Middle East - Anthony Ham [357]
DOWNTOWN
Al-Balad (Map; 985 375, Rue Ahdab; mezze LL5000; noon-midnight; ) Sadly, Downtown’s downturn in recent years has signalled the closure of many of its best lunch hangouts, but Al-Balad remains ever-popular and ever-present. With traditional Lebanese cooking prepared to its own special recipes, this is one of the best places for a tableful of mezze, including one mean red pepper hummus.
ACHRAFIYE
Abdel Wahab el-Inglezi (Map; 200 552; Rue Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi; mezze LL6500; noon-4pm & 7pm-1am; ) Set in a pretty old Ottoman house, this choice is renowned for its sumptuous buffets and high-quality hummus, of which it has more varieties than you can shake a chickpea at.
Le Sushi Bar (Map; 338 555; Rue Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi; sushi LL6000 per portion; noon-midnight; ) Credited with the launch of the sushi craze in Beirut, this place has also featured in Vogue Paris’ feature ‘100 Best Restaurants in the World’. It’s the place to splash out on all things that once splashed about; reservations for dinner are a must.
Al Dente (Map; 202 440; Hotel Albergo, 137 Rue Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi; mains LL14,500-38,000; noon-3pm & 8.30-11pm Sun-Fri, 8.30-11pm Sat; ) Suitably grand and resplendent as the Hotel Albergo’s (Click here) significant other, this restaurant’s Italian dining is indulgent and divine. Bookings are essential, as are the melt-in-the-mouth risottos.
GEMMAYZEH
Olio (Map; 563 939; Rue Gouraud; pizza LL9000-15,000; noon-midnight Mon-Sat; ) Fill up on wood-fired pizza and delicious bruschettas washed down with stout red wines at this little Italian joint amid Rue Gouraud’s manifold dining options. Get here early to secure a windowside table, perfect for watching the well-heeled crowds clattering by.
Le Chef (Map; 445 373; Rue Gouraud; 2-course meals LL10,000; 6am-6.30pm Mon-Sat) A beloved Beiruti institution; don’t miss a lunch or two at this little Lebanese time warp, where waiters dish up vast platefuls of ‘workers’ food’ to all and sundry. If it’s on offer that day, try one of the regional specialities, including molokhiyya, a gloopy – and allegedly aphrodisiac – combination of rice, soup, mallow leaves, chicken and lamb.
La Tabkha (Map; 579 000; Rue Gouraud; mains LL8000; noon-midnight Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun; ) A great bet for vegetarians, who’ll love the lunchtime mezze buffet, this minimalist place offers good French and Lebanese dishes, with a menu that changes daily.
Cheap Eats
Every sector of Beirut is blessed with its own complement of felafel, kebab, fruit juice and shwarma stands, and a good rule of thumb, as ever, is to go where the locals seem to be going. A felafel sandwich should usually set you back around LL2500, a large fresh juice LL3000 and a hearty shwarma LL3000.
Barbar (Map; Rue Spears, Hamra; 24hr) A phenomenally popular chain selling everything from mezze and shwarma to BBQ chicken wings and vegetarian pizza, as well as pastries, ice cream and fantastic fresh juice, to get stuck into on the pavement out front.
Bliss House (Map; Rue Bliss, Ras Beirut; 7am-5am; ) Always packed with AUB students grabbing a late-night snack or two, Bliss’s three shop fronts offer decent-quality fast food at good prices including shwarma, kebabs, fruit cocktails and vitamin-boosting juices.
Japanese, Please! (Map; 361 047; Rue Bliss, Hamra; sushi from LL2000 per portion; 11am-4pm & 7-11pm Mon-Sat) This tiny sushi bar offers welcome respite from yet another on-the-run shwarma, and does some tasty teriyaki and tempura too.
Paul (Map; Rue Gouraud, Gemmayzeh; 8am-11pm; ) A coffee chain but a good one, Paul makes a great place for a breakfast treat, with croissants and pastries coming in at around the LL3000 mark. The interior’s cool, wooden and inviting, but there’s also an outdoor terrace if you’re in the mood for a spot of sun.
Self-Catering
Beirut is packed with small neighbourhood grocery shops, usually with a good