Restaurants in Beirut
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A
Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi
Set in a nice old Ottoman house, this place is a favourite with locals for its table-bending buffets. It is a great choice if you're hungry for high quality mezze and are a particular fan of hummus, of which there's numerous varieties - it won't leave you much room for dessert.
reviewed
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B
Al-Balad
This place offers the tastiest, best-value Lebanese mezze in Downtown, and is especially popular with lunching business people. The spicy red hummus, in particular, is well worth a dip.
reviewed
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C
Blue Elephant
OK, so it's a little overdone with its profusion of bamboo, screechy Thai soundtrack and indoor waterfalls, but the Blue Elephant, housed in the Searock Hotel on a road just above Lunapark, is nevertheless an excellent place to go for an upscale Thai fix. The sweet corn cookies and green curries are particularly tasty, and there's a decent vegetarian menu - but watch out for the over-attentive waiters who will replenish your every sip and spoonful, even if you protest.
reviewed
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D
Pasta di Casa
An unpretentious local Italian place, just a short walk from most Hamra and Corniche accommodation options. Friendly staff and huge bowls of home-made pasta - one portion alongside a starter or salad is big enough to share unless you're ravenous - make it a welcoming place to which it's easy to return again…and again…and again. It only has 10 tables, doesn't accept credit cards and gets very busy after about 21:00.
reviewed
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E
Ristretto
As its name implies, this small café serves good strong espresso shots. It also serves some of the best breakfast eggs and pancakes in town, and is an excellent place to cure that Rue Monot-induced hangover. Its lunch menu changes every day: if you're a homesick Brit, check if their Friday special is fish and chips with tartare sauce.
reviewed
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F
Al Dente
Attached to the Hotel Albergo, this formal Italian restaurant's suitably lavish décor and lengthy wine list make it a favourite with Beirut businessmen and a fabulous place for a special occasion. The melt-in-the-mouth risottos are Italian cuisine at its very best, and well worth the high prices. Bookings are essential.
reviewed
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G
Olio
Like many of the street's gems, this tiny place with a handful of tables fills up rapidly after 21:00. Locals flock for wood-fired pizzas, generous portions of pasta and hearty red wines. Try the fabulous bruschetta pomodoro to start and grab a table near the window to watch sleek new Ferraris roll by outside.
reviewed
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Diwan Sultan Brahim
If you're looking for fine fish, it's hard to beat the freshest catch in tow. Select your own; the red mullet and deep-friend sardines (known as bizri) are house specialities. The excellent mezze are well known in Beirut, and it's a busy place particularly during the weekends, so be sure to book.
reviewed
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H
La Tabkha
Trendy Beirut chain serving contemporary versions of traditional French and Lebanese dishes in minimalist surroundings. The daily specials, chalked up on the board, are a great lunchtime option, as is the Lebanese mezze buffet. There's a second, equally yummy, branch on Rue Mahatma Gandhi in Hamra.
reviewed
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Zaatar w Zeit
This branch is busiest late at night when patrons from the nearby clubs flock here to re-energise over cheap and delicious manaeesh with a multitude of toppings. There is another branch on Rue Bliss that is equally popular, with AUB students there at all hours of the day and night.
reviewed
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J
Scallywags
A lovely, friendly fusion restaurant in a quaint and quiet Achrafiye street, this place is great for an intimate dinner, with a Mediterranean-ish menu that changes daily depending on what takes the chef's fancy. It's worth calling ahead to book, as there's only a handful of tables.
reviewed
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K
Barbar
The granddaddy of them all, this phenomenally popular chain sells manaeesh, shwarma, pastries, mezze, kebabs, ice cream and fresh juice. Join the hordes of people gobbling their snacks on the street in front, or organise to have food delivered to your hotel or apartment.
reviewed
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L
Walimat Wardeh
This simple, stylish place hidden away in Hamra is well worth seeking out. Reasonably priced, with good brunches, Lebanese specialities on a changing chalked-up menu and tango music on Thursday nights, you'll be mingling with an unpretentious, laid-back local crowd.
reviewed
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Relais l'Entrecote
If you're craving a piece of Paris, this is the place. Unbeatable for its steak-frites, it's a fab place for a hearty lunch washed down with a robust bottle of red wine. If you have any room left afterwards, the chocolate fondant is highly recommended.
reviewed
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Taj al-Moulouk
Great Turkish coffee and an amazing array of glistening pastries, make a visit to this old-fashioned patisserie an essential pit stop. It's takeaway only, unless you transport your sticky purchases to its ice cream parlour two doors away.
reviewed
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O
Bliss House
This is one of the most popular takeaways in Beirut and is always packed with AUB students grabbing a quick snack. Its three shop fronts offer cheap and filling shwarma, kebabs, fresh juice, and fruit cocktails topped with honey and nuts.
reviewed
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P
Olive
One of Beirut's few vegetarian restaurants, this great, laid-back place offers all-organic food in a beautiful French mandate-era building. With your meal, try the organic juices; afterwards, linger over a slice of home baked cake.
reviewed
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Q
Japanese Please!
This tiny sushi bar is a welcome oddity among the fast-food franchises of Rue Bliss. Customers can take away, eat at the bar, or take advantage of the free delivery service. Reasonable prices, with great teriyaki and tempura.
reviewed
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R
Asia
Beirutis love Asia as much for its expansive rooftop views across the city as for its pricey, but perfect, Asian fusion cuisine. Dress up, since the crowd's predictably glam, and book ahead for a decent table.
reviewed
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S
Le Sushi Bar
A highly chic, minimalist destination for sushi connoisseurs: if you like your sashimi extra special, served on ice, and accompanied by a glass of perfectly chilled champagne, this is a splash-out must.
reviewed
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Mino
This tiny shwarma stand really sells only four things - meat and chicken shwarma in two sizes. But what it does, it does well, and it beats waiting at Bliss House when it's packed with students.
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Kabab-ji
A long-standing branch of the Lebanon-wide chain. It's a little more stylish than most kebab shops and an extremely popular place to sit and sample fresh and delicious kebabs and grills.
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Paul
A chain café but a good one nonetheless, this bakery stocks excellent breakfast pastries, generous sandwiches, quiches and café au lait so good you'd swear you were in Paris.
reviewed
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La Plage
A small, cool beach bar with great seafood and typically bronzed and beautiful bodies arranged around the pool, hidden at the eastern end of the Cornice.
reviewed
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Charcuterie Bayoud
Look out for Charcuterie Bayoud a few doors up from the Co-op, which is as popular for its beer, wine and spirits as its meats.
reviewed