Auto and Aharon opened AVA in Haifa's Palmer Square in 1941, building what the company calls Israel's early center of coffee connoisseurship. It now sources from six countries for its Wood Roast and 60-70-80 Collection lines.
Best for Auto and Aharon opened AVA in Haifa's Palmer Square in 1941
AVA traces its founding to 1941, when Auto and Aharon opened a small coffee shop in Haifa's Palmer Square, in what the company describes as an effort to build "Israel's center of coffee knowledge" during the country's earliest years. More than eight decades on, the operation still frames itself around the same stated aim: promoting coffee connoisseurship rather than treating coffee as a purely functional product. The sourcing draws from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia and Jamaica, with beans described as picked at precise timing and shipped under controlled conditions from farms the company characterizes as having long-standing quality traditions. The product range reflects that origin-forward approach: a graduated 60-70-80 Collection running light to dark, a Wood Roast line flavored with hazelnut, citrus and olive notes, a Premium Selection, and single-origin bags sold separately from the blends. AVA's current base is Hakitor Street, though the location is presently closed for renovations — a pause in physical retail that hasn't interrupted online ordering. For a company built in the region's early espresso trade, the throughline from a single Palmer Square shop to a multi-origin, multi-line coffee house is the clearest evidence of longevity translating into range rather than staying a single fixed product.
Naima roasts fair-trade, sustainably sourced single-origin coffee at its Wadi Salib facility and pours it at a Derekh Yafo café in downtown Haifa. Opened in 2021, it sells beans, brewing gear and matcha alongside its own School of Coffee brew guides.
Best for Opened in 2021, it sells beans
Café Naima opened in downtown Haifa in 2021, splitting its operation between a roastery at Wadi Salib 11, in a district known for its flea markets and small independent businesses, and a café on Derekh Yafo. The founders describe wanting to build "an inclusive hub for exploring the rapidly growing world of specialty coffee" in a city with an already established coffee culture. Naima buys green coffee on fair-trade terms, prioritizing lots grown and processed sustainably and transparently, and works from the premise that a coffee bean is the seed of a fruit — roasting close to harvest and cupping constantly to keep profiles bright, juicy and fruit-forward rather than defaulting to a dark, uniform house roast. Alongside roasted beans and brewing equipment, the shop sells matcha and runs its own School of Coffee, publishing brew guides that walk through espresso, V60 and AeroPress technique for customers building a home setup. The pairing of a working roastery with a teaching program gives Naima a role beyond a single counter — it supplies its own café, sells to takeaway customers, and tries to pass its cupping-driven approach on directly rather than keeping it in-house.
DZ Chocolate makes handmade chocolate in Haifa and sells its products through an online shop with delivery within Israel. Its range includes chocolate boxes and coated nuts alongside separately listed vegan and gluten-free selections on the site. Pop-up announcements accompany the online offering, so a regular walk-in shop should not be assumed from the brand's Haifa identity.
Best for Haifa-made chocolate boxes and coated nuts
DZ Chocolate is the handmade chocolate business of David Zarbiv in Haifa. The brand places ingredient quality and careful handwork at the centre of its identity, presenting both the maker's name and the city of production directly. The catalogue is organized by texture and format as much as by flavour. Gift boxes sit beside crunchy chocolate preparations and coated nuts alongside marzipan. Vegan and gluten-free selections are identified separately, making those formulations visible within the wider range. Named products such as LARGE, CRUNCH, NEW and DARK show a preference for bold, compact presentation rather than a long narrative attached to every item. Market appearances in Jaffa and Haifa connect the workshop with in-person selling beyond its home city. DZ Chocolate's identity is therefore unusually clear for a small confectioner: one named maker, one production city, a handmade process and a range built around contrasting textures. Its value lies in that specificity. The products are not presented as generic imported sweets; they come from a Haifa workshop whose author and method are explicit parts of the brand, along with its core categories.
This Herzl Street jeweller specialises in Baha'i-themed pieces, fitting for the city that hosts the Baha'i World Centre and its terraced shrine. The catalogue runs to engraved gemstone pendants, gold Baha'i symbol pendants and rings for men and women.
Best for Baha'i-themed engraved jewellery in Haifa
Ceramic artist Luba Yampolsky has taught and made work at this family-run studio on Gordon Street in Haifa since 1991. She sells one-off ceramic sculptures, wall art and Judaica, takes commissions, and runs wheel, sculpting and glazing courses.
Libira is a craft brewery and restaurant at HaNamal Street 26 in Haifa's downtown port district, brewing its own beers on site. The kitchen builds a menu around the house-brewed range, pairing dining with the boutique brewing operation.
Best for House-brewed craft beer in the Haifa port district
Founders Gily Ilan and Nadav design and throw the ceramics sold from this studio-gallery on El Marin Street in Haifa's Lower City. The space doubles as a workshop, running wheel-throwing, hand-building and glazing classes alongside its shelves of plates, bowls, cups and vases.
Best for Handmade table ceramics and pottery classes
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