La Luna: Sand Between Your Toes, Smoke in the Air
The first thing you notice is the charcoal. Not the polite whisper of a kitchen tucked away behind swinging doors, but an open, confident declaration rising from the grill and dissolving into the salt breeze rolling off the Gulf of Eilat. You settle into a table where the terrace meets the sand, the Red Sea shimmering just meters away, and a waiter sets down a basket of house bread still warm from the oven. This is La Luna on a Thursday afternoon: unhurried, sun drenched, and quietly sure of itself. Formerly known as Village Beach, a name that still carries nostalgic weight among Eilat locals, the venue reopened in March 2025 as something more ambitious. The beach is still here, the sunbeds and snorkeling gear included. But now there is a kitchen that means it.
La Luna's menu reads like a love letter to the Israeli grill, expanded with Mediterranean flourishes and a few welcome surprises. Start with the Hummus Yerushalmi (45 NIS), a generous bowl of chickpeas scattered over creamy tahini, finished with a fried egg and torn pita. It is rustic, satisfying, and sets the tone for what follows. The Lahmajun (68 NIS) arrives as a thin, handmade dough round loaded with seasoned ground meat, brightened by raw tahini and rings of sumac soaked onion. Tear it with your hands, as everyone around you already is.