In the heart of the village of Ein Hawd, atop the Mount Carmel ridge, the Abu Al-Hija family opened AlBait right in their living room. The location of the original Ein Hawd village is now the Ein Hod artist village. During the Independence War the residents were expelled when the Haganah occupied the area. Unable to return after the war, the displaced residents established the new village nearby. Official recognition of the settlement came in 2005, and it was connected to the electricity grid in 2007.
Muhammad Abu Al-Hija, the head of the village, spearheaded the establishment of the restaurant in 2004. Operating without a fixed menu, it offers a unique dining experience with food that’s made primarily from foraged ingredients and meat from the family’s herd.

Photo: Noam Preisman

“Over the years, a spacious building was constructed for the restaurant, the road leading to it was paved, and though its hidden charm has somewhat diminished due to publicity, it still offers some of the most intriguing and authentic flavors of local Palestinian cuisine. It stands in stark contrast to the ‘hummus-chips-salad’ restaurants that were previously associated with Arab cuisine. AlBait was among the pioneers to introduce the local Jewish population to the ancient local cuisine of its Arab inhabitants,” notes Hedai Offaim.