Café Hillel (Hebrew: קפה הלל) is a cafe, espresso bar, and sandwich bar chain in Israel.
History
In 1998, Koby and Yossi Sherf opened the first branch of Café Hillel on Jerusalem's Hillel Street, the source of the chain's name. They envisioned a coffee shop with a relaxed "Jerusalemite" atmosphere serving world-class coffee and food.
Most of the branches are run by franchises, with only two or three owned directly by the company.
In 2003, seven people were killed and over 50 wounded in the Café Hillel bombing, a suicide attack at Jerusalem's German Colony branch of the cafe. Dr. David Applebaum, an emergency room doctor who had treated numerous suicide attack victims himself, was killed along with his 20-year-old daughter Nava Applebaum, who was to be married the next day.
The chain now has over 25 branches around the country. Cafe Hillel sells its own private label coffee and has a red and black color scheme.