Originally appeared in The Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2025
Daddy Daily Deli (est. 1979) cites New York’s Katz’s Deli as inspiration. The menu is as diverse as its clientele. Customers can purchase an assortment of meat and vegetarian options.
The new eatery in Tel Aviv’s quaint Basel Square – Daddy Daily Deli (est. 1979) – cites New York’s Katz’s Deli as inspiration. However, there are no drying salamis, no baskets filled with rye bread, and no fresh coleslaw. Deli it is not, even though there is an offering of deli sandwiches. But it is an upscale gourmet shop with items at an impressive price point.
A treasure trove of carefully prepared fresh dishes rotates daily. The tremendous range of items – from home-style and traditional to internationally inspired – are prepared each morning in an Acre plant and transported to Tel Aviv, where they adorn the immaculately clean glass case at the front of the store, and line the refrigerated shelves and the frozen food case.
Welcome to Daddy, a collaborative venture of the Malka family, one of Israel’s leaders in cooking kitchens, and culinary entrepreneur Nadav Neeman, who is responsible for the business vision.
Daddy is so many things at once, with something for everyone. Customers can purchase an assortment of meat and vegetarian options to eat on-site outside (an enclosed area will be constructed soon for the colder weather), take home, or (very soon) have delivered by Wolt.
A few highlights from my visit included fish balls (NIS 15 per 100 gr.); chicken meatballs (NIS 12.50); three types of schnitzel (NIS 12.50); sliced brisket (NIS 20); roast turkey (NIS 16); chestnut squash (NIS 9); arook (potato) latkes (NIS 9.50); egg salad (NIS 9.80); and vegetarian kubbeh.
Prepackaged meals for one or two in the refrigerated case include items such as quinoa (NIS 24 for 300 gr.); grilled chicken (NIS 40 for 300 gr.); chicken pancakes (NIS 38 for 300 gr.); and noodles with vegetables (NIS 28 for 400 gr.).
Freezer items include phyllo dough chicken (NIS 50 for 400 gr.); fish fingers in panko (NIS 65 for 500 gr.); and their signature chorizo hot dogs (NIS 79 for 690 gr.).
The menu is as diverse as its clientele.
On a warm Sunday morning, as I awaited my food, two elderly women with caretakers arrived. Both women said that they had been there nearly daily since the store’s opening in early November. A mother mentioned that her two-year-old in the stroller, a picky eater had ordered her to get “ketzitzot she’yeladim ohev” (“kebabs children love”) and sugar-free “mitz shel yeladim” (“children’s juice boxes ”).
Daddy accepts Cibus vouchers for the lunch crowd and offers a set lunch menu: main course, two sides, and a small salad (NIS 55). There is also a children’s set lunch special (NIS 35).
My dining partner and I sampled a little bit of everything.
The bean soup was hot and well seasoned (NIS 5 for 100 ml.); had we come another day, we might have experienced another of the five soups they serve in the rotation, such as harissa, orange vegetables, and pea.
Couscous pride
Our waiter was particularly proud of the homemade couscous (NIS 5.50) with special sauce (NIS 7.50), which takes three hours to prepare, as well as the spicy red-colored merguez sausage, one of five types of sausages they make.
The brisket was lean and thinly sliced, accompanied by roasted potato boats (NIS 6.20). My dining companion, who is a connoisseur of mafrum (a Libyan meat and potato dish), found it to be among the best she’s tasted (NIS 11).
For the vegetarian crowd, Lee – the store manager – insists that even meat eaters would have a hard time telling that Daddy’s vegetarian shwarma wasn’t “the real thing.”
On Thursdays, Daddy carries cholent, kugel, Vishnitz challah, and just about anything a family who doesn’t want to cook for Shabbat dinner or lunch might need.
If you are invited as a Shabbat or weekday guest, you can find all kinds of host gifts, such as fancy olive oil from Pinchas Farm; Noam Tor honey; Shulman chocolate; sauces (BBQ, chili mango); and jellies, cookies, and coffee beans.
Oddly, Daddy offers packaged cheeses – unusual for a kosher gourmet meat store. The manager assured us that it is permitted, as it the packages are sealed. We will save the purchase of various cheeses from Gvinage at Rom Farm for another time – though the Galil Gouda and Pecorino Galil caught our attention.
As we prepared to leave this great new spot, I realized I was so taken by the range of selections that I had overlooked an important fact – that Daddy indeed serves juicy Katz Deli-style sandwiches, such as thick slices (200 gr.) of brisket or turkey with house sauces, soft bread, and pickles, with crispy fries on the side. There is truly something for everyone at Daddy.
Daddy Daily Deli
40 Basel St.
Tel Aviv
Tel: (03) 544-5445
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday and holiday eves, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
daddydeli.co.il
Kashrut: Tel Aviv Rabbinate
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.