Tel Aviv Nightlife Guide

The Tel Aviv Nightlife scene is world renowned. It gains greater international fame every year. The city is now widely considered to be one of the best nightlife destinations in Europe. The Tel Aviv nightlife scene is incredibly diverse. There are bars and clubs to appeal to any and every possible taste and interest. From mega-clubs which attract top DJ’s from around the world to smaller neighborhood bars, hipster bars, underground bars, and beach bars, the Tel Aviv nightlife is certainly one of the greatest attractions of the city.

Tel Aviv Nightlife Basics

The main difference between the nightlife of Tel Aviv and many Western cities is timing! In Tel Aviv, things don’t tend to get going, especially in clubs, until late! Israelis don’t generally leave the house before 10pm. Bars generally get busy only at midnight, with some clubs filling up only at 2am.

Most bars in Tel Aviv stay open often until dawn, whilst some clubs continue into the morning daylight hours. Whilst the drinking age in Israel is 18, many clubs and bars in Tel Aviv won’t serve or allow entry to people this young. Minimum ages vary a lot, sometimes as high as 25 (although in reality for tourists things are generally more relaxed).

Tel Aviv Nightlife Hotspots

Tel Aviv is a true 24 hour city, and bars and clubs can be found in most of the city. Having said that, there are certain clusters of nightlife activity which can give a good introduction to the scene.

Bars in Rothschild, Levontin, Lillenblum Area

If you were looking for the ‘heart’ of the Tel Aviv night, you’d have a good chance of winning the argument by pointing to the southern end of Rothschild Boulevard and the surrounding streets (Allenby, Levontin, Yehuda Halevi, and Lillenblum, for instance). Many of the city’s hottest spots located within a few hundred meters of here.

Pretty well any kind of bar can be found around here. Many of the spots in the area are local legends with a long-standing history. Try ‘Rothschild 12’ a popular cafe-bar with regular concerts (12 Rothschild Boulevard), ‘Radio EPGB’, underground bar with nightly music (7 Shadal Street), or ‘Kuli Alma’, arguably the hottest bar with live DJ sets most nights (10 Mikveh Israel Street). Check out ‘Levontin 7’ with live music most nights (7 Levontin Street) or the ‘Penguin Club’ an underground club (43 Yehuda Halevi Street). Dance at ‘Lima Lima’ (42 Lilenblum Street) or ‘Breakfast Club’ one of the city’s most iconic nightclubs (6 Rothschild Boulevard). Enjoy ‘Evita’ Tel Aviv’s legendary gay bar (31 Yavneh Street) or ‘Jimmy Who?’ a bar which transforms every night (28 Rothschild Boulevard). One of our favorites is the modern legend ‘Teder’ a pop-up bar which opens every summer (9 Jaffa Street)

Bars in Allenby Area

Moving onto Allenby Street and Ben Yehuda Street is moving into what’s stereotypically considered the sleazier area of the Tel Aviv nightlife. Near to the junction with Rothschild, however, are a number of the city’s hottest spots. These include ‘Pasaz’, underground style club with a diverse line-up of DJ’s and more (94 Allenby Street), dance bar ‘Deli’ (47 Allenby Street), and hipster bars ‘Port Said’ (5 Har Sinai Street), and ‘Har Sinai’ (2 Har Sinai Street). At the junction of Allenby Street and Ben Yehuda Street is the ‘Valium Club’ a mainstream club (1 Ben Yehuda Street).

Bars in Florentin and South Tel Aviv

South Tel Aviv, the Florentin neighborhood and surrounding areas is a little like the ‘Soho’ of Tel Aviv. Gentrification is gradually changing it from an area of factories to artists, and now hipsters. There’s a diverse selection of nightlife spots here. They range from truly underground and alternative spots (often really hidden from view), to more neighborhood bars and mainstream destinations. Among the highlights in this area are the ‘Hoodna Bar’ (13 Abarbanel Street) and ‘Bugsy’ (26 Florentin Street). Also in the neighborhood, but attracting a mostly different crowd is the legendary ‘Haoman 17’ dance club. This was arguably was one of the most influential in putting Tel Aviv on the world nightlife map by bringing international DJ’s to the city many years ago (88 Abarbanel Street). Neve Tzedek, the area just south of Rothschild, and to the west of Florentin, has a number of high-end bars.

Bars in Jaffa

In Jaffa, a cluster of hipster bars can be found in the Flea Market Area, surrounded by the unique atmosphere that the old stone buildings provide. The Port of Jaffa has one popular nightlife spot ‘The Container’ which hosts a great line-up of, often free, concerts.

Bars in Dizengoff, King George, and Ibn Gabirol

These three streets in the city center are lined with popular bars, mostly mainstream bars in nature. On Dizengoff Street, from Dizengoff Square heading north are ten or fifteen popular spots, including ‘Beer Garden’ (in Dizengoff Square), ‘Sixth of May’ the Tel Aviv branch of a Jerusalem bar popular with hipsters (13 Ben Ami Street) and ‘Dizzy Frishdon’ (121 Dizengoff Street).

Similarly, there are quite a number of popular bars in Ibn Gabirol Street to the east including ‘Toma’ popular for its all you can drink offer (26 Ibn Gabirol), ‘Otto’ apparently popular with local celebrities (76 Ibn Gabirol Street) and, far north, ‘HaMezeg’ also with an all you can drink offer and a Greek theme (151 Ibn Gabirol).

On King George Street particularly notable is the ‘Ozen Bar’. It hosts intimate concerts from a wide range of musicians daily (48 King George Street).

Bars on Tel Aviv Beachfront and Namal Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv beachfront and Namal Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv Port) have a number of more touristy bars and clubs. These are popular with out-of-towners, and tourists from the USA, France, and UK such as the famous ‘Clara’ and ‘Kibbutz’. They aren’t authentically Tel Aviv, but are nonetheless popular. They’re also good if you want to spend the nights with the sea breeze in your hair. If you prefer a somewhat more local crowd, try the ‘Patio Bar’ (114 Hayarkon Street), and just a few steps further from the beach, popular New Orleans themed ‘Biggy Z’ (18 Bugrashov Street). In official terms, Tel Aviv’s ‘best bar’ is the ‘Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar’ (66 Hayarkon Street) as voted by experts at the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards.

Bars away from the center of Tel Aviv

Away from the main clusters are iconic nightlife destinations whose reputations allow them to stand alone. In the basement of the Central Bus Station is the iconic ‘Block Club’. In the far south on Kibbutz Galuyot Street, the ‘Barby Club’ (with concerts most evening by leading Israeli names and many international indie singers). The ‘Zappa Club’ is a live music venue in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood in the north. And on Carlebach Street, not far from the center, is the famous ‘Cat and Dog’ club, perhaps the city’s most famous underground bar.

Nightlife events in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv’s nightlife scene is intensely competitive and bars are constantly opening and closing, reinventing themselves and trying new concepts. Every night there is a diverse line-up of events and finding the perfect one for you can be tricky. Check out our Tel Aviv parties listings for upcoming DJ’s, and also worth checking each of the places we suggest for live music in Tel Aviv if you want to hear a concert.

Experiencing the Tel Aviv Nightlife

Selecting a bar or club in Tel Aviv is, of course, a personal choice. As with anything, only you know what your favorites are. Exploring the hidden bars of the city is a great experience. While it is perfectly possible to do on your own, we recommend a Tel Aviv bar tour. This will give you a great introduction to some special venues at a price which is pretty reasonable.