Will I be able to detach, even if for a brief moment, from the atmosphere of depression and worry about the security situation? Is it possible to have fun and go dance during wartime? These were just some of the questions that troubled me as I prepared to cover Eilat’s nightlife.
nightlife
We checked into the luxurious, adults-only Herods Vitalis Hotel, prepared for the long night ahead. While leaving the hotel, we got caught by a surprise siren from an Iraqi drone attack, and immediately I lay down on the sidewalk. For a Swedish journalist covering the dubious nightlife of the Middle East, this might have been a breaking point, but for me, it only heightened my motivation.
Our first stop on this intriguing tour is Solo Sushi, a trendy sushi bar with great music, a rich cocktail bar, and dozens of young men and women who came to eat, drink, and have some fun. The bar is designed in a modern style with Japanese artwork on the walls and is not crowded like the distant Tel Aviv. Despite the early hours, all the tables are filled with beautiful people, creating a pleasant Eilat atmosphere.
Our host, Yarit Abutbul, a local celebrity and one of the partners in the trendy bar, brings us the first cocktail of the evening and explains that the place is open from seven in the evening until midnight. “Solo Sushi is perfect for both dates and pick-ups. The goal is for you to enjoy everything here. We’ve already had two couples meet here and get married, and another couple met here and are planning to have their wedding at the bar.
Our second stop on the nightlife tour is Mood, a trendy restaurant bar with an excellent sound system, located inside the adults-only NOW hotel. By ten at night, the place is packed with blushing couples and a lively group of young women in stylish outfits celebrating a birthday. A standout feature of Mood is the illuminated pool, perfect for Instagram photos. Kobi Revach, Mood’s veteran chef, prepares intricate cocktails and intriguing seafood appetizers with a modern Asian flair.
“Welcome to Mood, our restaurant specializes in fish and nightlife,” he says. “Our weekends stretch into the early hours, with plenty of alcohol flowing and lots of sushi.” The atmosphere here is more for dates and less for pick-ups. We host many birthday dinners, anniversaries, and special occasion dinners, and we have a fantastic selection of wines from our cellar, along with a wide range of premium whiskies, vodkas, and other drinks.”
We continue to Jasper 08. Hidden within the Agamim Hotel is one of the city’s most famous and beloved bars. It boasts an excellent sound system with great music at a volume that allows for conversation at the bar without shouting. The large elliptical bar is surrounded by comfortable armchairs and small tables with local patrons, creating a dimly lit, sexy atmosphere reminiscent of New York movies. We enjoy the city's tastiest version of sushi with a Moroccan twist, featuring fresh salmon slices cut in a precise Japanese style with a reddish chraimeh sauce, all served on a tiny pita square instead of sticky rice.
Yaniv Asulin, the handsome and tattooed bartender at Jasper 08, swiftly and expertly mixes a variety of unique drinks, shaking, smiling, and pouring us an intriguing beverage in an unusual glass.
“Welcome to Jasper 08, the place aims to bring cocktail vibes in Eilat to a higher level. There is a great atmosphere here, with many locals coming regularly. Just hours ago, there was a drone attack in the city, but still, people are coming to relax with a cocktail or a glass of wine and enjoy being together.
Hidden in an old shopping center is one of Eilat’s oldest nightlife institutions. On a neglected balcony on the second floor of an old building, next to a sleazy tattoo parlor and under tight security, lies the dim entrance of HaBaradak. The name endearingly hints at the unique nature of the place. Over the years, I have celebrated various strange and wonderful events there, with especially spontaneous and lively parties alongside wonderful strangers who became my friends, and superb electronic music.
Perhaps because of the war, or maybe because HaBaradak’s famous parties usually reach their peak in the early hours of the morning, but it wasn’t crowded this month - and it was fun. DJ (Amit) Konigsberg comes to HaBaradak once a month on an express flight from Tel Aviv to play house music, and she loves the vibe and the place. “Habaradak is the craziest bar in Eilat,” she says. “The atmosphere here is a little Tel Aviv inside of Eilat.”
She adds that later in the evening there will be a long line at the entrance. “There’s going to be a crazy party here, which, of course, I will be playing at. Early in the evening, it's more about the dates and the cocktails, but later on, you won’t need to come with someone,” she laughs.
The second night out
After a day of rest, the sunset, and it was time to get back to work. As we leave the airport towards our taxi, an ear-splitting noise from a formidable jet tears through the air above us. The taxi driver reassures us that it was just a routine interception of a drone in the Jordan area, which is why there was no siren.
The first stop of the evening is Eilat Wines, an old and respected establishment in the field of alcohol and gourmet dishes. Despite the early hours and the drone attacks, the place was almost filled to the brim. It is a wine shop with an enormous selection of drinks and luxury brands, capable of competing with the famous wine shops in the area. The patrons are a mix of friendly connoisseurs, couples with small children who got a babysitter and came for a drink, and discerning groups of happy, close-knit young people.
Eran Les, the founding partner of Eilat Wines and a former renowned surfer, pours me a glass of refreshing white wine and takes me on a short tour of the shop and its extensive and diverse wine collection. “Eilat Wines is one of the oldest wine shops in the city, with a large collection of wines from both Israel and abroad. Our customers loved buying and drinking right on the spot with friends, sitting together, talking, and enjoying life. At some point, we started serving food, and today we have a menu with a large, unique wine collection that is hard to find even abroad.”
I drink another glass of white wine whose name I’ve forgotten and devour a dreamy fresh pasta topped with cheese shavings, a half-baked sunny-side-up egg, and orange fish roe, creating a perfect picture. Les, the gracious and patient host, gives me a local tip to mix the dish and the taste soars.
