The Best 15 Places for Cheap Drinks in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is such an expensive city, it’s enough to drive you to drink. But then you have the problem of finding a bar that sells cheap beer.

Luckily, there are a few places that try to keep the prices down. Here’s a list of 15 bars that show more consideration for their customers’ wallets than most.

1. Shuffle Bar

If you like places where you can pass the hours playing bar games like cards, pick-up sticks and dominoes, you’ll become a regular here. The bar offers some very attractive bargains such as happy hour from 18:00-21:00, where you get two draft beers for the price of one (also gin and tonic, rum and Coke, whiskey and ginger ale, and some wines). There’s also a 20 percent discount on the food menu, which includes vegan options, during happy hour.

19 Florentin Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 050-325-5355

2. Beer Garden

This corner pub in the newly refurbished Dizengoff Square is enjoyed by regulars who flock there after work for a happy hour that boasts half price on all the drinks and some of the food menu Sunday through Thursday, 16:00-19:00. You can get a discounted pitcher of beer for the table, and a cocktail for 10 shekels ($2.80) in addition to the pitcher. Customers’ sleepy dogs are yet another attraction.

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2 Reines Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 054-527-4512

3. Hashoftim Pub

This family business was founded back in 1981, making it positively prehistoric in Israeli terms. It has a steady clientele as well as attracting a younger crowd. It’s a fairly traditional place, with background music and a bartender who actually speaks to the customers (all that’s missing from the stereotype is a bar towel over the shoulder). Tuborg runs at 28 shekels a glass, while Guinness will cost you 33 shekels. There are cocktails for 10 to 12 shekels apiece. Happy hour runs from opening time, 16:00, through 20:30 (21:30 on Fridays), featuring discounts on the beer.

39 Ibn Gabirol, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 03-695-1153

4. Main Bazar

Located on the edge of Jaffa’s flea market, this corner pub really lives up to its name thanks to the tourists and market vibe that prevails every evening. The Main Bazar offers a more relaxed bar scene, with live blues and rock music, plus guest deejays. Happy hour should not to be missed, either: There’s 50 percent off on all alcoholic beverages Sunday through Wednesday, 17:30-20:30.

7 Olei Zion Street, Jaffa (map)
Telephone: 03-518-3927

5. Hamezeg Bar

This energetic bar on a lively corner of Ibn Gabirol is always full of revelers spilling over onto the street. The clientele is a combination of north Tel Aviv veterans and a post-army/student crowd. Perhaps that’s why the prices are so inviting: You can grab a cocktail for 10 shekels, while premium beers and Chardonnay go for 69 shekels. A fancy cocktail will cost you 79 shekels. Smirnoff vodka, tequila, rum and Campari go for 89 shekels, while Jack Daniel’s whiskey costs 119 shekels.

151 Ibn Gabirol, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 052-397-4760

6. Ilka Bar

This establishment offers imported beer, a friendly clientele, American tourists and not-to-be-missed specials. Over the past year, Ilka has established itself as a standout in the Dizengoff area. A 1.8-liter pitcher of Tuborg goes for 123 shekels, while many other beers are on offer for between 120 to 150 shekels. It’s recommended you get there for happy hour (18:00-21:00), when you get a 50 percent discount on alcoholic beverages and 30 percent off on food. You can order liters of beer without dashing out to the nearest ATM.

148 Dizengoff, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 054-803-0706

7. Shem Tov

The friendliness of this bar is literally written all over its walls. As you walk in, you’ll see strange names scribbled everywhere – we’re told these are the remnants of a bar-naming contest the establishment once held. Shem Tov’s prices are the secret to its success. From Sunday through Thursday, 18:00 to 21:00, there’s a 50 percent discount on food and alcohol. A 1.5 liter pitcher of Goldstar beer costs 86 shekels. The place is also famous for its variety of hot dogs, but don’t miss the four-cheese pizza that will cost you 42 shekels during ordinary hours.

14 Masaryk Boulevard, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 054-204-4929

8. Salon Berlin

This old neighborhood favorite opens its doors daily at noon. The vibe is like a saloon from the 1970s, but the playlist is varied and the customers even more so. They are young and old, tourists and passersby, and many just keep coming back. In the evening, indie music from the ’80s is played. You get 50 percent off the second drink until 22:30, there are 20 shekel deals for beer and cocktails, plus shakshuka and pizza food options.

15 Najara Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 03-510-2126

9. Haminzar

This place has recently made a name for itself as the tastiest bar in Carmel Market. Groups of friends, dates and parents with small children all make their way to Haminzar to taste from fresh fish menu. There is no happy hour because the happiness lasts all day long. Half a liter of Guinness costs 28 shekels, while Goldstar and Pilsner runs to 22 shekels.

60 Allenby Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 03-517-3015

10. Silon

A convenient, after-work neighborhood pub with tables facing the street. Don’t worry about the dark interior, you’re going to have fun here. Cocktails and wine sell at a 30 percent discount, with another 50 percent off Sunday through Thursday from 17:30-20:30 (Friday 18:00-21:00 and Saturday 18:00-20:30).

89 King George Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 03-620-0053

11. Rutina

This place is always full — and that’s understandable considering you get unlimited pizza and wine for 79 shekels on Mondays. There are also drinking deals ranging from 59 to 79 shekels a night (69 to 89 shekels on weekends).

41 Frishman Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 054-578-4838

12. Foster

A quiet corner of Shlomo Hamelech and Frishman awakens every evening at 18:00, which is when Foster’s happy hour begins. Until 20:30, you can drink house beers in a variety of sizes for less than 20 shekels (happy hour on Friday is 20:00 to 22:00). A Jack Daniel’s will cost you just 24 shekels and a glass of wine just 20 shekels.

38 Shlomo Hamelech, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 03-529-3510

13. Gugys Public House

The only bar in town where you’re greeted by the staff at the door in decorative attire – but don’t let that put you off. During the week, Gugys opens at 16:00 so that if you finish work early and want a cold beer, you have somewhere to go. It opens at 13:00 on Friday and Saturday. But the best thing about the place is the prices: 20 shekels for half a liter of beer all day long and a varied food menu that runs no more than 50 shekels per person. In short, you can say it’s always happy hour at Gugys.

14 Rambam Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 058-763-1111

14. Uganda

This hipster joint is a place where you can sit quietly without being bothered by anyone. The prices are very reasonable, especially during happy hour (Sunday through Thursday, 17:00-22:00). A variety of drinks are on offer at that time for just 20 shekels. On Fridays, the bar opens at 8 A.M. and serves great hummus.

5 Simtat Beit Habad, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 050-842-1451

15. Tsuzamen

A neighborhood bar that offers early exposure to rookie performers, with live music and jams every evening. Beer and wine are 28 shekels a glass, while cocktails are 40. Toasted sandwiches cost 32 shekels. Most importantly, there’s a happy hour nearly every day from 18:30 to 20:00, when you get a 50 percent discount on menu prices.

3 Ra’anan Street, Tel Aviv (map)
Telephone: 050-864-8758