Chateau du Roi

שאטו דה רואה

Restaurant · Hotel · Bar · Italian · No kosher certificate

Alkhasni'a Street, by the church in the old core of the village, Mi'ilya

An Italian chef's restaurant, a bar and eight boutique rooms in a restored house joined to the 12th-century Crusader fortress in Mi'ilya's old core

Chateau du Roi stands by the church in the old core of Mi'ilya, in a historic building joined to the Crusader fortress that, by its own account, King Baldwin III built in the 12th century to watch over Mount Meron; the building, with its inner courtyards, looks out to the Meron and Hermon mountains. It is the life's work of Salma Assaf and her husband Labib Assaf, who restored the house over about two decades; Labib died in 2020, and Salma's father and her children Rasha, Khalil and Fadi helped her finish it. Under the restaurant lie the remains of what its site calls the largest Crusader winery uncovered in the Holy Land, and a Roman well, which diners see through glass panels in the wooden floor. The kitchen is led by chef Elian Lius, who was born in Mi'ilya, learned his trade in the restaurants of Padua and, by its account, has more than 40 years in the Italian kitchen and opened seven restaurants in Italy; the menu is classic Italian with home-made fresh pasta, porcini risotto, beef tartare with Parmesan fondue and truffle cream, fish, seafood, meat and vegan dishes, with Galilean touches such as lamb on freekeh. Beside the restaurant are an intimate bar of leather armchairs and stone walls, a long wine list, eight boutique rooms with breakfast, above the Frankish winery and in other parts of the fortress, and events of up to 150 guests; its press page lists coverage in Haaretz, the BBC, The Jerusalem Post, ynet, mako and Walla, among others.