Aufruf catering: the groom's Shabbat
Aufruf catering from our kitchen at 99 Ibn Gabirol, Tel Aviv: Friday night dinner, Shabbat lunch and seudah shlishit, every dish weighed per guest and priced by the kilo. It all arrives on Friday morning in sealed pots and trays, so you only heat it and set it on the hot plate.
IllustrationWhat aufruf catering costs, by number of guests
The three meals above, times the number of guests. VAT included, October 2026 prices.
| Guests | Friday night | Shabbat lunch | Seudah shlishit | All three | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ₪966 | ₪997 | ₪563 | ₪2,526 | about ₪126 |
| 30 | ₪1,449 | ₪1,495 | ₪636 | ₪3,580 | about ₪119 |
| 40 | ₪1,932 | ₪1,994 | ₪917 | ₪4,843 | about ₪121 |
| 60 | ₪2,898 | ₪2,991 | ₪1,271 | ₪7,160 | about ₪119 |
| 80 | ₪3,864 | ₪3,988 | ₪1,834 | ₪9,686 | about ₪121 |
Delivery in Tel Aviv-Yafo is free on every row, since all are over ₪750. To Ramat Gan, Givatayim and Bnei Brak, ₪50. The market range for an aufruf Shabbat in Israel, October 2026: one meal ₪43 to ₪97 a guest, three meals ₪110 to ₪200, seudah shlishit alone ₪30 to ₪49, and with waiters ₪150 to ₪250 and up. Most suppliers start at 20 guests.
How many pots go on the hot plate
Plan the hot plates and the fridge with this. A soup pot holds 3 kg, a hamin pot 3.5 kg, a main or couscous tray 2 kg, and a salad tray 1 kg.
| Guests | On the hot plate when Shabbat begins | Still on it until lunch | In the fridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10 vessels: 2 soup pots, 2 meatball trays, 2 couscous trays, 2 hamin pots, 2 kubbeh trays | 4 vessels: the hamin and the kubbeh | 6 salad trays, 2 fish patty trays |
| 30 | 15 vessels: 3 soup pots, 3 meatball trays, 3 couscous trays, 3 hamin pots, 3 kubbeh trays | 6 vessels: the hamin and the kubbeh | 9 salad trays, 2 fish patty trays |
| 40 | 17 vessels: 4 soup pots, 3 meatball trays, 3 couscous trays, 4 hamin pots, 3 kubbeh trays | 7 vessels: the hamin and the kubbeh | 12 salad trays, 3 fish patty trays |
| 60 | 27 vessels: 6 soup pots, 5 meatball trays, 5 couscous trays, 6 hamin pots, 5 kubbeh trays | 11 vessels: the hamin and the kubbeh | 18 salad trays, 4 fish patty trays |
| 80 | 34 vessels: 8 soup pots, 6 meatball trays, 6 couscous trays, 8 hamin pots, 6 kubbeh trays | 14 vessels: the hamin and the kubbeh | 24 salad trays, 6 fish patty trays |
After Friday dinner, leftover soup, meatballs and couscous go into the fridge within two hours, which frees room. A pot stacked on another pot stays cooler, so each vessel should sit directly on the hot plate. If there is not enough room, arrange an extra hot plate before Friday.
The aufruf Friday, hour by hour
- By Wednesday, 20:00
Close the order: how many guests at each meal, which dishes, pickup or delivery.
- Thursday
Clear fridge space for the salad trays and fish patties, and count the hot plates and check they all work.
- Friday, 09:00 to 13:00
The food arrives, or you pick it up at 99 Ibn Gabirol, in sealed pots and trays, each labelled with the dish and how to heat it. Everything goes into the fridge until heating.
- One to two hours before Shabbat
On the stove, bring the soup, meatballs and kubbeh to a boil, and the hamin until it bubbles. Warm the couscous covered, with a little broth.
- Before Shabbat begins
All the hot pots move to the hot plate, covered. The salads and fish patties stay in the fridge.
- Friday night
Soup, meatballs and couscous from the hot plate, salads from the fridge. Leftovers go back into the fridge within two hours.
- Shabbat lunch
The hamin and the kubbeh, after a night on the hot plate, with the salads and pitas.
- Seudah shlishit
The fish patties and salads come out of the fridge only for the meal, no more than two hours on the table.
How the food stays hot all Shabbat
Above 63°C
Food brought to a boil and moved, covered, to the hot plate stays above 63°C, so it can stand there all night. Food that dropped below 63°C for more than two hours should not be eaten.
What goes on the hot plate
Hamin, soup, kubbeh and meatballs in sauce. The sauce and liquid keep them soft. Cover the couscous with a little broth so it does not dry.
