Tamara - Smoothies Suprime

Zoe Wernick
Feb 15, 2016
3 min read

Tamara - Prime location, exceptional product.

Things are heating up in Tel Aviv this week and that gave me a great excuse to go to my favorite juice stand - Tamara! I got hooked on smoothies last September/October when we were experiencing hotter than normal averages. It's hard not to - when it's that hot out and the city is brimming with stands offering fresh pressed juices, home-made popsicles, and smoothies, and the fruit is fresh, tasty, and abundant? How can you resist? Especially as a recent transplant, and (at the time) non-Hebrew reader, here was finally a delicious treat that I knew was safe to enjoy!

My favorite spot for smoothies became Tamara after just one visit. They have a prime location for their stand - in the middle of the pedestrian street Ben Gurion at the intersection with Dizengoff - one of the busiest corners in Tel Aviv, and it was just steps away from where I was studying (uh-oh! thankfully they do have a punch card, so if you're going to frequent them, be sure to ask for one!). Their stand is hard to miss, as it is adorned with bright colorful bags and baskets of fruit, and if you're passing by, you'll probably have to dodge through the throng waiting in front of it to order.

They offer a large selection of smoothies and fresh pressed juices, and have a build your own option as well. Although, their menu is in Hebrew on the inside chalkboard, don't dispair! A full English menu is available on a small clipboard in front of the registers. Don't feel shy grabbing one and stepping back to take a look at it. If you're having trouble deciding, you can't go wrong with the Seasonal option, or for a local speciality, pick one featuring dates! The staff speaks perfect English too, so if you want to create your own, you don't have to worry about pantomiming to all the baskets. If you're hungry, try one of their Musli or Acai bowls, but be sure to double check that the Musli is okay for your allergy! If it isn't they offer a fresh fruit bowl too. Their prices are absolutely reasonable for the quality you're going to get, but I still think that aroud $6 for a smoothie cuts this out of the $$ category and moves it up to $$$.

After ordering, step around to the side window (past the case of their beautiful and delicious, maybe even one would call them artisan, popsicles!) to wait for your name to be called. If you've got a few minutes, there are tables and benches nearby on Ben Gurion, a fantastic location for people watching. Sip your smoothie as you watch dog walkers, electric bikes, strollers, and even roller bladers parade by. Our Tel Aviv is truly a melting pot - try counting the different languages you hear - it's likely you'll hear around 5!

There is something that sets this stand apart more than just the vibrancy and location, and that is definitely the taste! Not too sweet, not too sour, and bursting full of flavor, the offering at Tamara are really a step above what you can get at a chain smoothie place in the States. When I was home in the US for a wedding I grabbed a Jamba Juice (still addicted to the smoothies here in TLV) and was so disappointed that I threw it away after three sips. It's not exactly rocket science, and I'd guess it's because they use frozen, almost flavorless stuff and rely on a lot of sugar, but bleccchhhhh!