King David Hotel: More than just a hotel breakfast - review

Waiter Isaac Malabi threw his arms around the elderly lady who had just entered the dining room.

“Darling! It’s so wonderful to see you! I’ve missed you,” he said as he hugged her. “How’s your husband? Is he joining you today?”

“He passed away,” answered Susan Samrick sadly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Malabi said. “Well, we are so happy you are back with us.”

Later, Samrick, a board member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and a frequent visitor to Israel from Fort Lauderdale, told me she hadn’t been back to the King David Hotel since 2018, first because of her husband’s failing health and then because of corona. She said that in the past she had thought of buying an apartment in Israel, but didn’t want to give up staying at the hotel.

“I wondered if anyone would even remember me here, since it’s been five years,” she told me. “This hotel was really my home away from home. The minute I walked in the door, everyone made me feel so welcome.”

It is that welcome, along with the outstanding service offered by Malabi (who has been working at the hotel for almost 17 years) that makes the King David Hotel’s breakfast special. One feature is its combination of an extensive buffet with a menu that you can order from.

A return to the elegant breakfast at the King David Hotel

I hadn’t been to the elegant breakfast since before corona, and had heard from a few friends that the offerings were not as extensive as they had been before the pandemic. For example, there used to be a juice bar; now you can order fresh-squeezed juice from the menu. I also seem to remember Eggs Benedict on the menu that you can order, which has now disappeared, although I’m sure they would have made it for me had I asked.

That said, the buffet has quite a selection of everything you could want, including excellent lox, three types of herring, a poached salmon salad, half a dozen goat cheeses, and plenty of fresh vegetables. The only fail, as far as I was concerned, was the large bowl of scrambled eggs. By the time I served myself, they were lukewarm and not very good. I was a little confused because you can order eggs – whether scrambled, poached, or an omelet, from the menu. So, skip the eggs on the buffet and order from the menu.

My husband and I were not in the mood for eggs, so we ordered the French toast from the menu, which was a large slab of bread that had been deep fried (no judgment please). It was served with crème fraiche and was delicious, although the very middle was a little runny. I prefer a little wet to overcooked and couldn’t finish the large piece, in any case.

Back to the buffet for dessert: There were beautiful strawberries and four or five cakes, including a delicious American-style cheesecake. The table next to us was enjoying that cheesecake as we sat down. Joe and Sheila Rindi of Phoenix were having breakfast with their son David and his wife Lital, who were escaping from their three young children.

“We’ve eaten at all of the big hotel breakfasts in Jerusalem and I think this one is the best,” Joe, a white fedora perched on his head, told me. “Everything is always fresh and they have the best service. They really make you feel welcome.”

This buffet, like all hotel buffets in Jerusalem, does not come cheap. If you are not a guest of the hotel, it’s NIS 210 per person and reservations must be made in advance.

But for an all-you-can-eat splurge (and really good lox), I still think it’s good value for money.

The writer was a guest of the restaurant.