What does not
Schnitzel and chicken breast dry out on the hot plate. If you added them to the order, serve them on Friday night. Salads and tahini stay in the fridge.
Hamin overnight
The hamin goes onto the hot plate bubbling, with a little liquid on top and a tight lid. That way it holds until lunch without drying.
An aufruf at home, in the synagogue or in a guest flat
When the family eats at home
All three meals arrive at one address on Friday. You need a big enough hot plate, fridge space and a serving table; the quantities are in the tables above.
Kiddush after the aliyah
A kiddush is usually cakes, pastries and drinks, which we do not make. What does fit: a schnitzel strip tray, good cold, and salad trays. Before ordering, ask the gabbai which supervision the synagogue requires and whether there is a fridge.
When the family stays elsewhere
Check ahead that the flat has a hot plate, a free fridge and a stove for heating on Friday. Delivery is to one address, and you share out from there.
Family flying in for the wedding
Send the request ahead through the form, with the address in Israel and the number of guests. Everything arrives on Friday, with nothing to collect.
A vegetarian Shabbat
Vegetarian hamin with chickpeas and eggs 350 g, aja 100 g, shakshuka 150 g, salads 150 g and pita. Write in the request how many guests need it.
What the order does not include
Waiters
None. The food arrives ready and you serve it yourselves. In Israel a waiter costs about ₪250 to ₪300 for a weekday, and more at the weekend.
Tableware, drinks and wine
Not part of the menus. For three meals each guest needs plates, a soup bowl, cups and napkins; buy them together with the drinks.
Challah
The menus come with pitas. If you want challah for the meals, buy it separately.
What else moves the price
What the price includes, what costs extra elsewhere and how to reheat each dish are on the small-event catering page. It also covers what drives the price of meat catering, and compares catering, hosting trays and cooking yourself.
Pickup at 99 Ibn Gabirol
What is near the restaurant
- Gan HaIr MallShopping · 390 m
- Yitzhak Rabin MemorialMemorial · 440 m
- Tel Aviv-Yafo City HallCity hall · 460 m
- Rabin SquareSquare · 610 m
- Holocaust MemorialMemorial · 640 m
- Masaryk SquarePark · 880 m
In view now
Frequently asked questions
How much does aufruf catering cost?
About ₪120 a guest for all three meals, VAT included: Friday night about ₪48, Shabbat lunch about ₪50, seudah shlishit about ₪21 to ₪28. For 30 guests that is about ₪3,580, with free delivery in Tel Aviv-Yafo. In Israel, three meals usually cost ₪110 to ₪200 a guest.
When is the order deadline?
Wednesday at 20:00 of that week. If you already know the date, send the request earlier and confirm the number of guests by Wednesday.
How does the food stay hot over Shabbat?
On Friday you bring it to a boil on the stove and move it, covered, to the hot plate before Shabbat begins. It stays above 63°C. Hamin, soup, kubbeh and meatballs in sauce go on the hot plate; schnitzel and salads do not.
Can we order just one meal?
Yes. It is priced by weight, so you can order only Friday night or only Shabbat lunch. A Shabbat order starts at ₪200.
Do you provide waiters?
No. The food arrives ready in pots and trays and you serve it yourselves. That is why it stays near ₪120 a guest, not the ₪150 to ₪250 of catering with waiters.
What is served at seudah shlishit?
Shabbat salads, 2 fish patties in tomato sauce and half a pita, about 220 g a guest. It all arrives on Friday and stays in the fridge until the meal.
Is there a vegetarian aufruf menu?
Yes: vegetarian hamin with chickpeas and eggs, aja, shakshuka and salads, about 830 g a guest. Write in the request how many guests need it.
What about kashrut?
The kitchen is meat and pareve, with no dairy dishes. If the synagogue or the family needs a specific supervision, ask us before ordering.
Where do you deliver on Friday?
To one address in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ramat Gan, Givatayim or Bnei Brak, between 09:00 and 13:00. You can also pick up at 99 Ibn Gabirol.
Hungry now?
For one dish or a few at home: price, extras and availability are in the ordering menu, or by phone.
Send a request
How many guests, when and where. We come back with a price and a proposal.
The dishes that come to the event
Yemenite Beef Soup
A deep, warming Yemenite beef soup with tender meat and rich seasoning.
Couscous
Fluffy couscous with vegetables and the day’s stew from the pot.
Home-style Meatballs
Meatballs in a home-style sauce, served with a warm side of your choice.
Beet Kubbeh
Sweet and sour beet soup with meat-filled kubbeh, served as a warm, generous bowl from the pots.
Israeli Schnitzel
Schnitzel with salads and sauces, in a pita or as a full plate.
Griddled Chicken Breast
Griddled chicken breast with salads and sides, in a pita or on a plate.