24/7, and not in Tel Aviv at all: Coffee Club revives a beloved concept from the past
Matcha drinks, New York-style pizza, crazy grilled toast, self-service, and the coolest branding you've ever seen. We found all these and more at the new Coffee Club, which opened in the reviving Afridar Square in Ashkelon and offers round-the-clock service.
New and exciting things are happening in Ashkelon at a dizzying pace. Last week we told you about The Tree (which unfortunately burned down completely tonight, but the owner promises it will be back in operation soon), and now a place has opened in the same area that has already become the hottest urban magnet: Coffee Club. A cafe-bar-restaurant that is open around the clock and brings a Tel Aviv spirit to the city, including in terms of the menu.
At Coffee Club, located in the outer part of the Afridar complex, you'll find a humorous and fun design: a crocodile, an elephant, and a giraffe alongside Greek-style statues — a small tribute to the nearby museum. The service is self-service, with ordering screens and food served on stainless steel trays that guests clear themselves. There is a display case with pastries and sandwiches, and next to it is a section for New York-style pizzas that starts filling up at 15:00.
Most of the seating is outside, under a huge tree and next to the city's ancient clock, making it pleasant to sit there even in the middle of summer. There are also a few tables inside for those who need air conditioning. The place undergoes a complete transformation throughout the day: in the morning, parents with strollers sit here; at noon, young people; and in the evening, party-goers. The only limitation is that you cannot sit inside with a laptop.
The real star of Coffee Club is the magnificent matcha menu, and at almost every table you can see a greenish glass. The menu was built by Eli Gutman, one of the owners and a veteran of the Ashkelon restaurant and nightlife scene, after extensive research. Options include matcha latte, salted maple matcha, banana caramel matcha, strawberry matcha, mango matcha, coconut cloud matcha, and ice matchagato (23-29 shekels). "We have been open for a week, and we have already served 5,000 cups of matcha and not one has returned," says Gutman. "This is not strong matcha; these are more delicate flavors because there are four ingredients in every cup."
In the display case, which is constantly updated with trays coming out of the kitchen, there are cheese or potato bourekas (22-28 shekels); a Paikila croissant with spinach, feta, and egg yolk (32 shekels); a classic Pain Suisse (26 shekels); a blondie cube with berries (36 shekels), maritozzo, cakes, and pie triangles.
The selection of sandwiches includes sabich in focaccia and brioche buns with a variety of fillings and a mountain of grated parmesan on top (32 shekels), and you can get them fresh or crispy. There is also a huge cheddar grilled cheese with fried onions (28 shekels). The display case also features grab-and-go salads, cinnabons, brownies with pretzels or pistachios, bagel sandwiches, and a Basque cheesecake. In short, it's the classic mix you would find in any trendy, well-designed cafe in Tel Aviv. In the dessert department, there is also matcha-vanilla ice cream and espresso martini in a long-stemmed glass.
The New York-style pizzas are of the huge type that is almost impossible to find elsewhere in Israel; each pizza is 55 cm in diameter, and each slice is the size of a small tray. The menu includes a classic Margherita with parmesan, polenta with asparagus, spicy pizza with feta, and mushroom pizza with truffle bechamel and garlic confit. Each slice costs 25 shekels, but it is the size of a personal pizza.
The bar also has a full alcohol menu. Trendy cocktails (Negroni and Aperol Spritz, of course), wine, and original bar desserts: ice cream with red wine, strawberry or mango affogato sundae, and matchagato (18-39 shekels).
Why do you need a place open 24/7 in Ashkelon? "Until 2:00 at night, people sit here for a cocktail, wine, and pizza, and then between 3 and 4 in the morning, we serve 50 cups of coffee," explains Gutman. "People who work in entertainment venues and finish at night come here to end the day; those who get up for work at 4 stop here for coffee. Our bakers arrive at 4:00 anyway, so we said: why close for an hour and open again? Let's just stay open."
Although the place works on a self-service basis, behind the scenes there is a team of 55 people: baristas, pizzaiolos, pastry chefs, bartenders, cashiers, checkers, a back-office manager, and display staff. "There are a lot of positions here that need to be operated," says 43-year-old Gutman, for whom this is the fifth business he has opened in the city. One of them, the gastro-bar Archie, has been operating for nearly a decade on Delilah Beach. His partners in Coffee Club are local businessman Guy Gil and Archie partners Yogev Zaguri and Rami Almaliach.
If you had come here with your eyes closed and opened them without knowing where you were, you wouldn't have guessed you were in Ashkelon. I was sure I was somewhere in south Tel Aviv, in one of the new and trendy spots. So if you need another reminder that food culture is developing the periphery, Coffee Club definitely provides the proof.
Coffee Club, Tzefania Square, Afridar, Ashkelon. Open 24/7, not kosher.
