Pomo

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Southern Italy in Tel Aviv's Business District

Pomo is a chef restaurant on HaBarzel Street in Ramat HaHayal, Tel Aviv, guided by chef and owner Shachar Barnea. Before opening Pomo, Barnea had built a reputation advising other restaurants on their menus across Israel — so when he finally launched his own place in 2017, the food press paid attention. Haaretz covered the opening with the headline "The chef who advises others on opening restaurants, opens one himself." The recognition has held: Gambero Rosso, the authoritative Italian food and wine guide, awarded Pomo a slice — a meaningful stamp of approval for an Italian restaurant operating outside Italy.

The Kitchen

The menu draws its character firmly from southern Italy: an abundance of vegetables, aromatic herbs, and a large charcoal oven that, as the restaurant puts it, "makes all the difference." The Mediterranean spirit runs through every section of the menu, from the Aperitivo through Primi, Pasta, Pizza, and Principale.

Starters include zucchini flowers filled with lemon risotto and pecorino foam, beef carpaccio with olive oil, arugula and parmesan, and a tuna tataki with Calabrian sauce and white balsamic. Pasta ranges from a simple fettuccine with yellow tomato butter and basil to a lobster fettuccine and a slow-braised beef rigatoni with porcini and demi-glace. The pizza list runs from a clean margherita to a Romano with artichoke, Kalamata olives and sheep's cheese. Main courses include whole sea bass with white wine, butter, potatoes and Kalamata olives, and a beef fillet with roasted root vegetables and demi-glace.

The menu changes across the day, adapting from lunch to dinner service.

The Space

Designer Yaron Tal shaped the interior as a brasserie that works for different kinds of visits: a bar area for drinks and cocktails, private corners suited to couples, and a courtyard for families and groups of friends. Local press noted dishes that "look as though they were invented specifically for an Instagram close-up" — without that being a criticism. One reviewer put it plainly: "Sometimes you don't need too much noise and bells, just good Italian food, well executed."

The drinks list is serious — house cocktails, a broad wine selection spanning Israeli labels and Italian, French and Argentine bottles, plus Prosecco, grappa, limoncello and digestivi. The restaurant also offers takeaway, delivery, and meal kits for those who want a taste of its Mediterranean cooking at home.