I owe India a great personal debt: Benjamin Netanyahu recalls first date at Indian restaurant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he owed India a “great personal debt,” recalling that he and his wife Sara had one of their first dates at an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv, where they enjoyed what he described as “unbelievable food.”

Addressing the India-Israel Exchange of MoUs and Press Statements with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Netanyahu said, “I owe India a great personal debt. When I met Sara for the first time, I think our first or second date was in an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv. It was Reena Pushkarna.”

“First of all, the food was unbelievable. Sara was introduced to it for the first time, it made for a great first date, not only was the food excellent, the date was excellent too. Obviously, I am indebted to you, as are my children,” he said.


Netanyahu added that his wife had chosen the Indian restaurant as the venue for their date, recalling that both the meal and the evening had been memorable.

Restaurant owner recalls first date and preferences

In a 2022 interview with ANI, Reena Pushkarna, owner of the Indian restaurant ‘Tandoori Tel Aviv’, said Netanyahu had met Sara on their first date at her establishment. “The first date of PM Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu was on this, Table No 8,” she said.

Pushkarna also said that Netanyahu enjoys Indian cuisine and orders food at least twice a week. According to her, he particularly likes butter chicken and karahi chicken.

In an earlier interview with ANI, Pushkarna said, “We could not prepare much Gujarati food items while he came here last time. His visit heralds a new beginning and we are hopeful about the visit. Both sides — Israel and Palestine are PM’s friends, so he will help in long-term peace efforts.”

Benjamin Netanyahu and Sara married in 1991 and have two sons, Yair and Avner.