In a city where people watching is a serious sport, the key to success is location. Straddling the bustling corner of Dizengof and Zabotinsky Streets, Café Michal offers a shady perch from which to enjoy the urban safari: fashionistas on a boutique-hopping adventure, Tel Avivians buzzing by on their city-cruiser bikes, the ubiquitous scene of a disheveled dog-owner trying to keep their pet from running off. A reliable pair of sunglasses is the only required equipment for this citywide pastime.

Inspired by the Viennese-style cafes that played an intrinsic part in early Tel Aviv life, Café Michal is designed with the trappings of early 20th century urban bourgeois life in mind. The exterior is dominated by the color white, evinced in both walls and dividing fence, keeping in tune with the ‘white city’ motif of Tel Aviv. Inside, the lovely couch and gramophone found in the corner could have been stripped from the Von Trapp estate in Salzburg. But beyond aesthetics, Café Michal serves one of the best breakfast selections in town, with quality baristas ensuring that your need for caffeine fix will be met in spades. Between breakfast, people watching and an occasional email utilizing the free Wi-Fi, your Café Michal morning may slip into an afternoon. But don’t worry, the café staff will take it in stride; you are not the first, and surely will not be the last to spend the day at Café Michal.