The Eilat List
5 editorial picks, ranked by the only filter that matters: why you are dining.
Pedro
Chef Tal Hershkovitz's garden wine bar — Eilat's most chef-driven room and the Red Sea's reference for modern Israeli cooking.
Les Sardines
White tablecloths and harbour views on Eilat's marina — the benchmark seafood room of the Red Sea, and its most photographed sunset.
The Last Refuge
Coral Beach's seafood institution since the 1980s — Red Sea catch at a working-fisherman's pace, and the most-loved room south of the marina.
Colonia
Southern coast chef's room where the menu rotates weekly — the thinking eater's alternative to the marina's seafood tourism.
Achla Platinum Grill
Eilat's steakhouse of record — dry-aged Galilee beef in a room calibrated for birthday tables and team dinners.
Best for First Date in Eilat
Intimate, conversation-friendly rooms. Impressive without being intimidating. The tables where first impressions are made.
Pedro
Chef Tal Hershkovitz's garden wine bar — Eilat's most chef-driven room and the Red Sea's reference for modern Israeli cooking.
Les Sardines
White tablecloths and harbour views on Eilat's marina — the benchmark seafood room of the Red Sea, and its most photographed sunset.
The Last Refuge
Coral Beach's seafood institution since the 1980s — Red Sea catch at a working-fisherman's pace, and the most-loved room south of the marina.
Best for Business Dinner in Eilat
Power tables, private rooms, considered wine lists. Where the deal gets done.
Pedro
Chef Tal Hershkovitz's garden wine bar — Eilat's most chef-driven room and the Red Sea's reference for modern Israeli cooking.
Les Sardines
White tablecloths and harbour views on Eilat's marina — the benchmark seafood room of the Red Sea, and its most photographed sunset.
Colonia
Southern coast chef's room where the menu rotates weekly — the thinking eater's alternative to the marina's seafood tourism.
The Top 5 in Eilat
Our editorial ranking. A single punchy line per restaurant. Click through for the full read.
Pedro
Chef Tal Hershkovitz's garden wine bar — Eilat's most chef-driven room and the Red Sea's reference for modern Israeli cooking.
Les Sardines
White tablecloths and harbour views on Eilat's marina — the benchmark seafood room of the Red Sea, and its most photographed sunset.
The Last Refuge
Coral Beach's seafood institution since the 1980s — Red Sea catch at a working-fisherman's pace, and the most-loved room south of the marina.
Colonia
Southern coast chef's room where the menu rotates weekly — the thinking eater's alternative to the marina's seafood tourism.
Achla Platinum Grill
Eilat's steakhouse of record — dry-aged Galilee beef in a room calibrated for birthday tables and team dinners.
The Eilat Dining Guide
Eilat sits at Israel's southern tip, between the Sinai and Jordan, on a twelve-kilometre stretch of Red Sea coastline. It is Israel's dedicated resort city — every hotel chain from Hilton to Isrotel operates a property here, and the dining scene has evolved over forty years from hotel-buffet dominance to a legitimate chef-driven ecosystem clustered around the marina and the North Beach promenade.
The dining geography divides into four distinct zones. The Marina (Lagoona) is the centre of gravity — Les Sardines's harbour-view white tablecloths, Pedro's garden wine bar, Achla Platinum Grill's steakhouse, and two dozen other restaurants sit within a 500-metre radius. The North Beach promenade runs from the Hilton Queen of Sheba to the U Coral Beach, a belt of resort rooms anchored by Casa do Brasil, La Lasagna, and the hotel chef's tables. Coral Beach, eight kilometres south, is the quieter diver-and-seafood end — The Last Refuge and Colonia sit here. Downtown (Ha'Tmarim district) holds the neighbourhood restaurants that predate the resort boom.
The cooking divides into three traditions. The Red Sea seafood tradition anchors Les Sardines, The Last Refuge, and the chef's counters at Pedro and Colonia — the signatures are the tuna tartare, the grilled drum with tahini, the locally-caught sea bass. The Israeli-Mediterranean wave is younger and leads Pedro, Colonia, and the newer restaurants at the Royal Beach — Moroccan-style fish ravioli, couscous plates rebuilt from first principles, Negev vegetables given the central role. The steakhouse tradition is deep and unashamed: Achla Platinum Grill is the flagship, with the dry-aged Galilee beef that Eilat is known for.
The Israeli wine programme has become the dining story of the last decade. Every fine-dining room now carries a serious Israeli sleeve — Margalit, Tzora, Yarden, Flam, Domaine du Castel — and most carry Lebanese whites for the Mediterranean plates. The sommeliers at Pedro and Colonia are among the most knowledgeable in the country.
Shabbat planning is critical. Most fine-dining rooms close from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Friday dinner, before the close, books out a month ahead during holiday weeks (Passover, Sukkot); Saturday dinner reopens at about 8 PM. Plan accordingly.
Eilat is a short walk city. The marina to the promenade is fifteen minutes on foot; Coral Beach is a twelve-minute taxi. Dress is resort-casual — short-sleeve shirts are standard, closed shoes for men at fine-dining rooms appreciated. The Red Sea sunset at 6 PM in winter and 7.30 PM in summer sets the dinner rhythm for most serious rooms.
Neighbourhoods
Reservations & Practical Notes
A 12% service charge is standard in Eilat's fine-dining rooms. Tipping beyond that is discretionary — 5% for excellent service. Credit cards are universal; cash is preferred for tips in smaller kitchens.
For a deeper editorial read, see our ongoing Editorial coverage — including pieces on the Best Restaurants for Every Occasion, and our Impress Clients and First Date occasion guides.