It began with Zakaim, the first restaurant in Tel Aviv that dared to serve only vegan food, but of the kind that would meet the standard of the gourmet restaurants that fill the city. Before that, there were quite a few restaurants that joined the Meatless Monday initiative including, believe it or not, the Knesset cafeteria — although, according to Inbal Klein, a public relations professional specializing in food, a recent survey she conducted discovered that only a few of the restaurants that joined the initiative so eagerly continue to have Meatless Monday, while most of them just took advantage of the image boost and continued to serve meat.
Some of the leading restaurants in the city, such as Orna and Ella, a Tel Aviv landmark, or the Asian temple Thailand House have made a point of offering vegetarian and vegan options on their menus for years. Recently, even The Brasserie, a legendary bistro that keeps winning the title for the "best hamburger in town," added a page of vegan options to its well-designed menu. Even the famous Domino’s Pizza chain has offered its own vegan pizza.