Emek Refaim Street is the platonic ideal of cafe locations: wide, tree-lined, dominated by unique half-Arab, half-German architecture and always crowded, perfect for people-watching.

Ben Ami, for its part, lives up to the platonic ideal of Israeli cafes, so it's a good match. Part of a small national chain tending towards luxury areas, Ben Ami offers your standard Israeli kosher dairy cafe concept: a little bit French bakery, a little bit coffeehouse. Options include croissants, brioche, French toast, salads, panini, cold sandwiches and the "Jerusalem croissant sandwich," which features tehina, eggplant, hard-boiled egg and arugula, sort of like a fancy-pants sabich.

 

As a bonus, it's open pretty late, especially on Saturday nights.