Hayekev Dairy Italian restaurant on the sea
September 2024
Hayekev restaurant is a landmark in Netanya. a veteran restaurant, running for many years. but the dining areas face the sea, For those in the know, this is one of the best locations and most popular spots in Netanya. On this visit to the restaurant we once again understood why it is so popular.
 The entrance to the restaurant is on Gad Machnes Street but the dining areas face the sea. Hayekev has a spacious indoor area but the calling card of the restaurant is its gorgeous outdoor space that faces the sea. You can't get better than this. Enjoy delicious dairy dishes and the beautiful sea breeze from a comfortable place under the outdoor umbrellas. Note that seating on the outdoor patio is at a premium and must be booked in advance.
When you come to dine at Hayekev, come hungry. The menu is enticing, portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. It is no wonder that this is one of the long-running restaurants in Netanya.
Our Visit to Hayakev
We stopped in at Hayekev for lunch mid week. On this visit we chose to sit in the comfortably air-conditioned indoor space as the shaded spaces on the patio were fully booked
On this visit the restaurant was hopping. There was a table of teens celebrating a birthday. A long table of folks celebrating an engagement. Sparklers came out at each of these tables and there was a very festive atmosphere. The restaurant also has a hall for large smachot.
Not just celebrations, there were couples and families with children and baby carriages. The large space was divided into sections so that the groups did not conflict with other diners. I only noticed the engagement group when they started singing!
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Hayekev does not offer a business lunch so we chose our lunch from the full all-day menu. We decided to share one starter and then we each chose a main course to share. The fish dishes are the specialty of the house, so we were anxious to try one. At most restaurants one shared starter and two main dishes for two of us is just right. At Hayekev it was a lot of food.
 The Hayekev kitchen prepares dishes as they are ordered, thus the staff does not take your full order at once. The advantage of this system is that the main course is delivered to your table fresh and hot, and does not sit on the counter under a warmer while you finish your first course. As the dishes come out promptly, this did not delay our meal. This is an innovative idea that we appreciated.
We started with the coated cauliflower. This is one of my favorite starters and Hayekev did this dish proud. The dish was presented attractively with two dips. My companion and I usually share one starter to give each of us a taste without spoiling the rest of the meal. There was no problem sharing the yummy coated cauliflower starter. The crispy batter-fried pieces were delicious, and other than
not willing to give up any of these precious nuggets, there were plenty for two and we both enjoyed the dish.
Finishing the starter, we agreed on the grilled sea bass fillets with chips. Intrigued by the "Specials" section of the menu, we chose the potatoes au gratin as our second main course. We didn't read the fine print in the menu and did not realize that the fish dish is not one plate but a full meal.
When a tray of small bowls of salads and a large focaccia were delivered to our table, we thought there was a mistake and this was intended for another table.
"We didn't order this," we told the waitress. The salads and the bread come with the fish dish. This was totally unexpected and a lot of food.
Our biggest problem was finding room on the table for all the dishes.
We both enjoyed the fish meal. The focaccia was hot and crispy, the salads were fresh and tasty. The fish was prepared well and we liked the string bean and garlic side dish. The fish dish is the deal of the century because for the standard price of a fish fillet you get a whole meal. We could have easily shared one fish main course without any other dish. This was more than enough for the two of us to share and there was no need for the potatoes.
It is very hard to resist the dairy Hayekev desserts. If we had another inch of room for more food we would have ordered a dessert. There should be a prize for anyone who can finish a dessert after a fish meal.
Parking: The restaurant is next door to a city parking lot. Pass the restaurant on your right and you'll see the lot. There is an entrance to the restaurant through this parking lot. There are about 10 steps up from the lot into the restaurant.
Across the street from the restaurant there is a private lot where parking is 20 shekels for 4 hours. From Gad Machnes Street you can enter the building without any steps.
From the Menu:
Vegan dishes are marked on the menu.
Kashrut: dairy Mehadrin supervised by the Netanya rabbanut and Badatz. |
