Jerusalem has so many nearly identical kosher dairy restaurants that dining out often enough runs a risk of turning into a blur of pleasant, if undistinguished, espressos, cheese sandwiches and pesto ravioli, so it's always nice to see a kosher dairy restaurant try to do something a little different.

Bar Kochba tries to set itself apart from the swarm, located on Chativat Yerushalayim Street in the Chutzot Hayotzer complex right outside the walls of the Old City. Its daytime menu encompasses the standard options of soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas and fish, and steps a bit outside the box with offerings like cheese-stuffed mushrooms.

After 23:00, however, the standard menu is retired for the evening and Bar Kochba switches hats completely, turning from genteel dairy restaurant to happening bar. Along with a full alcohol menu, Bar Kochba includes a night menu of the sort of light food that complements an evening of drinking.