2C Bar & Chef Restaurant

April 2024
Nobody will argue when we say that 2C is the most beautiful restaurant in Tel Aviv. When it comes to fine dining in an elegant setting you have come to the right place.

2C is one of two restaurants and several event halls in the Bados Group that occupy the entire 49th floor of the Azrieli tower. Picture windows wrap around the entire floor filling the dining spaces with light. The restaurants face west and have the sea view and the gorgeous sunsets through the 2C windows. This is a view that cannot be beat. The event rooms have the city view, and from the “mizrach vant” you can see Jerusalem.

The atmosphere does not end with the view. The restaurant interior is plush, formal without being snobby, elegant yet comfortable. Tables are roomy and well spaced. The aesthetics continues with the dishes, all beautifully presented and delicious. The service at 2C is a cut above, as is everything at this restaurant.

We have dined at 2C many times over the years. We never tire of the food or of the ambiance. Azrieli, at the Tel Aviv train station,makes it easy for people from different parts of the country to get together. When our friends and family from abroad are in Jerusalem, we meet at 2C, an easy train ride for them and convenient for the folks in Gush Dan. I love wowing foreigners with this restaurant, showing tourists that Israel also has its share of elegant kosher restaurants.

Business Lunch: 2C has a very agreeable business lunch menu of meat, fish dishes and a good selection of vegetable dishes. The business lunch is a great deal because for the standard prices at most meat restaurants, you will dine in the luxury of 2C. All the dishes are beautifully presented. The dishes vary so you can go high end with Asado and beef fillet or you can choose a less pricey salad starter and a burger. If meat is not your thing you will find fish dishes on the menu and the vegan mushroom risotto, a filling and delicious dish.

The evening meal is where 2C shines. In the evening, the restaurant ramps up the menu with several superior and unique dishes. But when you are worth it, you are worth it. The evening menu, served from 5pm, offers more high end and creative dishes. These do come with a price, but for elegance and atmosphere 2C cannot be beat.

My companion started his meal with the Burik Asado. This is an impressive dish that illustrates the esthetics, elegance and the special flavors at 2C. The slow cooked beef is served in a cup of filo dough molded to a glass serving bowl. The look is very impressive and the taste does not pale. The combination of meat on the sweet dough is unusual and pleasant and goes very nicely with a glass of house red wine.

The Asian Som Tam salad with a sweet and sour Vietnamese dressing is the recommended vegetarian starter. This salad originates in Thailand, and is served at 2C from the Sefora menu, another restaurant in the Bados group. This salad has the texture of cole slaw but with papaya and onions, and is topped with cashews.
For his main course, my companion was treated to the Tornados Rossini, the top-of-the line flagship dish of the 2C dinner menu. This is an architectural wonder that should be on every meat-lovers bucket list.  A slice of goose liver sits atop a thick piece of filet steak. The whole dish is covered in Beef gravy. The meat is served with creamy mashed potatoes flavored with truffles and a single spear of asparagus. Bot the presentation of this dish and the flavors are memorable. The impressive layers of meat and the wave of mashed potatoes are a sight. At NIS 283, this is a real specialty dish. But without a doubt, my companion is worth it.

I was very impressed with my choice of the salmon fillet. The fish was seared on the top and well done on the inside. The fish was very nicely presented on a plate with bok choy and a wave of sweet potato spread.  This is a very colorful dish of pink salmon, green root vegetable and a smear of orange sweet potato. I don’t remember the last time I finished the whole piece of fish. But we both wiped our plates clean.

As we finished our main courses the waitress brought out a tray with a tea pot, and performed a charming ritual where she poured hot water over some white balls, that puffed into wipes. How cool is that?

And what will you have for dessert? More food? We shared one piece of cheese cake, mostly to taste the parve version of the real thing. It was topped with crumbs, berries and berry jam and was a close second to the dairy version.

A bit of history: 2C opened with the Azrieli Center 25 years ago. Despite its amazing atmosphere and high-end feel, this is very much a down-home family restaurant. Abba was the founder of the restaurant. Mom brought the culture of hospitality from her home to the restaurant. Merav manages the restaurant with professional acumen. Her brother contributes the aesthetics and the design. Every dish, wine glass and hand wipe is in a class of its own.

Merav relishes the family atmosphere of the restaurant. Every night when they pack it up, the staff sits down together for food and company. The atmosphere is of friends and family. That’s why it was so devastating when four of the 2C employees who went to the Re’im festival together on October 7, didn’t return. Along with so many others, the restaurant remained closed for weeks till, with trepidation, they finally reopened. How do you lose four members of your family in one blow?

We will never forget, but for just a few hours we can step out of ourselves and relish the good life. Because we are worth it.

Parking: Park in the multi-level underground car park under the Azrieli center. If you have to quibble about the cost of parking, you are in the wrong place. Take the elevator up to the 3rd floor and then another elevator up to the 49th floor.

From the Evening Menu:
Garden Vegetable Salad NIS 68
Calvados liver (roast foie gras) NIS 148
Beef with antipasti NIS 130

Evening Menu
Sashimi Tuna NIS 92
Asado crispy rice cake NIS 88
Entrecote 300 gr NIS 239
Tornedo Rossini NIS 283
Norweigan Salmon NIS 174
Pargit mustard NIS 152
Mushroom Risotto NIS 128