The best place for a refreshing drink in an Israeli city will almost invariably be a small, cheap juice stall. These have been a classic for years now, chiefly serving orange and carrot juice, but in recent years the fad has really taken off (of course following Tel Aviv's fashionable lead), fuelled by the Israeli's love of multiple choice and combinations. They're a great refreshment pit stop on a hot day.

A juice stall may be an actual rickety stall or hole in the wall, perhaps around the local market or commercial district, or tucked away with the corner shops in a residential neighbourhood. Flashier, more upmarket places might be at shopping malls (no food court is complete without somewhere to get fresh squeezed juice), or proper walk-in places or storefronts along a main street, possibly also selling ice cream and such. Lastly, many grocers and other small shops will set up a small extra counter, especially in summer, to squeeze and serve juice. In Tel Aviv, it's hard to walk ten minutes without going by such a stall.

So what could you get to drink? Juice should be made from fresh fruit or vegetables, as you watch, using an orange press (actually useful for many juicy kinds of fruit) or hard fruit juicer (aka carrot juicer), as appropriate. A blender may well also be on hand, for soft fruit and to make milkshake, adding milk and various ice creams. Yogurt may also be on hand. A mix and match approach to picking ingredients is encouraged (not only to save money on the more expensive juice stuffs), typically by a list suggesting dozens of interesting combinations. Even a small place might well have a dozen or more options to choose from...

The classics

The exotics

Veg (usually added to carrot and/or orange)

  • Celery
  • Beetroot (powerful stuff, so really only an additive to other, milder, juices)
  • Parsley (I suspect this doesn't make much juice, but adds great flavour)

The surprising

And much, much, more...

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