For years, Daniela Lerer worked as a television and event producer until she opened Barood in a historic courtyard in Jerusalem in 1995. Built by Shlomo Feingold at the end of the 19th century, the courtyard was once home to newspaper publishers and the Havilio Sweets factory. Today, it is a bustling restaurant hub, and the halva produced by Havilio even appeared on Barood’s menu when it first opened its doors. The name Barood pays homage to a warning shouted long ago in Jerusalem when construction workers were blowing up parts of mountains nearby to expand the city.

Pini Levy, from the beloved and now shuttered spot Etzel Pini BaChatzer, played a crucial role in bringing together Daniela and Tahel Erez. They worked with one another for the first five years of Barood. Both women had a keen sense of music and plenty of friends, and they adorned the space with photographs and paintings telling all sorts of stories on the walls. Over the years, cheese and charcuterie platters at affordable prices gave way to home-cooked dishes Daniela knew well from home: pastelikos, sofrito, leek fritters, and spinach meatballs—the essence of Sephardi cuisine, which lacked a nightlife presence until then.

Ossobuco and mashed potatoes. Photo by: Noam Preisman

“Sephardi cuisine still dominates the menu, carrying memories of those no longer with us — meatballs in plums and wine for Levina [Daniela’s late sister], spare ribs for Mr. Deckelbaum, and, of course, the pastelikos for Simcha Sofer, Daniela’s late mother, who ascended up Jerusalem’s sky and watches over Uri, one of Daniela’s twins. Blessed with a restrained and precise hand, Uri is currently the chef at Barood. Simcha also watches over Daniela, sitting at the corner table, pinching pastelikos pastries just like she taught her,” notes Hila Alpert. “Barood is a place where people of all religions in this beautiful and complex city come together. Influences from the eastern part of the city touch the food, combining the past with the present, staying attuned to the seasons. It’s a wonderful place to experience a unique rendition of the cuisine that has been part of the soul of Jewish settlement in the city since the 18th century — along with a drinking culture that accompanies the food until the small hours of the night.”