Cofix Coffee - Your new Gluten Free "Fix!"

Zoe Wernick
Feb 19, 2016
4 min read

Boker Tov! Craving a carb? Head to Cofix for an inexpensive Gluten Free treat!

To say that Cofix is like the Starbucks of Israel would be the wrong analogy (that mantle is held by the chain, Aroma), and I struggle with what to compare it to. Better quality than American gas stations, but a lower price...I don't think there is a true American counterpart. A national chain, Cofix offers a fairly large menu all for 5 shekels! (Oh, I woe the thought of inflation...what will we do if one day it is 10 shekels?!)

The Cofix Look: black and white theme, small shop, and a few seats.

Cofix was started by Israeli local Ari Katz, who was fed up with the high prices of coffee and snacks. Here in Israel, prices do tend to be a bit higher than in the US for many of the same things, especially food and clothing. Of course there are items for very cheap in the Shuks (probably produced in less than ideal circumstances in other countries), and there are some locals selling food for less, but it's not uncommon to pay over $5 US at many places for a Cappuccino. Althouh we do this in the states without blinking an eye, the economy isn't the same here. High coffee prices were detracting many from purchasing. So Cofix's vision is to provide a low fixed and uniform price, allowing consumers to drink coffee more than once per day, as well as offering a higher quality coffee from the best providers in the area, and include an experience with a coffee shop atmosphere and different look.

Cofix to the right!

And Cofix delievers on that vision. You can't miss their signature black and white awnings, or their giant Cofix branded cups atop street signs. Each shop is small and nearly identical and service is quick and efficient. Most of the workers at Cofix seem to be young, and therefore in all my experiences have spoken English if needed. If you're out and about in our city, you may see Cofix Bar (still has full coffee menu, but also offering shots and beer for 5 shekels), or Super Cofix (a grocery store where everything's 5 shekels).

Inside Cofix, the GF muffins make an appearance under Green Sweaters' elbow.

At Cofix, jump in at the end of the line (don't be afraid to fight to keep your spot though, Israeli's have weird ideas what "lines" are), and once at the front tell the cashier what you want. The menu is written in Hebrew on the wall, and they might have an English one if you ask, but it's better to know what you want when you get to the front. They've got a full coffee menu (though don't go trying to order a drink with a billion syllables), juices (carrot, orange, or carrot/orange), and snacks (grab what you want or point). If you want to order a Cappuccino you can either say "Cappuccino" or "Cafe Afuch," and if you're looking for a real treat, try the "Ice Cafe." Similar to a Frappuccino in general idea, these little suggary delights taste so much better! They don't offer any flavors like Frappuccino's do, rather, they are made in big batches and come out of what we would think was a slurpee machine. A real Israeli favorite, these can be enjoyed almost all year in our climate!

Recently, Cofix has started offering a few Gluten Free Goodies! On their Website menu under Gluten Free they offer:

- a "Salty baked snack - onion flavor"

- "Almond cookies sugar free"

- "Chocolate chip cookies"

- "Muffins"

I have only had the oppotunity to try their muffins, and in fact, I haven't seen these other offerings. The muffins, however, I have seen at all the locations I've been too recently, both inside and outside of Tel Aviv. They are usually set right in front of the register with the other snacks, but what you want to look for is this: ללא גלוטן which is Hebrew for Gluten Free!

The muffins themselves are made by GreenLite and come in two options, either chocolate/chocolate chips, or vanilla/chocolate chips. I would say that the doubly chocolate one is better if they have that, but the vanilla one is alright too. They feature a profuse amount of chocolate chips and sugar to help with the whole gluten free thing, but for 5 shekels, if you're looking for a carb fix, you can't go wrong. Is it the best GF pastry I've ever had? No. But is it decent? Absolutely. And the best part is that it is not any more expensive than all the gluten-full items on the menu! Yay for equal treatment!

Thanks Cofix! :)

Have you found or tried Cofix's other Gluten Free options? Let us know what you thought!