“Bee Mediterranean makes sense to show and reflect what we are, which is a Mediterranean restaurant,” he said.
Liberman said he moved to Texas for love; along the way he also decided to open a coffee shop. The Israeli-born Austin local was living in Belize when he connected with his future wife, who was in Austin at the time.
Liberman had been a diving instructor in Belize and hoped to open his own dive center and cafe in Lake Travis; however, he soon realized that diving was not as big in Lake Travis as it was in Belize.
“At the time, I didn’t know how big the food business was in Austin,” he said. “I also discovered that, to survive as a coffee shop, you have to be willing to serve food.”
To his surprise, the Israeli food he served was very popular, and Java Dive Organic Cafe became a 3,000-square-foot Mediterranean restaurant in Lakeway in 2005.
Liberman closed the Lakeway location in 2014 to spend more time with his family; he reopened in the Hill Country Galleria in 2019.
Java Dive sells and roasts its own coffee; the eatery has an espresso menu with americanos, cappuccinos and lattes, but that is only part of what they do, Liberman said.
“People see the name ‘Java Dive Cafe’ and they think I’m a coffee shop, but I’m really a restaurant,” he said.
The restaurant’s menu includes shakshuka, a North African and Middle Eastern dish that is a mixture of tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, spices and egg; grilled pita sandwiches; shawarma, or meat cut into thin slices and stacked in a cone-like shape before being marinated for hours; falafel paninis; and organic rice and meat plates.
Liberman refers to these menu items as “modern Mediterranean,” a reflection of Israel’s diverse culture.
“Israel is basically a cultural melting pot of countries all over the Middle East,” he said. “You are getting more of a mix of Mediterranean foods...from different cultures.”
Java Dive Organic Cafe
12800 Galleria Circle, Ste. 101, Bee Cave
512-861-2242
www.javadivecafe.com
Hours: Wed.-Sun. 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Mon.-Tue. closed
