Almonit (Anonymous) Alley

Lonely Planet review

It's easy to miss this tiny sidestreet while walking up King George St. But as a decidedly non-trendy, alternative hangout, the people that do come here appreciate its obscurity. The alley was originally named after Getzel Shapira, an American Jew who financed civic projects in Tel Aviv in the 1920s.

Later, Mayor Dizengoff, irritated that anyone with money could have a street named after themselves, ordered the street names changed and a clerk gave the alley a name that essentially means 'John Doe'.

Almonit sports a café, a secondhand bookshop, a vintage clothing store and a hairdresser fond of outrageous wall art (which is changed every couple of months). The most interesting establishment is Salon Mazal, a combination bookshop, library and café described by one of the volunteers as 'a centre for spreading alternative knowledge.' The café strictly adheres to a vegan menu and changes according to whoever is on duty (and all profits go towards animal rights groups). Pop in at least for some free-trade coffee served with soy milk. Lectures are occasionally held here and they have plenty of brochures and information on local events of interest to activists.