The Israeli sandwich is the food of a country assembled from everywhere. The street runs on falafel, fried chickpea balls packed into pita with salad and tahini and as much s'chug as you can stand; on shawarma shaved off a turning spit into pita or a wide laffa wrap; and on sabich, the Iraqi-Jewish layering of fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, and amba that became a national obsession. Around them is the whole spread: hummus eaten with pita, schnitzel in pita, the Jerusalem mixed grill, and the Yemenite breads of malawach and jachnun.
The catalog of 187 sorts along those forces. The giants are falafel and shawarma; the breads that carry them, pita and laffa and baguette and bagel; and the hummus that anchors the table. Around them stand sabich, schnitzel, kebab and meorav off the grill, burekas and sambusak pastries, the Yemenite breads, the Tunisian brik and fricassée, the Ashkenazi deli of pastrami and tongue, the Israeli salad and shakshuka, and the pantry of amba, tahini, and s'chug that flavors all of it.
The categories below capture how the catalog actually sorts. The giants are falafel, shawarma, and the breads; sabich, hummus, and the grilled meats carry the rest. Below the anchors, the full filterable catalog lets you browse every entry by name or category.
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Falafel
Deep-fried chickpea balls crammed into pita with salad, pickles, tahini, and s'chug. Israel's defining street food, fried to order or it isn't worth eating. · 19 sandwiches
Sabich
Pita stuffed with fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, salad, tahini, and amba. The Iraqi-Jewish sandwich that became a national obsession. · 11 sandwiches
Schnitzel
Breaded fried chicken or turkey cutlet in pita, laffa, or baguette with salad, hummus, and tahini. A staple Israeli sandwich filling. · 11 sandwiches
Hummus
Smooth chickpea and tahini puree scooped with warm pita, often a meal once topped with ful, meat, mushrooms, or shawarma. The center of the table. · 10 sandwiches
Shawarma
Seasoned meat stacked on a vertical spit, shaved and packed into pita or laffa with salad, tahini, amba, and pickles. Turkey is the Israeli default. · 18 sandwiches
Kebab and Shishlik
Spiced ground meat kebab, kofta, cubed shishlik, and semolina kubeh in pita or laffa with grilled vegetables, salad, and tahini. · 9 sandwiches
Meorav Yerushalmi
The Jerusalem mixed grill: chopped chicken hearts, livers, and spleen seared with onion and spice, packed into pita or laffa. A Mahane Yehuda institution. · 7 sandwiches
Burekas
Flaky filled pastry of cheese, potato, mushroom, spinach, or meat, classically served with a hard-boiled egg and pickle. A Balkan-Jewish staple. · 7 sandwiches
Yemenite Breads
The Yemenite-Jewish breads used as sandwich bases: flaky fried malawach, slow-baked jachnun, pull-apart kubaneh, and spongy lahuh, with hilbeh and s'chug. · 13 sandwiches
Sambusak, Sfeeha and Flatbread Pies
Filled and topped doughs: half-moon sambusak, open meat sfeeha, thin lahmacun, meat-stuffed arayes, sumac-chicken musakhan, and za'atar manakish. · 8 sandwiches
Tunisian Sandwiches
The Tunisian-Jewish corner: fried brik pastry around egg and tuna, deep-fried fricassée rolls, lablabi chickpea soup with bread, and the tuna-harissa baguette. · 4 sandwiches
Fish Sandwiches
The coastal fish sandwich: fresh Mediterranean fish fried in pita, fish and chips Israeli-style, the Jaffa and Akko port specialties. · 4 sandwiches
Salads and Dips in Pita
Israeli salad, cooked matbucha, eggplant salad, and shakshuka scooped with or stuffed into pita. The vegetable side of the Israeli sandwich. · 8 sandwiches
Toast
The Israeli pressed grilled sandwich: yellow cheese with vegetables, tuna, or pastrami, flattened in a press until crisp. A café and kiosk staple. · 6 sandwiches
Ashkenazi Deli Sandwiches
The Ashkenazi and Romanian-Jewish deli line: pastrami, corned beef, beef tongue, and chopped liver on rye or in a baguette. · 6 sandwiches
Israeli Breads
The breads themselves: pocket pita, soft laffa, baguette, braided challah, bagel, taboon, Druze saj pita, and the Jerusalem ka'ak. · 27 sandwiches
The Israeli Pantry
The flavor base of every Israeli sandwich: tahini, fiery s'chug, tangy amba, harissa, pink pickled turnip, pickles, cabbage salad, and chips. · 10 sandwiches
Regional Styles and Other Israeli Sandwiches
The regional house styles (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Jaffa, Akko, Haifa, Nazareth) and the rest: the burger in pita, pulled beef, t'bit, market institutions. · 9 sandwiches