Restaurants in Lebanon
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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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Seaside Road
The best place for cheap eats is the stretch of felafel, seafood and mezze joints surrounding the Al-Qualaa Hotel on the seaside road, opposite the Sea Castle. A very popular local choice here is Abou Ramy, though all the places offer comparable quality and prices and are packed at weekends. Wandering the souq, you'll also smell tempting, cinnamon-tinged aromas wafting from tiny eating establishments. Follow your nose to a cheap and delicious lunch in its atmospheric hidden alleyways.
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
'46
Named after the year the owner's father opened the restaurant, '46 has a solid Italian/international menu. The friendly waiters, relaxed atmosphere and large windows overlooking the Corniche make it a cut above Tripoli's other dining choices. Try the rich, spicy pasta Arrabiata; the 'Rockford filet' - allegedly involving steak and blue cheese - is excellent. The entrance is at the back of the building; you won't miss the restaurant when cruising the Corniche.
reviewed
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E
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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fast-food vendors
Around the clock tower and branching out into the old city are plenty of fast-food vendors, selling boiled sweet corn from pushcarts and felafel from street stalls. If you're planning on taking a picnic out of town, the souqs are the place to pick up fresh fruit, bread, cheese and olives. Tucked away in tiny alleyways there are also a few small hole-in-the-wall canteens serving up cheap shwarma and other simple dishes.
reviewed
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Corniche
Along the Corniche in Al-Mina are ranged a number of ice cream parlours, heaving with locals on weekend evenings, whilst a straggle of floating coffee houses dispense hot drinks and snacks on the water itself. In the small streets behind the '46 restaurant are a number of nice bars that offer probably the most fun evening dining in town, all with the same sorts of mezze menus, along with pizzas, pastas and grills.
reviewed
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F
Le Petit Phoenicien
Also known locally as 'Hadeed', after the family that owns and runs it, this is considered the best place for seafood in Tyre. With a nice location overlooking the water and friendly staff, it's a great place to linger over a long, languid lunch while watching the fishing boats. Along the same lines, though without the sea view, the Salinas restaurant, just next to Rest House, comes highly recommended by locals.
reviewed
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G
Lido Café
Back in the centre of town, this is a solid all-day eating option. Not as expensive as the riverside places and open all year round, its pasta dishes and grills make a good change for those suffering mezze overload – though hummus is still on the menu, should you so desire it. There's often live music or a DJ at weekends, attracting Zahlé's younger residents.
reviewed
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H
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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I
Rest House
Sidon's upscale option is this government-owned venue, overlooking the Sea Castle. It's a restored Ottoman khan, with vaulted ceilings and inlaid marble and stonework. The shaded garden terrace is on the edge of the sea and has a nice view of Sidon's seafront. Food here is traditional Lebanese, with good mezze, seafood and Lebanese wine.
reviewed
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J
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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K
Rafaat Hallab & Sons
This is the place to sample Tripoli's famous sweets. You're sure to come across a number of other branches all over town, dispensing, amongst other delights, gooey, sticky baklava, pistachio-topped asmaleyye, crunchy filo aash el-bulbul (nightingale's nests), and tea or coffee with which to wash them down.
reviewed
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L
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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M
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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N
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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O
Tyros Restaurant
This is a huge place that's extremely popular with locals, especially on weekends when it's advisable to drop in during the afternoon to book a good table in advance. It has a great atmosphere, the food is delicious and there's frequently live classical Arabic music on Saturday nights.
reviewed
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P
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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Q
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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R
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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S
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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Al-Midane Café
A great choice for a drink, snack or nargileh on Deir al-Qamar's main square. Open later in summer if the clientele is in the mood, it serves up decent club sandwiches and salads, and on weekends and summer evenings has live music until the wee hours.
reviewed
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T
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