After more than a year of sitting closed and empty, one of the restaurants most closely associated with Tel Aviv’s culinary scene has reopened for a soft launch in a new format under the name Bar Pronto. Behind the move is the Bar 51 group, led by chefs Moshiko Gamlieli and Itamar Navon, which took over the venue last summer - and is now attempting to revive a long-standing culinary brand, but in a completely different language.
The reopening, which is currently taking place as a quiet soft launch with no reservations available until June, signals not only a change for one restaurant, but also an attempt to adapt a long-established institution to the new reality of the local restaurant industry: Less formality, more of a bar atmosphere, an open kitchen, and a menu that ranges from shareable small plates to heavier brasserie-style dishes.
Visitors to the venue these days will find that the entrance to the Italian Pronto has been moved to Ahad Ha’am Street, the space is more intimate, and the kitchen is open. The current menu includes soft-launch dishes focused on seafood products, pasta, and cuts of meat.
The story of Pronto began in 1989, when restaurateur Rafi Adar opened the restaurant on Nahmani Street. In 2010, the Italian restaurant moved to its current location on Herzl Street - when chef David Frenkel also joined the kitchen.
In July 2025, Pronto was transferred to the management of Gamlieli and Navon - the group behind the restaurants Mona and Bar 51. Now, they are taking the formality of the longstanding Pronto and moving it into a completely new space, with Tel Aviv bar vibes and a less formal, more relaxed atmosphere.