Must-see restaurants in Beirut

This Indian pop-up restaurant in the design district was such a big hit that they've made it permanent. There's still plenty of change in this space…

Don’t miss lunch at this beloved Beiruti institution where waiters dish up vast platefuls of ‘workers’ food’ to all and sundry. There’s little atmosphere,…

Yes, it's a chain, but Bar Tartine's original Mar Mikhaël location is set back from the road, up a set of stairs (as many restaurants on this stretch are)…

Beirut first fell for sushi in the naughties; today myriad sushi joints are dotted throughout the city. Tsunami is the best you can get without putting on…

The Beirut food community, deprived of affordable Asian food for so long, lost its mind for a minute when Don opened. This place hits all the trend marks:…

Any given Beirut manoushe (Levant-style ‘pizza’)stand can be hit or miss. The best turn out better manoushe than the Lebanese Bakery does, but on a short…

Jai is Beirut's first pan-Asian restaurant, and it remains a stalwart. The restaurant itself is minuscule, only large enough to house the kitchen and one…

Head up the wooden staircase to access this huge and ultra-popular restaurant and then choose between a garden table or one in the attractively decorated…

Supremely out of place in the sleepy Geitawi neighborhood, El Brimo's Vegas-style facade hides an elegantly restored manor house with a garden. The mezze…

A favourite with the affluent Achrafiyeh set, this chain cafe at the start of Rue Gouraud is a fine spot to indulge in some people watching. You'll need…

Zwizz, as the kids call it, is the hometown hero of the Lebanese fast food scene. Franchises abound, and they all sling the same tasty, healthy-ish,…

The poke wave is crashing into Beirut in a big way. Ahi Poke was the first poke place to open in the city, and, for now at least, it’s the best. Ahi Poke…

Beirut is home to the only international outpost of this Los Angeles institution, slinging cholesterol-rich breakfast sandwiches to AUB students morning…

Despite Hamra's buzzing scene, it's not that easy to find a straight-up Lebanese restaurant without a hipster slant or burger menu. This fits the bill:…

Had your fill of hummus? Das Küche has opened smack in the middle of Mar Mikhaël, slinging imported (read: overpriced) pork and beef brats and wursts…