About The Palomar
The Palomar opened on Rupert Street in 2014 from the team behind Jerusalem's Machneyuda restaurant and has since become one of Soho's most durable second-wave restaurants. The front room is a 16-stool counter facing the open kitchen; the back room is a more conventional dining space that handles groups. The counter is the better experience and books the hardest.
The menu is contemporary Jerusalem cooking — Middle Eastern base, strong North African and Eastern European threads — with signature dishes including the freshly-baked kubaneh bread with tahini, octopus shawarma, and a polenta Jerusalem-style topped with asparagus, truffle, and Parmesan. The kitchen runs faster and louder than most Michelin-tier rooms but with comparable technical precision.
Counter service is theatrical — chefs explaining dishes as they plate, occasional singing across the pass, a distinctly informal atmosphere despite the food's seriousness. The Rupert Street location places the restaurant inside Theatreland, walkable to everything in the West End.
Best Occasion Fit
The Palomar is a first-date restaurant that communicates that you choose restaurants for experience, not just food quality. The counter format makes conversation natural, the food is distinctive enough to give the evening talking points, and the Rupert Street Soho location makes extending the evening easy.
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