Chef Sharon Cohen Launches Saigon Mexico Pop-Up at Tel Aviv Cafe Shila
Chef Sharon Cohen has launched Saigon Mexico, a three-month winter pop-up at Cafe Shila in Tel Aviv blending Asian and Mexican flavors with standout tacos and soups.
Chef Sharon Cohen, known for his pioneering Asian venture Florentine House that opened a decade ago and closed in 2019, is returning to Eastern flavors with a bold twist. His new three-month winter pop-up, named Saigon Mexico, has just launched at Cafe Shila, located at the entrance of the renowned Shila restaurant in Tel Aviv.
The pop-up ingeniously merges two of the city's most prominent culinary trends: vibrant Asian street food and flavorful Mexican cuisine. Running through the colder winter months, the concept delivers bold, warming dishes perfectly suited for the season, with menu items priced between 29 and 89 Israeli shekels.
A Fusion Menu of Asian and Mexican Favorites
The carefully crafted menu is divided into starters, corn tortilla tacos, and Vietnamese rice noodle dishes. Diners can enjoy Har Gow shrimp dumplings with chao chao sauce for 45 shekels, chicken or shrimp nem rolls at 68 shekels, and a rich chili con carne served with sour cream and a tortilla for 89 shekels. Another standout is the exceptional Pho soup featuring beef chuck, wide rice noodles, aromatic herbs, and crispy shallots priced at 68 shekels.
Starters also feature two oyster variations dressed with jalapeño and green Tabasco or yuzu kosho, fish sauce, and lime, alongside a fish carpaccio and a spiced-cured rump steak carpaccio served with a fresh leaf salad for 76 shekels. Rice noodle bowls go for 79 shekels and come in variations featuring Josper-grilled chicken, roasted pork belly, or tofu.
Creative Tacos and Cocktails
The taco selection breaks away from local conventions by offering unique fillings such as fried fish or fried shrimp tacos. Other options include beef tacos with a black sesame spread, lamb tacos with sriracha and salsa verde, mushroom tacos, and a creative Thai sausage taco paired with pineapple and sriracha aioli. Signature cocktails are also available, priced at 58 shekels each.
Located at 11 Montefiore Street, the non-kosher pop-up offers hotel guests staying above the cafe an exceptional culinary destination right at their doorstep, while providing Tel Aviv food lovers with a welcome winter culinary revolution.
