Food Delivery in Tel Aviv - All You Need to Know

If you’re visiting Israel and find yourself hungry, gone are the days when you’d have to hit the streets to satisfy your cravings.
Today, food delivery is incredibly common, particularly in Tel Aviv which is home to lots of young people, many of whom work in high-tech and are cash-rich but time-poor.
Even better, Tel Aviv is a serious ‘foodie’ city, and home to thousands of restaurants offering every kind of cuisine under the sun, from favorites like burgers, pizza and sushi to traditional Levantine dishes, artisan gelato and classic Israeli street food.

Whether you’re staying in an Airbnb, a hotel, or even with friends, as long as you have a SIM card and a credit card, food is just a few clicks away!  Let’s have a look at the hows and whys of this trend that’s making all of our lives so much easier…

What are the Best Apps for Food Delivery in Tel Aviv?

Without a doubt, the easiest way to go about getting food delivered to your door in Tel Aviv is by using an App.  Since almost everyone these days has a cellphone, the best thing to do is to download one of the following - from there you can see exactly which restaurants, bars and cafes each app works with.

• Wolt - this is a very popular app in Tel Aviv and probably the Israeli equivalent of ‘Uber Eats.’  It will deliver food to you from restaurants in the city that, in other circumstances, would not offer a delivery service. 
  Wolt features thousands of restaurants from which you can order food, and it also lets you schedule deliveries in advance and specify the time you want your food to arrive.   Quick, reliable and affordable, it’s the most used app in Israel.
  
  
  

Wolt delivery man

• Tapingo - Israel’s second largest food app, you can download Tapingo to your iPhone or Android device or Blackberry.  Just like Wolt, you can schedule your delivery in advance, which means you can order whilst you’re on the go in Tel Aviv and know dinner will be waiting for you the moment you walk in the door.
  
  
• Ten Bis - popular in Israel with lots of workers (whose company gives them cards with credit loaded onto it) you can also buy a prepaid card.  Ten Bis may not be as popular as Wolt and Tapingo but has a unique selling point - it works with restaurants that you can’t find on other apps.  
  
  
  

  Ten Bis delivery in Tel Aviv

• Mishlohof - this app was designed for the beach bunny - yes, they’ll deliver to your chair or sunbed on one of Tel Aviv’s finest beaches. Not only can you order food, but they’ll also bring you cold beer, ice cream, towels and even sunscreen right up to the sand!
  
  

Birds eye aerial view on Tal Aviv beach

What Kind of Restaurants Can I Order from in Tel Aviv?

The choices are endless. Pizzerias and burger joints do a roaring trade in Tel Aviv, as do sushi and Asian places. As we’ve become a more ‘phone-focused’ world, more and more restaurants in the Non-Stop City are offering food delivery so all you need to do is log in, and browse the categories until you find what you’re looking for.

Do I need a credit card to order food in Tel Aviv?

Not necessarily - though you do need a payment method, which you should add to your app as soon as your download it.

Whilst credit card is still the most popular way to pay, it’s increasingly common for people to use PayPal, Google Pay (Android) Apple Pay (IPhone) and a few others such as Klarna (a Swedish fintech app), Edenred (an international payment service provider) and Smartum (another mobile pay app).

Can I Pay With Cash for My Food Delivery in Tel Aviv?

This really depends on the restaurant you’re ordering from, but certain places actually do take cash on delivery.  

You’ll have to check before making the order - either online or by giving the restaurant a call personally.

Should I Tip My Food Delivery Guy in Tel Aviv?  

We say ‘yes’ for sure.  Food delivery personnel work very hard and deliver in all weathers and at all hours.  Not only is it a common courtesy (and much appreciated) but the tips these guys get are often something they really rely on, since they’re usually working for minimum wage.  

So as long as the delivery arrives on time, and all your items are in the bag, common etiquette is that you should give them something.  In Israel, you would usually leave between 10-15% of the bill in a  restaurant, so factor this into your order if possible.

What Should I Do if My Order Shows Up Late? 

If your food order isn’t delivered as soon as promised, don’t panic!  Between a busy kitchen in peak dining hours and traffic on the roads of Tel Aviv, there’s always the possibility that you’ll have to wait a little longer than expected.

However, the common view is that anything over an hour’s wait for your food is too long!  

First of all, get in touch with the service (either by phone or live chat) and ask politely for an explanation.  If what they say sounds reasonable to you, just hang on.  

If you feel you’re not being helped sufficiently, then you can always ask what their refund and cancellation policies are…after all, if you were in a restaurant and your food didn’t arrive after an hour, you’d be well within your rights to walk out. 

In the majority of cases, however, drivers are really ‘on the ball’ in Tel Aviv and unless there’s a major pile-up or the kitchen’s caught fire, your food should be with you in no time at all…

So as we say in Hebrew: ‘Betaavone’  - Enjoy your meal!