Jerusalem’s biggest summer food event is back, and for kosher travelers it is one of the rare festivals where you can walk in and eat anything on site. The Auto Ochel festival runs from July 27 through August 20, 2026, on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, with the Old City basin spread out below and roughly 30 chefs and restaurants cycling through the grounds over the run. Every restaurant at the festival is kosher.
Dishes are priced at 25, 35 and 45 shekels across the board. Entry is free, live music is free, and the children’s programming is free. For a family visiting Israel in August, this is one of the cheapest ways to eat food from serious Israeli kitchens without booking a table anywhere.
How the Festival Works
The festival operates Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM. That schedule means there is no Shabbat conflict and no Friday closure question to worry about. Both the restaurant lineup and the menus change every week, so the food you eat on week one is not the food you eat on week four. Each week the organizers publish a fresh menu card listing every stand and every dish.
Ordering runs through the festival’s own app, with accessible registers on site for anyone who prefers not to use it. You order, you walk to the stand, you collect. Arriving closer to 6:00 PM rather than 8:00 PM is the difference between a five minute wait and a thirty minute one.
Week One Meat Lineup: July 27 to 30
The opening week leans heavily meat, and the anchors are names Israeli diners already know. Moshik Roth’s FRÄNKCO is serving a Paris style veal sausage and an umami chicken sausage at 45 shekels each, Dutch fries with beef stew at 35, and classic Dutch fries at 25.
Pitmaster brings a smoked asado sandwich and a Pit Mix platter at 45 shekels, dirty fries with asado at 35, and a plain fries portion at 25. Crave is running a brisket sandwich and its Yehoshua Parua at 45 shekels, carnivore nachos at 35, and Mexicana nachos at 25.
Joy, the Mamilla bistro, is serving pulled asado in challah and an arayes tortilla at 45 shekels, a fried mix at 35, and a pair of kebabs at 25, with the kebab marked gluten free from a non sterile kitchen. Golden Burger has its signature Golden Burger, a classic burger and a vegan burger all at 45 shekels, six wings at 35, fries at 25, and a gluten free bun available for 8 shekels.
Kurdi Express is the most distinctly Jerusalem stand on the grid, with kubbeh hamusta filled with siske and kubbeh matbucha filled with seared ground meat at 45 shekels, Kurdish arayes at 35, and fried kubbeh with pine nuts at 25. Super HaMizrach rounds out the meat side with an Asian angle: a San burger and an asado taco at 45 shekels, Vietnamese nems at 35, and Asian style wings at 25.
Deli, Fish and Italian
Goldy’s, the Jewish deli market concept, is the sleeper pick of week one. Brioche challah with chopped liver and a Jewish roast beef sandwich go for 45 shekels, fried kreplach with onions for 35, and both a kugel and a hot apple strudel for 25 each. That is a full old world deli spread at food truck prices.
Rachel Bishvilcha is handling fish, with balik ekmek made from fish fillet and salmon popcorn at 45 shekels, smashed cucumber salad at 35, and a bag of green beans at 25. Palomino Italian Lounge covers fish and chips at 45, penne with mushroom ragu at 45, penne pomodoro at 35, and polenta at 25, with vegan and vegetarian options marked on several dishes.
Desserts and the Coffee Pop-Up
Racheli Ver Nir is bringing pastry shop work to the promenade: a classic baked Basque cheesecake at 35 shekels, and salted butter pecan, ricotta cream and hazelnut tiramisu at 40 shekels each. The entire menu is vegetarian.
Cookie Cream serves its ice cream cookie sandwich at 35 shekels, a chocolate sauce version at 25, a Dubai special at 35, an extra scoop for 15, and three churros with sauces for 35. Kaboom is running crème brûlée in five formats, from a 15 shekel classic up to a 35 shekel Dubai special and a 35 shekel gluten free version.
Nadav Bornstein is opening a festival pop-up called Katzuf in collaboration with alpro, serving whipped Korean coffee. The classic, chocolate and cookie versions run 25 shekels each, a dalgona cookie is 10, and a combo of drink plus cookie is 30.
Dubi Frutti holds down the fruit stand with a flat 25 shekel price on everything: sliced watermelon, pineapple, medjool dates, peeled lychee, dates with nuts, melon, kiwi, fresh blueberries, fruit salad, loose grapes, cherries and orange. With August heat on an exposed promenade, this stand matters more than it sounds.
Live Music, Kids and the Laser Show
Four free concerts are scheduled, all on Tuesdays at 8:30 PM: Guy Mazig on July 28, Alma Gov on August 4, Shimon Buskila on August 11, and Knesiyat Hasekhel on August 18. Thursdays are party nights.
Children’s shows run daily at 6:30 PM, including Eliezer and the Carrot, The Lion of Jerusalem and the Magician, Ayelet Goes Traveling, Peter Pan and the Island of Pirates, and Circus in the Kitchen. The High Light laser show projects several times each evening alongside the festival, at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 PM.
Where to Stay
The Jerusalem Development Authority is running a Summer Is Jerusalem promotion tied to the festival. Book a minimum two night stay at a participating hotel and you get at least 20 percent off the room plus a 100 shekel digital wallet for every guest aged two and up, redeemable at the festival and at attractions across the city. For a family of five, that is 500 shekels of festival credit on top of the room discount.
Auto Ochel Jerusalem Food Truck Festival 2026
- Armon Hanatziv Promenade, Daniel Yanovsky Street, Jerusalem
- July 27 through August 20, 2026
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
- Entry: free. Parking: large lot adjacent to the festival grounds.
- Kosher supervision: the festival states that all participating restaurants are kosher. Individual hashgachos are held by each vendor and are posted at the stands. Verify at the stand before ordering if you follow a specific standard.
Planning your kosher eating in Israel? Download the KosherNearMe app at YeahThatsKosher.com/app to find kosher restaurants near you in Jerusalem and worldwide.
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