Haifa is transforming into a culinary hub with old favorites holding their own next to new school wine bars, and places like chef Hammoudi Oqla’s modern Arabic restaurant Raseef 33. Located in what was once the city’s historic wharf, the heart of the space is an open kitchen with a taboon.
Born in the village of Mi’ar, Oqla now calls Haifa home and is one of the most talented Arab chefs working in Israel today. He is also the proprietor of Sama, a restaurant-bar in Akko. For Raseef 33, Oqla sources ingredients from Haifa’s markets like the one in Wadi Nisnas, and from local fishermen and butchers, and uses them to create dishes inspired by the city’s diverse culinary scene and his own Druze-Galilean heritage. There’s seafood tartare, falafel crumble, and a stunning fish version of kibbeh nayyeh, and braised shrimp that’s served with a spicy and bright tatbeeleh sauce. Enjoy them why listening to an excellent soundtrack of Arabic electronic music.

Photo: Noam Preisman

“At Raseef 33, Oqla presents contemporary Arab Israeli cooking without seeking approval. He upholds his tradition; always making msabbaha with a mortar and pestle and using good olive oil, but he also takes the liberty to modernize it, and everything is executed with precision. He is Galilean, he is Haifan, he is Akrean, he is deeply rooted in the land, yet urban. In many ways, he is the epitome of us,” notes Erez Komarovsky.