There are only two schools of thought when it comes to hummus in downtown Jerusalem, two poles, two Pillars of Hercules, the Black Sea and Sea of Marmara between which flows the Bosporus of chickpea delight: Ta'ami and Pinati. A true connoisseur of hummus, and it is our job at Jerusalemite to be connoisseurs, will tell you that Ta'ami is the superior choice.

A hole in the wall at the top of Shammai Street, Ta'ami, founded by a Bulgarian immigant, has been dishing up hummus to Jerusalem's working class for decades. Walk in and Moti, the eager-to-please master of his domain, will quickly seat you (if the small restaurant is full, wait, the turnover rate is high) and within 30 seconds, serve you up a generous dish of hummus, topped with your choice of warm chickpeas, fuul (stewed broad beans), falafel (best in the city), spiced beef or a hard-boiled egg.

The menu includes a wide selection of Middle Eastern meat dishes, soups, various sides (including, inexplicably, eggrolls), and while everything is excellent, the hummus is truly the star. No matter how tasty the goulash may be, the hummus is what keeps people coming to Ta'ami every day.