Trocadero Gourmet French restaurant in Tel Aviv

If you want to meet a man who loves his work, meet Gerard, owner, manager, and your host at Trocadero Gourmet French restaurant in Tel Aviv. Gerard has been a restaurateur most of his life, founding and building successful gourmet kosher restaurants in Paris and Montreal. Now he and his wife have made Aliya and have founded yet another fine kosher restaurant, this time in Tel Aviv.

Trocadero dominates a corner on Nahalat Binyamin Street. Glass walls on the two sides of the corner give you a great view of the lovely restaurant interior from the street. The lights, the black, white and pink color combination, set tables placed alongside the windows covered in starched white linen and set for your arrival, make this a very attractive and enticing venue.

This is a French restaurant that specializes in quality meat dishes, European hospitality and a big dose of atmosphere. The specialty is the Foie Gras – goose liver – prepared in different ways. The elegant menu is modeled after Gerard’s very successful restaurant in Paris, with the addition of several meat dishes made with cuts available kosher only in Israel. This gives Gerard an opportunity to serve dishes at Torcedera that are not available in his Paris restaurant. Though you will be inclined to pass on the dessert after the delicious appetizers and main courses, don’t miss the culinary theater performed for you for dessert. We’ll tell you more….

First the hospitality. Gerard welcomes each diner personally, at the door. You won’t see this everywhere. His eye is always watching, and each time the front door opens he is there to welcome the new guests. Though there is a staff of well groomed and well trained waiters, Gerard gives each table his personal attention.



After we decided on our meal for the evening, we were served an amuse bouche: a plate of specialty French-style dips with thinly sliced bread. Shortly after whetting our appetites on these unique dips, our starters were served. My companion didn’t hesitate before choosing the pate de foie gras terine and, with Gerard’s help, I chose the Mediterranean salad with strips of seared Barbounia fish. Both dishes were nicely presented and very tasty. My companion enjoyed his thick slice of foie Gras served with a sweet pear, sweet sauce, and two slices of toast. Additional rounds of bread from the dips were brought over to have with this dish. After the entrees our hunger was abated and we were ready to savor the rest of the meal.

My companion opted for the duck main course and I chose the fish. The melt-in-your-mouth duck was served with candied figs and onions, potato puree grilled vegetables and asparagus. A very nice portion of fish was served with the puree and the grilled vegetables. Unusual in Israel, the plates themselves were hot, and were brought to the table held by napkins. As you would expect in a fine French restaurant, there is a good selection of wine. Labriyut.

The menu offers several desserts. But the highlight is the classic Crepes Suzette. Gerard wheels a cart to your table where he prepares a sweet sauce with orange peels and liquors and ignites the crepes before your eyes. Very French. Good theater. Good fun.

Your exquisite dinner at Trocadero comes at a price. Entrees: average NIS 80 (with some less expensive alternatives), Mains: Average NIS 100 (with chateaubriand NIS 125 and lamb chops NIS 145) Crepe Suzette dessert: NIS 40.

Note that rest rooms are up a flight of stairs. There is a netilat yadayim stand on entry level. Street parking is tight but there is a reasonably priced public parking lot just before the restaurant at 26 Nachalat Binyamin.

The restaurant can host parties of up to 60 people on the second floor level. A fixed price party menu is available.