Everybody, from small children to people in the prime of their lives to the elderly, reaches a point when they need a good bowl of soup. And Israeli hipsters are no exception to that fundamental rule.

Soup is not only hearty and emotionally fulfilling, it's the perfect food to charge one's batteries for a night of bar hopping, so it's quite convenient that soup restaurant Hamarakiya (roughly, the Soupery) was established right off hopping night district Shlomtzion Hamalka Street.

It's hard to tell whether Hamarakiya is extremely popular or just extremely small (perhaps both) – either way, it's almost impossible to get a seat without a long wait unless you arrive the minute it opens at 6 PM(and even that's no guarantee).

The décor could generously be described as "eccentric," with knick-knacks and objets d'art covering every available surface; plus, there are sheshbesh (backgammon) and chess boards to while away the wait for your soup. A rotating selection of all-vegetarian soups is served every day, although there are regular menu items as well, including an excellent shakshuka (tomato and egg stew).