Tel Aviv, Israel — Walking down Dizengoff close to Frishman, you will notice a white building with a facade that can only be described as swirly. You are not on drugs. Actually you might be, who am I really to say? But on the other hand, what I can contend with authority is that you are at my landmark for one of my favorite bars, Tsina (צינה), which is otherwise nondescript on this main Tel Aviv drag. In winter when the windowbox hides the merriment going on inside, the only way to find this boozy little gem hiding out on one of the most well-trod areas of Tel Aviv is the swirly rooftop of the store next door. I guess its unremarkable look on the outside makes sense considering how Tsina in Hebrew translates to “chill”.
I never before considered log cabins to be the epicenter of chill, but Tsina has persuaded me. You’d never know you were in the heart of Tel Aviv and not transported back to the night Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, in 1809. I didn’t know it before, but those really were the chillest times. And like every red-blooded American, I like to commemorate those chill times of Abe Lincoln’s yesteryear with a tall glass of brew.
If nostalgia for simpler days in the wilderness is your thang too, then perch on up on a stool at one of the many long tables is and take advantage of the fact that you’re at one of the very, very few places in Tel Aviv that sells beer by the pitcher. The other two being the Dancing Camel brewery (far) and Mike’s Place (vomit). I suggest going to Tsina if you want a pitcher near the center of town with a crowd not plucked right out of Jersey Shore. But if that’s what you like, then please, by all means head to Mike’s Place. Once you’re done please vacate this country as fast as possible, thanks. It’s very small here and we don’t have enough room for you and your hair.
The rest of you, see you at Tsina.
1 year ago • Notes