Occupying the intersection of two of the Machane Yehuda market's minor aisles between Machane Yehuda St. and Etz Hahayim St., opposite from a butcher and just across from the shuk's famed citron-wielding Yemenite witch doctor, you'll find Emil, a veritable emblem of the shuk's sudden transformation from grungy market to grungy market with a smattering of trendy stores, restaurants and cafes.

Furnished with plentiful outdoor seating on a raised patio (all the better to get a view of the butcher dismembering a whole side of beef), and decorated with attractive wood and lyrics from Israeli pop songs written in girlish handwriting on the wall, Emil tries to be the funky homegrown neighborhood cafe, and if the ever-present crowd of young people from across the street in Nachla'ot is any indication, they've succeeded.

The menu gives you your general Israeli dairy cafe options – all kinds of cheese sandwiches, pastas, salads and smoothies, not to mention a generous coffee selection.

For you lovers of all that is green, be sure to check out their coveted green shakshuka, a spinach laden egg casserole of sorts that is a distant cousin of the Moroccan dish which traditionally features fresh tomatoes. Though if tradition is what you crave, don't fret, they have regular shakshuka too.

For a dessert adrenaline rush, pop over to the witch doctor for a fruit drink made with qat leaves, a legal narcotic (not recommended for the kids, pregnant women or people with heart conditions). But before you leave Emil you might want to purchase one of their homemade jams. Jerusalemite heartily recommends the cherry tomato.