Named, creatively enough, after its location on the corner of Emek Refaim and Masaryk streets (Masaryk himself was an early 20th century philosopher who became the first president of Czechoslovakia), Masaryk elevates the oft-duplicated Israeli kosher dairy cafe/restaurant archetype to the level, and price, of finer dining.

Nothing less would be acceptable on uber-trendy Emek Refaim, lined as it is with upscale restaurants, and Masaryk's decade-long perseverance (a near-eternity in the oft-fluid Jerusalem restaurant scene) is a testament to its success in its mission.

The menu combines fresh ingredients from Jerusalem's open air market into fairly creative pan-Mediterranean non-meat delicacies like filo-wrapped salmon, an array of the prerequisite enormous salads, hearty soups and plenty of Israel's native fish. But the restaurant's true specialty is its pasta, made from scratch every day from imported Italian flour – knowing that you're not paying 50 NIS for Osem boxed pasta that costs 5 NIS is always comforting.