In case you don’t speak any Hebrew and therefore were wondering about the subtitle of this blog post, let me first explain to you the meaning of the word “balagan” . Balagan literally means chaos in Hebrew and absolutely represents what’s happening on Carmel Market. The kind of balagan you start liking as you fall in love with Israel and specifically with Tel Aviv. People screaming and shouting and throwing things. Loud music from every second stand. Fruits, vegetables, food stands, juice bars, spices, nuts, kitchen ware, cheap jewelry, clothes, bags…and so on. Sensory overload at its best!

First things first, I’d like to warn you: DO NOT GO THERE AFTER 6 pm in summer and 5 pm in the winter. Why? Because things start getting nasty & dirty here - the floor will be covered with trash and sludgy fruits & vegetables. Only at night time cleaning workers pass through and remove all the debris for the next day when the balagan starts all over again. Carmel market is open every day except for Saturday. Friday it closes early before Shabbat begins.

My insider tip: you’ll find the cheapest fruits & vegetables on the parallel street to your left when standing in the bottom of HaCarmel street. It’s the first store on the right hand side. The owners are Arabic, they’re super friendly and never screw you over - I sent one of my German blondie-friends to check it out and she got the same prices.

Some more of my highlights and recommendations for your visit at Carmel Market:

The Arepa Stand in the middle - self-made, gluten-free Venezuelan arepas, made out of corn. You can choose a variety of fillings such as avocado, tomatoes, basil, black beans, chicken, beef and grilled cheese - it’s delicious!
Bar Ochel right next to the Arepa stand, so it’s gonna be hard to decide. Here you get all kind of home-cooked local food such as meat, grilled vegetables and much more tasty stuff.
The Cheese Shop with a huge selection of really good cheeses - here’s where to buy cheese in TLV!
Humus HaCarmel - this is the place to eat authentic Humus without any fancy add-ons. Perfect for a lunch break in the heart of the Carmel Market.