Not just a view of the Galilee: The Safed hotel hiding Israel’s best wine bar

For the first time ever, a wine bar located outside Israel’s central region has won this prestigious title. 26.8, the wine bar created by Chef Amos Hayun and located in the elegant Canaan Hotel in Safed, was crowned “Israel’s Best Wine Bar / Food Bar of 2025” in the annual competition held by The Food Magazine.

The bar, a joint creation between the Canaan Hotel—part of Fattal’s Limited Edition Collection—and Chef Amos Hayun, surpassed prominent nominees such as Kerem Wine Bar in Kiryat Anavim, and Tel Aviv’s Vermuteria and Kab Kem, bringing the coveted prize northward to the heart of the Upper Galilee.

Hayun, who trained in Michelin-starred kitchens in New York and later became known for his seasonal Israeli cuisine at Rubida, has continued his culinary philosophy at the Safed wine bar. The competition is considered one of the leading events in Israel’s culinary scene and is held annually with several major categories.

“This is a very emotional moment for us,” said Chef Amos Hayun. “Bringing culinary excellence to Safed—a city far from the center of things—is without a doubt proof that passion and connection to the land, together with true partners like the Fattal Hotels chain, can turn even the smallest place into something truly remarkable.”

The story of 26.8 is one of a journey: In the heart of the Galilee, within the hotel’s garden, Hayun continues his culinary language by offering a menu of local, seasonal Israeli cuisine created through direct dialogue with farmers, producers, and growers from the surrounding terroir. The farthest winery—Tel Shifon—is located only 26.8 kilometers away, giving the bar its name.

Recently, the bar launched a new winter menu featuring fresh, high-quality local ingredients, providing a unique culinary experience around the open kitchen bar, where dishes are prepared in front of guests, or outside by the fire next to the restaurant’s herb garden. Alongside it is a wine list showcasing wines from the Galilee and the Golan Heights, including special small-scale “garage” wineries.

The menu includes dishes such as fresh winter greens with Hameiri Safed cheese, roasted and smoked camembert from Flora farm, Tom cheese tortellini, sea bass ceviche, red albacore crudo, grilled sea bass skewer, potato and wild mushroom gnocchi, and Kinneret mullet kebab on lahoh bread. Prices range between NI 56 and NIS 88 per dish.

The 26.8 Wine Bar is open to hotel guests and outside visitors with advance reservations.