Yamas: An authentic dairy filled Greek dining experience

“Israel and Greece have a lot in common,” says restaurant owner Moshe. “We have the sea, the weather, and even the blue and white flags.”

By DEBBIE LAMPERT/ELUNA.COM JANUARY 22, 2025 00:31

Yamas is a kosher, dairy, Greek restaurant. (photo credit: Yamas)

Yamas is the only restaurant with dishes on the menu. Not just the kind you eat but the kind you break. NIS 50 buys you a plate to break at the Thursday night Yamas Taverna.

The Taverna is a Greek party with live music, dancing, great food, and plate smashing. Thursday night only, from 9 p.m. On the other days of the week, you can enjoy a more subdued evening of delicious authentic Greek foods in a pleasant atmosphere.

“Israel and Greece have a lot in common,” says restaurant owner Moshe. “We have the sea, the weather, and even the blue and white flags.” The missing piece for Moshe was Greek food. Enter Yamas Greek dairy restaurant in Moshe’s hometown, Ashdod. Yamas is Moshe’s second Greek restaurant; the first is a kosher restaurant in Thessaloníki.

“We want Yamas to be authentic,” said Moshe, so he brought Greek chef Yorgo from Athens to Ashdod.

My big fat Greek dinner started with a delicious loaf of bread made from scratch (NIS 28 with 2 dips), the Greek way, in a specialty Greek oven. A series of delicious unpronounceable vegetable and bean-based dishes followed. I may not remember the names, but the flavors are unforgettable.

Restaurant, Greece (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

We have all had tzatziki, the refreshing yogurt-based spread with cucumbers and dill, sold packaged in Israel. But you ain’t had tzatziki till you’ve had the richer and more flavorful tzatziki at Yamas (NIS 28).

Skordalia is a spread made with almonds, garlic, and olive oil. The Yamas Greek hummus and tehina are only distantly related to their Israeli counterparts.

My favorite Greek foods are vegetable-filled phyllo dough dishes. The classic spanakopita (NIS 38) was a generous square of spinach layered between leaves of phyllo dough. A dollop of rich Greek yogurt on the side rounded this off.

The Greek kitchen relies heavily on yogurt and feta cheese, so you will see a lot of these. Feta cheese is richer than the white cheeses popular in Israel. Melitzanes (NIS 78) is rolled eggplant filled with creamy spinach and topped with crumbled feta cheese.

Souvlaki is a staple of the Greek diet. Classic souvlaki is skewers of meat. At Yamas kosher dairy restaurant, the souvlaki skewers (NIS 78) are made of alternating vegetables and chunks of salmon. All the fish dishes, including whole fish, are grilled over coals.

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Best way to end the meal

If I thought things were going well till then, the best was yet to come. Yorgo the Greek brought out his specialty galaktoboureko dessert, crispy dough filled with sweet cream topped with whipped cream. I cannot think of a better way to end the meal. But wait…

Before we left for our travels back to the center of the country, Yorgo brought us a shot of his very own plant-based liquor that he makes himself from a vine grown in a planter outside the restaurant. L’chaim, or should I say, Yamas! To your health!

Yamas Restaurant is in the courtyard of the Ashdod Theater complex. There is a flight of steps from the ground floor parking to the courtyard. There is also a ramp. The elevator, operated by the city, was not working when we visited the restaurant.

Yamas 6 Derech Eretz, The Theater Courtyard, Ashdod(052) 611-1485Kashrut: Rabbanut Ashdod MehadrinOpen Sunday-Thursday, 1:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Business lunch until 6 p.m.The author is the founder and CEO of eLuna.com, the premier English-language website for kosher restaurants in Israel.