Florentine – a hip neighborhood in the southern part of Tel Aviv
main travel guideFlorentine is a very hip neighborhood in the southern part of Tel Aviv. It has lively nightlife and a wide selection of bars, cafes and nightclubs, which attract young as well as more mature crowd. Florentine is located between Neve Tzedek and Jaffa, and is named after David Florentine, a Zionist leader from Greece, and the founding father of the neighborhood, back in 1927.
Metushelach Restaurant in Florentine
Florentine has been attracting many young residents for the last decade. First they used to come there because it was simply cheaper than the center of the city, but nowadays Florentine is considered to be a center for young artists and musicians, who create a village-like atmosphere. At the same time, some of the old traditional spirit of Florentine remains and many small synagogues can be spotted, as a symbol for the mixture of old and new this neighborhood possess.
Florentine is a lively quarter which offers selection of long-established small family restaurants. Elimelech (43 Ha’aliya St.) has been known since 1936 for its traditional Jewish food, and other small restaurants are all around the place. Another culinary must in Florentine is the small bakeries scattered throughout the area, which serve delicious Borekas (filled pastries) and other traditional snacks.
In the morning Florentine acts as a busy commercial center, but at sunset the worn out streets turn into a nightlife center. Some of the best nightclubs and bars of the city are located in Florentine. “Haoman 17” nightclub (88 Abarbanel St.) hosts some of the best dance Djs in the world every weekend. Other options include live rock bands at the “BarbY” (52 Kibbutz Galuyot St.), live Reggae acts at the “Slow Moshe” (4 Hamechoga St.) and many more. Finding bars in Florentine is quite an easy task. You can visit “Bugsy” (26 Florentine St.), which serves great breakfasts at daytime, “Lenny’s” (7 Vital St.), which is the residents’ favorite, or what seems to be the last “Rockers” bar in Tel Aviv, “Satchmo” (6 Vital St.)
The closest hotels to Florentine are Dan Panorama and David Intercontinental, located next to the beach, just minutes away from this hip artistic nightlife center.