Jerusalem may be one of the holiest cities in the world, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a hip and happening place, especially after the sun starts to set. When the Old City and its souk begin to wind down, the rest of the city takes on a party atmosphere.

There are venues for every taste, from sophisticated wine bars to raucous nightclubs. And, since Jerusalemites pride themselves on being friendlier and more personal than their Tel Aviv counterparts, striking up a conversation with locals over a drink in a local bar is a distinct possibility.

The hip and trendy main city center is where students hang out. The Bellwood Bar is a popular English pub that offers 10 beers on tap and 90 types of whiskey and claims to stay open until the last customer leaves. For serious partiers, the Toy Bar is the place to be. There’s a large bar, a lounge, live music, dancing and plenty of action.

Birman is a downtown restaurant/bar on the pedestrian mall. Besides an impressive selection of liquors and wines, it offers live music nightly. The music is predominantly jazz, with a little ragtime, blues, soul and even classical thrown in for good measure. German Colony’s 54 Hamoshava is trendy, inexpensive, wildly popular and open until the wee small hours.

If live theater is more your thing, the acclaimed Khan Theater, Jerusalem’s only repertoire theater, produces six new shows annually. To listen to Israeli standup comics doing their shtick in English, head for the Off the Wall Comedy Basement on Thursday and Saturday nights.

For a different form of evening entertainment, take a walk through the famous Machane Yehuda Market. Open until 8 p.m., it’s filled with food-laden stalls and abuzz with locals shopping for fresh fish, poultry and produce.

Restaurants are packed on the Sabbath, so if you want to eat out on Saturday night, a reservation is a must. If you have a yen for sushi and want to keep kosher, Sushi Rechavia has three locations. Adom, a bar/restaurant built into a stone building with an outdoor courtyard dining area, specializes in wines and cuisine that mixes local ingredients and flavors with a continental influence.

Serious foodies might want to check out Tali Friedman’s group cooking classes. Friedman, a culinary school-trained chef, starts out the class with a trip through the Machane Yehuda Market to shop for ingredients. Participants then return to her studio in the market area, where they help prepare the food and finally enjoy a gourmet meal.

Weblinks

54 Hamoshava
Bellwood Bar
Israel Ministry of Tourism
Jerusalem Tourism
Khan Theater
Machane Yehuda Market
Off the Wall Comedy
Tali Friedman Culinary Tours
Toy Bar