Shanklish Restaurant defines ‘authentic.’ While many ethnic restaurants lay claim to authenticity, the décor and food served at Shanklish are the real thing in every sense. They are a reflection of Hanah Taqqash, 49, who founded and owns the restaurant, and prepares its fare. Growing up in the village of Ein Rafa, she learned to cook at the knee of her grandmother, and expanded her repertoire under the tutelage of her Syrian mother-in-law.
“It’s Hanah who sets the atmosphere and culture,” says her daughter, Zaina Taqqash, who manages Shanklish Restaurant. “Ingredients are fresh, flavors are unique, spices are special, menus are typically Arab and the mood is warm and informal.”
Shanklish Restaurant is some ten kilometers west of Jerusalem, in the village of Ein Rafa which is home to some 1,250 people. With most of the population belonging to the Barhoum clan, the dozen-plus people who staff the restaurant are all part of Hanah’s extended family. Opened only three and a half years ago, Shanklish Restaurant is already known to diners not only from Jerusalem but also to many from Tel Aviv and even northern Israel —in search of the new and different tastes.
The restaurant-café’s specialty is, of course, the Syrian-Lebanese delicacy shanklish — large balls of very thick and dry crumbly cheese, prepared over two days from ripe strained yoghurt and white cheese, and coated with a distinctive blend of herbs and spices. It features in several of the restaurant’s breakfast (with eggs and taboon bread, with tomatoes, onions and olives) and is the centerpiece of its shanklish salad, served with walnuts and figs.
‘Grandma’s’ dishes are also prominent on the menu — Grandma’s taboon with za’atar, olive oil and goat cheese; her fattoush salad (fresh, very sour, with a splash of sumac and olive oil, and small homemade toasted bread cubes that manage to be both very crunchy and very fresh) — the very dishes made by Hanah’s own grandmother. The breakfast menu also offers different shakshookas, and omelettes with crushed meat or with vegetables, taboola and hummus, all served with flasks of seasonings, cheeses and olives.
At lunchtime (Shanklish Restaurant closes at 3.00 pm Monday to Thursday and at 5.00 pm on Friday and Saturday), the emphasis is heavily on meat. Following an array of starters — tapas, kibbeh shami (a type of kebab), baba ghanouj (broiled eggplant and tehina), fatteh (chickpeas, tahini and croutons) and Arabic salad — on offer are beef, chicken and lamb. There is lahmeh awarakah (ground beef with vine leaves in garlic tomato sauce), moosakhan (chicken and onions in sumac on taboon bread), chicken legs stuffed with freekeh (green barley, green beans and other vegetables), shishbarak (ground beef dumplings in garlic yoghurt sauce), koofta (beef kebab in tahini), mansaf (lamb in garlic on turmeric rice), and makoubeh (chicken, vegetables and spiced rice).
And for those with sufficient stamina, there is yet more. The meal ends with Turkish coffee, herbal tea or cappuccino, and Syrian baklawa (layered pastries) served with goat’s milk ice cream, k’nafeh (spun pastries), Lebanese nights (a silky semolina-based pudding) and katayef (sweet dumplings).
Shanklish Restaurant Facebook rating is 4.8 out of 5. “It’s a delicious homemade restaurant,” writes Amit S. “It’s clean, and the food is tasty and served in style.” Itzik K judges it “a lovely restaurant and very accessible, with the food delicious and plentiful and the service courteous and efficient.” “We had so much fun at Shanklish!” enthuses Dana L. “The food was fresh, delicious and generously served. The place was clean and cozy. The service was excellent. We’ll be back.” And from Kol Ha’Ir: “Hanah Taqqash is, without a doubt, a home cook with an excellent hand for baking and dough.”
“We’re all so proud of the place, and love working here,” says Zaina. “We meet regulars and newcomers, and we enjoy seeing them enjoy our food.”
Shanklish Restaurant is reached from Jerusalem along Route 1 toward the Abu Ghosh interchange, where you make a left turn toward Ein Rafa. Once in the village and past the mosque, you will find the restaurant just inside the wadi, on the road to the nearby Ein Limón spring. Located three minutes from one of the country’s busiest interchanges on one of its major highways, it is green and quiet, and a refreshing alternative of fine ethnic food.
Call now: 072-2811738
FB: שנקלעש/شنكليش
IG: @shanklish19
WA: +972 58‑695‑0859
Partnered with Shanklish Restaurant
