About a year and a half ago I went on my first Bitemojo shuk tour. Since then, I’ve gone on many more and it has quickly become one of my favorite apps! This app makes taking food tours in new cities so much cheaper and more manageable as I can do them on my own time!
The morning I chose to take the tour started early. I woke up excited to explore my neighborhood. (Yes, I live above the Shuk!) I was graciously gifted a free food tour by the Bitemojo app to be one of their first tour takers. I had been on food tours of Jerusalem before, but this one was especially unique.
The Bitemojo app allows you to take food tours on your own time and pace without the pressure of following a group. The way the app works is simple: Download the app and create an account. After creating an account, browse through their pre-made tours and pick the one that sounds best to you. Pay for it and Bitemojo takes care of the rest.
The app pays the restaurant for your food and finds the coolest spots to stop between bites. All you have to do is show the waiter at each place your phone. The app is great because if you pick a tour but do not love what one of the places is offering or if you have an allergy to that particular food, you can choose not to claim that bite. At the end of the tour, you cash out and if you skipped something you will receive bitepoints to use at a restaurant of your choice! You can also pause the tour and pick it up again a different day.
My friends and I chose to take the “Creative Class Jerusalem Food Tour.” This tour had six stops but because we went before Shabbat, one was closed.
Our tour began at a cute cafe just a block from my apartment called Nocturno. This cafe specializes in vegan food and their mushroom sandwich did not disappoint! The restaurant’s owner was extremely kind and accommodated my gluten allergy without a second thought! The food tasted very fresh and though I had been to the restaurant before, I got to try something I never would have ordered for myself!
After Nocturno, the tour took us to two intermediary stops: a cool theater and an alley of Graffiti. The app not only gives you info on the restaurants you are going to, and their owners, but also about the interesting places you pass on the way.
The second bite on our tour was the number one cheese shop in Israel, Basher. This stop was for sure a fan favorite! The owner of the shop was extremely knowledgeable and not only gave us tastes of an assortment of fresh cheese but also explained their origin and use. We tasted over five different cheeses cut fresh off the wheel along with almonds and fresh bread with truffle butter!
Before our next stop, the tour took us to an old mall I considered to be abandoned. At first, I was unsure of what to expect from this stop. We climbed up three flights of stairs as the app told us and found ourselves inside one of the coolest new spots in Jerusalem. Inside this old abandoned mall people have transformed the third floor to a terrace of new life! The floor contained a huge tent with live music, different artists showcasing work, a garden, and spaces for yoga and meditation! An awesome oasis in the middle of city center.
Following the apps directions, our next stop was our first stop inside the shuk, The Etrog Man. I was particularly excited about this stop as I was coming down with a cold and knew that this all natural health drink shop would likely have a cure. I ordered a delicious apple ginger juice which immediately cleared out my sinus’s and throat just as it is description said it would.
Our second to last bite on the tour was Wok Market. When we arrived at this spot, I assumed from reading the description of the stop, dim sum with steamed vegetables, that I would be able to just get steamed veggies as they did not have gluten free dim sum. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I had already claimed my bite so I passed my dim sum along to my friends. I would have been okay with that had the waitress not been rude about the fact that they would not give me a side of veggies. She was unhelpful and quite aggressive about it. Next time we know, skip that stop.
Our last bite, because the waffle place was closed, was at my favorite restaurant in Jerusalem. Tucked in a corner of city center is the cutest bookstore-cafe Tmol Shilshom. Our meal there was a choice between beet gnocchi or three soups with bread. I of course went for the soups and I was very happy with that decision. Not only did they bring out gluten free bread but the soups were also steaming hot and made of only fresh ingredients! For my sore throat, the soup definitely was exactly what I needed. We arrived at the cafe just before a lecture about Tahini was going to start and if it had not been cutting it close to Shabbat I would have loved to stay.
All and all, I give this tour a solid 10/10. The ability to personalize the tour to fit your needs as well as the ease in navigating the app and added bonus of being able to break the tour up for those with busy schedules truly makes it the perfect tour for anyone! I cannot wait to try their pubcrawl!
Be sure to check out Bitemojo and see if they have a tour in your next vacation destination! And check out theisraelbites and charlestonbites on Instagram to see my posts about the tour.
