person. Wine and soft drinks are extra.