Imperial Craft

Where the Mediterranean Meets the Cocktail Counter

Tel Aviv's bar culture has undergone a significant shift over the past decade. The city moved from imitation-Western spirits lists toward a programme-led scene with its own identity, one that prizes technique, local ingredients, and a relationship with the surrounding Mediterranean environment. Atarim Square, the sprawling concrete esplanade that runs along HaYarkon Street at the waterfront, would not be an obvious address for a bar earning global recognition. It is a loud, populous stretch with food stalls and tourist infrastructure on one side and the sea on the other. That Imperial Craft built a serious cocktail reputation from that address says something about what the Tel Aviv bar scene rewards: not location polish, but consistency of craft.

The Programme and Its Place in the Global Conversation

When the World's 50 Best Bars list ranked Imperial Craft at number 17 in 2015, it placed Tel Aviv on a short list of cities with bars operating at that tier. That kind of recognition does not arrive from a broad spirits selection alone. The bars that appear in that bracket, whether in London, New York, or Singapore, tend to share a preoccupation with methodology: how a drink is constructed, how ingredients are sourced or modified, and how the menu builds a coherent point of view across dozens of serves. Imperial Craft fits that pattern. Its position on the 2017 list at number 50 reflects the competitive nature of that ranking, where global bars rotate through quickly, but a sustained two-year presence signals something more durable than a single-season novelty.

For context, the bars that regularly occupy that tier internationally, from Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu to Kumiko in Chicago and Jewel of the South in New Orleans, are defined less by their city's overall bar reputation and more by the discipline of the programme itself. Imperial Craft belongs in that conversation. Among its peer group in the Middle East, there is no comparable bar with the same degree of international recognition attached to cocktail craft specifically.

The Craft Approach: Technique as Editorial Position

The phrase "imperial cocktail Tel Aviv" has become a shorthand among international bar travellers for what the city's craft movement can produce at its most rigorous. Craft cocktail bars at this level typically operate with a few shared characteristics: a small, considered menu that rotates with intention rather than seasonality alone; a focus on house-made components such as infusions, clarified juices, or custom bitters; and a bar team that treats the counter as a controlled production environment rather than a service station. These are not guarantees specific to Imperial Craft, but they are the hallmarks of the tier in which the bar has competed.

The broader Israeli context matters here. The country produces a growing range of spirits and liqueurs, from arak to boutique gins with local botanical profiles, and the leading bars in Tel Aviv have learned to work with that palette rather than defaulting entirely to imported categories. A bar operating at the World's 50 Best tier would be expected to engage with that material, shaping serves that reflect where they are geographically while maintaining the technical rigour that international judges and critics reward. Bars in this space, from Superbueno in New York City to The Parlour in Frankfurt, tend to use their local context as a creative constraint rather than a limitation.

The Setting: Seafront Position and Its Implications

HaYarkon Street address along the Tel Aviv seafront places Imperial Craft within a specific social context. This is not a tucked-away speakeasy requiring coordinates from a local contact. The bar is accessible, visible, and positioned in a part of the city that draws both residents and visitors drawn to the beach strip. That transparency of location, combined with a technically serious programme, reflects a broader maturation in craft cocktail culture globally. The era of unmarked doors and institutional secrecy has given way to programmes that are confident enough in their craft to operate without theatre. Julep in Houston and 1806 in Melbourne both demonstrate similar principles: a bar's legitimacy now rests on what is in the glass, not on how difficult it is to find the front door.

Seafront position also means that Imperial Craft operates within a sensory environment that most cocktail bars do not have to account for: ambient light shifting as the evening progresses, a proximity to the Mediterranean that inflects both the clientele and the mood. That setting attracts a mix of local professionals, international visitors, and industry travellers who have specifically sought the bar out. A Google rating of 4.5 across nearly 2,000 reviews suggests the experience holds across a broad audience, not just the specialist crowd drawn by the awards history.

Planning a Visit: Logistics and Timing

Imperial Craft sits at HaYarkon St 169 on Atarim Square, a walkable distance from the main hotel corridor along the Tel Aviv seafront. The area is well served on foot if you are staying anywhere between the northern beach hotels and the city centre. Given the bar's international profile, arriving with a group on a weekend evening without any prior coordination carries a degree of risk during peak months. The bar's most focused period tends to be the evening hours when the programme is running at full pace. For planning purposes, Tel Aviv's bar and dining season peaks between spring and autumn, with the seafront most active from April through October. Those visiting in the shoulder months of March or November often find the atmosphere easier to settle into.

For broader context on Tel Aviv's drinking and dining culture, EP Club publishes detailed coverage across categories: see our full Tel Aviv bars guide, our full Tel Aviv restaurants guide, and our full Tel Aviv hotels guide. For further exploration of what the city offers beyond the bar scene, the Tel Aviv experiences guide, Tel Aviv wineries guide round out the picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Imperial Craft known for?

Imperial Craft is known for its technique-led cocktail programme and for being one of the few bars in the Middle East to appear on the World's 50 Best Bars list, reaching number 17 in 2015 and returning at number 50 in 2017. It operates from a seafront position in Tel Aviv and has accumulated a Google rating of 4.5 from close to 2,000 reviews, suggesting consistent performance across a broad range of visitors.

What do regulars order at Imperial Craft?

The bar's awards recognition is rooted in its cocktail programme rather than any single category of drink. At bars operating in this tier internationally, the menu itself tends to be the point of entry: serves built around house-made components, local spirits where appropriate, and a construction logic that rewards working through the list rather than defaulting to a standard order. The bar's consistent recognition suggests its signature approach is the draw rather than any one specific serve.

Is Imperial Craft more formal or casual?

The seafront address and Atarim Square location place it firmly in Tel Aviv's accessible, non-formal end of the spectrum. This is not a white-tablecloth environment or a members-only operation. The bar's World's 50 Best recognition reflects programme seriousness rather than formality of setting. Dress codes are not part of the Tel Aviv bar culture at this address, and the clientele reflects the broad mix of the seafront neighbourhood.

What is the leading way to book Imperial Craft?

Specific booking details are not confirmed in EP Club's current database for this venue. Given its profile and seafront location, visiting with some flexibility in timing is advisable, particularly during peak season from spring through early autumn. Checking the bar's current contact channels directly before visiting is recommended, as availability and reservation policy may have evolved since its period of highest international ranking.