Mona
Israel
Mona occupies Jerusalem's Artists' House, a late-nineteenth-century stone building that once housed the first Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. At 12 Shmuel HaNagid Street, the restaurant brings a seasonal Mediterranean menu into surroundings closely tied to the city's artistic history. French and wider European influences shape the cooking. Wine and spirits are a substantial part of the meal, with the restaurant drawing a mixed evening crowd of local diners, students and visitors. In the stone courtyard, Nagid 12 adds a wine bar with Israeli and international bottles, small plates and cultural events. The combination gives the historic building two related settings for dining, from a restaurant meal to a glass of wine outside.