Named for the way locals pronounce Mahane Yehuda Market (and with a decor that purposefully looks like a market warehouse), this has consistently ranked as one of the hottest upscale restaurants in Jerusalem for over a decade. Today, the Machneyuda Group, helmed by founding (now-celeb) chef Assaf Granit, has opened sterling restaurants in Paris (Balagan) and London (The Palomar), but Jerusalem remains home-base, and you will often catch a glimpse of Granit in the kitchen. If you can’t score a seat here, try Yudale, Dekel, or Tzemah (see review below); all stellar and all within steps from one another in the market. Be forewarned, Machneyuda is not the choice for an intimate, romantic meal (it’s too loud and bustling for that). But if you’re interested in modern Jerusalemite gastronomy, try to nab seats at the bar overlooking the kitchen so you can watch the chefs working, joking, and (often) dancing around at their stations. The menu is written on a board each day and always features what’s freshest at the market, often in zany combinations. When we were last here, we were lucky enough to try blue fin tuna with watermelon, purple foie gras; sea bream on fresh buffalo yogurt with Swiss chard; and a special market stew that bubbled all-day long until it was meltingly tender. Two notes: portions are not huge, so most get both appetizer and entrée. And although the restaurant is not kosher, it’s closed until after Shabbat. Make reservations well in advance.