Tourist charged £2,200 for kebab in Jerusalem

The owners apologised and said the refund was pending

Woman was overcharged for shwarma (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

An American tourist was shocked when she discovered she’d been charged 10,100 Israeli shekels (£2,335) for a plate of shwarma at a restaurant in Jerusalem.

Laura Ziff shared the story on social media, writing in the Secret Jerusalem Facebook group: “I need help please. Can someone provide the address for a restaurant right by the Jaffa Gate called Old City Shwarma.”

She added: “I was charged approximately $2,900 for one shwarma plate!”

Ziff claimed the owners had made a mistake and promised to refund her credit card on 12 August, but that the money had still not been returned.

The owners maintain the overcharging was a mistake.

Laura Ziff's Facebook post (Facebook/Laura Ziff)

In an updated post on 2 September, Ziff said the owners had apologised and were “working with their bank” to make the refund happen.

“I contacted my credit card company and they provided some additional information that should assist [the owners] in making the refund happen very quickly,” she said.

It’s not the first case of a tourist being overcharged at a restaurant.

In May 2019 an American tourist was left shocked after being presented with an €836 (£738) bill for some calamari and beers at a restaurant in Mykonos.

The visitor from Brooklyn shared a picture of the bill from DK Oyster restaurant on TripAdvisor.

“This place is a rip off,” he wrote. “The staff is not honest and refuse to provide a menu and prices. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS! No pun intended.”

The bill shows the group were charged €591 for six plates of calamari, working out at €98.50 per serving; €150 for six local beers (€25 per drink); and €59.40 for three chicken Caesar salads (€19.80 per salad).