URI BURI RESTAURANT IN AKKO, ISRAEL VOTED NUMBER 23 “BEST FINE DINING RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD” AND NUMBER ONE IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN TRIPADVISOR’S 2020 TRAVELERS’ CHOICE AWARDS.
TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site, this week announced the winners of its 2020 Travelers’ Choice Awards, recognizing travelers’ favorite destinations and experiences around the world this year. Uri Buri restaurant, owned by chef & entrepreneur Uri Jeremias, was voted as the number 23 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the World, and the #1 Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the Middle East. Uri Buri is the only restaurant in Israel to be included in the prestigious list. Located steps from Uri Buri restaurant, sister property Efendi Hotel was voted as #6 on the list of “Top 25 Best Small Hotels – Middle East.”
“The annual Travelers’ Choice Awards mean a great deal to us, especially during the difficult times we are facing because they are based solely on the guests’ experience,” said Uri Jeremias. “We are grateful for everyone who has taken time to review us, recommend us, and bestow us with such an honor.”
Described by Wall Street Journal as “elevated, but served without fanfare, on bare tables in a restaurant with crumbling walls, to Mr. Jeremias, anything else would be a disservice to both the food and the city’s lack of pretension,” Uri Buri restaurant has helped put Akko, Israel on the map as a destination for tourists and locals alike.
Efendi Hotel, a 12-room luxury boutique property that is a living testament to the city of Akko’s 5,300-year history, first opened in 2012 and features spacious rooms and suites with natural materials or restored frescos, an Ottoman-era hammam, and a Byzantine-era wine cellar. Efendi Hotel came to life following a meticulous eight-year restoration process of the original buildings overseen by tourism innovator, chef and entrepreneur Uri Jeremias. The property holds the highest level of architectural preservation and restoration out of any private building in Israel. Both the restaurant and hotel overlook the Mediterranean Sea and Akko’s Old City.
To make a reservation at Uri Buri restaurant, call +972 4-955-2212. To make a reservation at Efendi Hotel, visit www.efendi-hotel.com.
About Uri Buri restaurant
The restaurant is quite simply, an Acre institution. Nestled among the walls of a 400 – year old Ottoman house by the ancient Acre port, this is one of the most beautiful places in the country. For over 30 years, Uri -Buri has served the finest fish and seafood the sea has to offer, and it is not by chance that its reputation has spread far and wide as one of the best fish restaurants in the country. It is now a “must visit” spot among restaurants in the North. In addition to the marvelous dishes, you can also find a selection of world-renowned Israeli wines, impressive service, and an idyllic atmosphere.
About Efendi Hotel
Nestled in the picturesque narrow lanes of Acre, the Efendi Hotel is a 12-room boutique hotel that is the living testament to the city’s 5,300-year history. Located in the epicenter of the Old City of Acre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former capital of the Crusader Kingdom, Efendi Hotel holds the highest level of architectural preservation and restoration out of any private building in Israel.
Nestled in the picturesque narrow lanes of Acre, the Efendi Hotel is a 12-room boutique hotel that is the living testament to the city’s 5,300-year history. Located in the epicenter of the Old City of Acre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former capital of the Crusader Kingdom, Efendi Hotel holds the highest level of architectural preservation and restoration out of any private building in Israel.
The property officially opened in February 2012 following a meticulous eight-year restoration process of the original buildings overseen by tourism innovator, chef and entrepreneur Uri Jeremias along with archaeologists and antiquities experts who were hired to restore the Byzantine and Crusader-era cellar. Jeremias oversaw the restoration of the two original Ottoman buildings and hand-painted motifs and frescos along the walls and ceilings, including a fresco of an ancient Istanbul.
The unique structure of Efendi Hotel begins in the property’s wine cellar, which in itself is based upon bricks from the Byzantine era of Akko, more than 1,500 years ago. Ascending from the wine cellar is the dining room and the main lobby of the Efendi Hotel, which includes a foundation from the Crusader era (900 years ago) in its midsection and restored walls and foundations from the Ottoman period (more than 400 years ago). What is currently used as the Efendi Hotel dining room was once a church built during the Crusader period in Akko. All rooms within Efendi Hotel are furnished and equipped to the highest standards, and each room has its own unique character and style. Some rooms’ ceilings feature illustrations, while others are made from preserved wood.
Most of the windows offer sea views, while others look out over the ancient city of Acre and the scenic mountains of the Western Galilee. Just a short walk from the hotel is the famed Uri Buri restaurant, a culinary institution by the namesake chef and a sought-out destination for gourmets from Israel and around the world. For maximum relaxation and enjoyment, the hotel features wellness treatment rooms for singles or couples, as well as an original 400-year-old Turkish bath, known as a Hammam, that has been painstakingly preserved.
New York Jewish Travel Guide
