International pop music is well-represented in Jerusalem, with dance club woofers booming out European house and techno and an endless succession of Anglophone blues-rock nostalgia acts occupying the cavern at Mike's Place. The foreign influence is in fact so pervasive that three young Jerusalemites fresh out of the army decided that the city needed a place - a promised land, if you will - where the order of the evening would be Israeli music, and nothing but. And so, in 2007, they built Canaan.

Taking over what used to be respected French restaurant Chez Simon, Canaan offers not only an open stage for local independent bands but also a top-of-the-line sound system in a room carefully optimized for acoustics, a comfy couch zone to the side of the stage, a kosher meat bar-food menu and a full bar. The menu includes such delectables as Tunisian egg brique, 300-gram beef burgers and an Asian chicken-and-noodle stir fry, and the bar pumps out Guinness on tap, as well as wine, the de rigueur extensive single malt lineup, caipirinhas made with real cachaça (although with lemons instead of limes) and much more.

The neighbors make Canaan shut down its seismic sound system by 23:00 on weeknights, so make sure to arrive to shows on time.