“Eilat Wines caters to everyone and everything - pickups, dates, young, old. We have a diverse crowd in terms of ages, I don’t know how to explain it, but it just happens.” It’s nine in the evening and another drone flies through the sky, this time with a siren.
We finally arrive at Pedro, one of the city’s oldest culinary institutions, known for its meticulous dishes in an open kitchen and excellent alcohol. This place is located up in the city, away from the promenade, but some fresh scenery is nice. I sit at the large bar under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable bartender, who opens up a conversation about the situation and serves great gin-based cocktails, alongside a long train of particularly tasty appetizers.
The veteran restaurateur Dror Karush bustles between tables, attending to guests and managing a dedicated staff, who do everything they can to make our time at the large and relatively new bar enjoyable. “Welcome to Pedro Restaurant, the home of the Eilatis in neighborhood A. We are a local restaurant with a meat bar. This is the oldest place in the city - 69 years.”
The next stop is Tyler Bar. One of the side alleys in the old shopping center hides a dark and romantic spot with a heavy Tel Aviv vibe, with excellent music that just makes you want to drink and gaze into your partner's eyes. At 10:30 PM, the place is not full, and unlike Tel Aviv’s busy nightlife culture, you can spontaneously sit at the stylish bar without planning ahead or making a reservation. The muscular bartender prepares us a particularly complicated cocktail. Daniel Gor, one of Tyler’s Bar’s partners, explains to us: “We are a cocktail bar with an easy-going, dark ambiance, offering a slightly intimate atmosphere and classic cocktails. The place features hip-hop and electronic music on weekends, in a straightforward setting.”
On the other side of the old commercial center of Eilat is one of the oldest institutions and is beloved by locals and tourists. It is called Dubim or Bears to those in the know. For almost 2 decades, Dubim has ruled Eilat’s nightlife with a lively local atmosphere, and the numerous tables are filled with cheerful young people eating, dancing, and smoking hookahs. The DJ is doing a great job, with hits and lots of rhythms, and it feels like everyone will start dancing and raving on the tables any moment now.
Tomer Buchensky, one of Dubim’s three partners, works tirelessly at the bar, serving desserts, mixing drinks with ice, and pouring beers in large quantities. He is short on staff and barely has the time to breathe: “Welcome to Dubim Pub Eilat. We have been here for 17 years. We are a family pub that loves Eilat and our guests from the north and abroad, but we mostly grew up with the people of Eilat.”
At the entrance to Dubim, there is a large, chilling display dedicated to the hostages and a large sign that reads: “Have fun, dance, enjoy, but even when it’s good, don’t forget October 7.” The issue with the hostages and the war is a very sensitive topic for us. The three partners and 90% of our employees were called up to Gaza on October 7 under an emergency order,” he explains. “Just 3 weeks ago we reopened the bar after Dubim has been closed for 6 months. We are short-staffed, which is why I don’t have time to talk to you. The war is a part of us, and we hope that everyone comes back safe and sound.”
And a personal recommendation, from my professional experience of long sleepless nights and endless rounds in the southern city’s nightlife, if you are walking around Eilat in the middle of the night and don’t know what to do, looking for some action, feeling lonely, or just want to dance, run to Dubim.
Thursday after midnight is the perfect time to go out and forget your troubles at a quality party. Even during wartime, Selina Garden is the ultimate place to dance. It’s a large, high-quality, club under the open sky, with an excellent sound system and an industrial design that is reminiscent of the famous clubs in Ibiza. Despite experiencing two drone attacks during the evening, hundreds of partygoers stand patiently and orderly at the club entrance. It turns out Eilat is hosting the 36th Mahoziah, a particularly luxurious holiday for civil service workers' unions, and this is their official party.
Despite the long line, the entrance is quick and the security staff are courteous. Inside the large club, there are several square bars, a great dance floor, and VIP balconies. Anyone who orders a luxurious imported bottle in an ice bucket on the balcony gets a bonus - two dancers in shiny silver outfits with flashlights, elevating the celebration and giving the wealthy patrons attention like in the big clubs in Bucharest. The lighting in this place is amazing and elaborate, and superb electronic music fills the air.
Eitan Selimi, a well-known electronic music festival producer and one of the partners at Selina Garden, proudly shows me the action on the big dance floor: “Look at this beauty, despite the two drone interceptions earlier today - people are out and having fun. Today over two thousand people will attend this party. Recently, Eilat has been very busy on the weekends. Unfortunately, there is no north, and we feel it heavily here. We have been open for five years. The Salina Garden is a huge club with a capacity of 3,000.”
Who’s playing?
“Naturally because of the war, there has been a decrease in big artists coming from abroad to play at festivals and parties. But we still have plenty of excellent Israeli artists who also DJ abroad, and we try hosting them here every week. International artists have an issue with insurance due to the travel warning for Israel. I really hope that once everything is over, they will come back to us.”
In conclusion, Despite the drone attacks and the frustrating security situation, I enjoyed two particularly hedonistic days filled with wild parties, alcohol, gourmet cuisine, dance music, and great people with a strong sense of togetherness. Reality shows that it's impossible to completely disconnect from all the chaos and troubles of the country, even during a vacation in Eilat, but it still resulted in an excellent weekend. I cleared my head and managed to dance a little for the first time since October 7. So, if you urgently need a getaway with great people who understand exactly what you are going through, Eilat’s nightlife is a fantastic option.