Carmel Market Tel Aviv

The Carmel Market is easily the largest and most famous market in all of Tel Aviv. In recent years, it has also become a bustling entertainment area, with restaurants, cafés and stalls selling street food. It is the perfect location to sample the very best that Israel has to offer.

From the moment the day begins, the market's vendors call to thousands of passersby to see, taste, and buy their fresh fruits and vegetables, boutique cheeses, fish, meats and the fresh baked goods whose aroma wafts through the air. But the wares aren't just limited to food! You can also find clothing, games, kitchen utensils, decorations, and souvenirs at bargain prices. We recommend consulting the market’s map to help you navigate towards what you're looking for.

A Piece of Tel Aviv History

The colorful old market, founded more than 80 years ago, is full of stories, legends and secrets, and is waiting for you just a few minutes' walk from the Royal Beach Tel Aviv.

Founded in the early 1920s in the Kerem HaTeimanim neighborhood,(literally “Vineyard of the Yemenites”), the market became the center of a small but growing commercial center.

Noticing this, Meir Dizengoff, the then mayor of Tel Aviv, encouraged it to grow, investing city funds into it and renaming it the Carmel Market, Tel Aviv.

From the 1950s, the market became the source of local fresh produce for the Tel Aviv area and beyond. Although the municipality tried to move the market in the 1960s and 70s, the locals protested, citing their love of its intimate and authentic neighborhood charm. It is truly one of the most well-loved attractions in Tel Aviv.

Nowadays, the market boasts a range of international flavors, modern coffee stands, bars, impromptu concerts and more.

Market Hours

Carmel Market Tel Aviv is open 6 days a week and is closed for the Sabbath on Saturday.

Weekday opening hours are daily at 7:30 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday, closing at 7:00 p.m (a local tip: towards the end of the day is when the best bargains can be found, for thrifty shoppers!).

On Fridays and Festival evenings, Carmel Market’s hours change, and it closes at 5:00 p.m. However, it's best to get there earlier as some vendors are likely to start closing up before the official closing time!

Photos: Dana friedlander | Haim yosef

Carmel Market Restaurants

A tour of the restaurants gives you an authentic taste of old Tel Aviv and Israel, while simultaneously introducing you to the young and vibrant atmosphere of the city's central market.

From boutique cafes to sit-down meals, holes in the wall and more, Carmel Market is the site of culinary excellence and excitement. 

Famous Carmel Market restaurants and eateries include Savtot Mevshlot (literally “Grandmas Cooking”) offering traditional homemade Middle Eastern dishes, sitting alongside tasty fusion foods in pita, to a range of international cuisine: fish and chips, Venezuelan arepas, Turkish, Asian and more This tasty melting pot is a true testimony to the market’s Tel Avivian rich culinary traditions and heritage.

Carmel Market Tasting Tour

One of the best ways to experience the Carmel Market is via a tasting tour. Just as there are seemingly a thousand tasting options in the market, so there are seemingly a thousand tours to experience these by!

We recommend finding a tasting tour that answers your specific needs including the length of the tour, the cuisine you'll be tasting, and perhaps the most important - the language of the tour. 

We also highly recommend that, regardless of the season in which you’ll be visiting, you bring at least one liter of water per participant, sunscreen, and comfortable walking shoes to your Carmel Market tasting tour.

This is because several areas of the market are uncovered, there aren’t many places to sit in the cramped alleyways of the market, and you might find even Tel Aviv’s winter sun to be remarkably strong!