THE bartender at Misk, a new restaurant and concert space in Nazareth, Israel, hurriedly scrolled through YouTube videos. His search was projected on a large screen, a new addition to the Ottoman-era white stone building. At last, he found a dance remix of an Arabic birthday song, and as the frenetic opening chords filled the room, a waitress strode out holding a cake fizzing with 18 sparkler candles.

This stylish restaurant, opened in Israel’s largest Arab city last November, is deservedly popular with the younger generation of Nazarenes. In the last few years they have seen the dining scene in their city, which is known primarily for being the childhood home of Jesus, evolve from one offering mainly fast food, like falafel and shawarma, to one filled with creative Arabic fusion kitchens like Misk, where classic Palestinian dishes are given a worldly makeover.

In the middle of Nazareth’s Old City quarter, men and women order salmon with mint leaves, black tahini and okra; and toast with complicated cocktails and shots of tequila. This is a significant change for the city of 73,000, populated by a mix of Muslim and Christian Arabs: Until a few years ago, alcohol was rarely seen on menus and women didn’t often go out at night. The emerging restaurant scene is helping to change that, and turning Nazareth from a two-hour stop on religious tours into a bona fide culinary destination.

“We’ve been eating the same things forever, but in the last five years we have seen so many new restaurants,” said Raja Marjieh, 18, a party guest at Misk.