“It was around eight-thirty when we passed through the roped off entrance, walked through the front patio and entered the main space...” By half-past ten Rachel Wagner is right in the middle of where the party’s at - Makom Mihasratim, a kosher bar-restaurant-event space in Tel Aviv.
It was around eight-thirty when we passed through the roped off entrance, walked through the front patio and entered the main space. The numerous long tables, the bar, and what would become the dance floor (little did we know) were all empty. The first group of revelers arrived just as we were seated at our ‘miniscule’ table for two; you see, this first group was a relatively ‘small’ group of 12 or so, celebrating a birthday. Next came a more averagely sized group – around 40 nurses from the Hasharon Hospital. Behind the birthday party group was…another birthday party group, these guys younger, louder and ready to party.
Makom Mihasratim (vaguely translating to ‘Place from the Movies’) is a restaurant come nightclub come bar come event hall. The sky-high ceilings (7 meters, to be exact), celebrity headshot drawing lined wall and massive 3 by 4 meter screens on contain a massive sound system, a DJ stand, row upon row of long tables.
The party started with appetizers: ½ a jacket sweet potato topped with tehina, hummus with tehina, a green salad, charred eggplant, chicken wings, Doritos for dipping, pita, tapanade, aioli and a warm ciabatta loaf. The tables surrounding our little island of two enjoyed more or less the same dishes, served in unlimited quantities.
In the meantime, the DJ began welcoming the various groups, projecting their logos or well wishes on the massive screens and warming up the crowd with a little sound and light action. And then the karaoke started. Umm, what?!? Yes, the karaoke, available in three languages (Hebrew, English, French) just like the menu, was started by one of the singer servers, and lucky of us, she really had a voice on her.
Serenading of high enthusiasm but varying quality (hey, not every reveler has the voice of a singing waitress) continued through the main courses: medium-rare lamb kebab patties, tasty char-grilled spring chicken, tender strips of entrecote, and a chicken and noodle stir-fry were accompanied by chips and a chopped Israeli salad. And then Tina Turner started belting out ‘simply the best, better than all the rest…’, which we found awesomely hilarious for some reason. Well, perhaps the reason was one or two samplings from the bar’s cocktail list…it was high time we got into the party spirit!
Then, just as it became apparent that the partiers were having a lot of trouble obeying the no-indoor-smoking rule (a problem the staff was very effective at quickly quashing) the party really, really got started. As we worked through a chocolate mousse dome and chocolate soufflé with rum and raisin parve ice cream the dance floor behind us was full of nurses letting loose.
Events at Makom Mihasratim range in price from NIS 100 to NIS 200 per person, depending on the menu selected. The price includes unlimited quantities of food along with DJ Mickey, the sound system, lighting, company logo or greeting projection, and karaoke. The staff will also help you plan your event, taking care of any special requests. In addition to the events, Makom Mihasratim gives local office workers another reason to celebrate: a business lunch is offered on weekdays from 12-16, including 5 types of salad, bread and dips, a main dish, 2 sides and a drink for NIS 59.
Let’s get the party started…
Makom Mihasratim
14 Ahad Ha’am St, Africa Israel Tower, Tel Aviv
Tel: 03-5105555
