Places to Eat in Lebanon
A ‘coup de coeur’ is when you instantly fall in love with something, maybe love at first sight if you will. In my case its love at first bite… restaurants I have visited and bites I have tried and enjoyed so much. Some things just leave a certain place in your life… and this year I have come across a few places that I can still taste in my mind until today… and every time I think of the experience, my heart skips a beat calling me to go have some again and again…
As posted on The Travel Junkie Diary
Babel: Where Every Detail is Mastered to Perfection
Babel, located on the Dbayeh highway, is a restaurant you won’t be able to miss while driving along the road. A huge yellow stone temple with its big facade and high rotating sign prepare you for a unique experience. I’ve been to Babel more then six times already and every time I enjoy it as if it was the first.
The experience starts the minute you walk into the grandiose Babelish castle, composed of three different levels. The whole ambiance revolves around a tall olive tree in the middle, planted under a glass opening above. The high ceiling is breathtaking while you stand in awe, wondering if the building was build thousands of years ago. To add more of the outdoor feel, street-style black lamps decorate the space. Three huge walls made of giant blocks of stone form the triangular boundaries of the restaurant, creating a strong impact. Babel serves Lebanese food with a twist of finesse. Keep some space for desserts and order the “Ashta b Ashta”… it’s to die for.
I simply love this place as well as all the Babel establishments. Until today, I’ve not encountered a single mistake. Take your family and go enjoy a pleasant Sunday.
La Petite Maison Beirut: A Fine Culinary Experience Filled with European Flavors
My story with La Petite Maison has come a long way since the very first time I tried its beautiful location in Dubai a couple of years ago. Accompanied with my father in law, a fine gourmet, a while after, we tried the original one in Nice during a visit to the South of France. We enjoyed the original yet same authentic feel that is now spread all around the world. With off springs in Cannes, Moscow, Paris and London, Beirut is also on their map, today, offering Lebanese an experience that should be enjoyed at least once in a lifetime.
As I said, La Petite Maison is a unique restaurant indeed. The ambiance is so special. The flickering lights of the candles give warmth all over. Even when they want to celebrate someone’s birthday, no music is played. The staff sings in total happiness together with the guests to celebrate the special occasion.
On the first floor of Hotel Le Vendome, Beirut, a fine dining restaurant has opened its doors in March bringing the best from Nice and Dubai for the local picky clientele to enjoy. The elevator door opens towards the entrance of the restaurant. A few plants and two benches decorate this white ambiance separating the hotel’s stairs from the restaurant with glass walls where the famous logo “toys celebres ici” is printed.
Everyone is smiling and happy around here with the professionalism often missed in town. La Petite Maison offers a casual cuisine from Nice using the freshest of ingredients presented in a mouthwatering way… to make your night one that will be enjoyed and remembered. Dinner is the best time to enjoy LPM.
Tavolina: I Found it… A Pizza Worth a Trophy
I like this place, simple and soothing, located on a calm street of Mar Mikhael – where eating on the side walk is a pleasant experience.
Tavolina’s Pizza is worth talking about: I can honestly say that today I’ve tasted one of the best not to say the best Italian pizza ever tasted in Lebanon. A 30cm perfectly round pizza with thin non chewy dough and generous filling. Amazingly well decorated, the ingredients are fresh and tasty. Surrounding these ingredient is a thick round border, crunchy on the outside and spongy on the inside that you really enjoy eating with an after effect of YUM! If you like Marguerita’s pizza, you will love Tavolina’s. Dear Pizzaiolo, you deserve a round of applause.
We all enjoyed our time so much that we decided to come back for more the week after. During dinner, my wife and I couldn’t stop looking at each other saying: “They have improved a lot!” Today, I enjoyed good Italian and delicious food, an awesome Pizza – all set in a nice atmosphere. Tavolina is a place I recommend. They don’t take reservations at Tavolina, so make sure to visit early with your friends or family.
Frosty Palace: Discover Lebanon’s Ultimate Burger Place
This year has been intense with the burger mania, at least for me… After trying so many burgers this year, going back to the best was inevitable. I went to Frosty Palace just to remind my taste buds of where all the good things first started.
Frosty Palace is a small place with only three diner-style booth tables, frosty-like blue leather sofas, neon lights, a bar with stools, in a calm and very cozy ambiance embraced by a soft music. On the wall, written in blue is a sentence saying: “burgers, fries, sodas, milkshakes”… All are homemade, simple and clear.
Frosty Palace offers one single burger with the possibility of adding to it Swiss cheese, bacon and cheddar cheese, caramelized onions… If you’re not a burger fan, -although you must try this one- the menu offers other suggestions from salads, sandwiches to a variety of side orders – all in a simple menu. Brunch is also a choice at Frosty Palace.
Frosty’s Burger Portrait: A delightful piece of art. In every bite you’ll feel a mix of soft bun, a crunchy layer of bacon, a cocktail of Swiss and cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and that taste of BBQ’ed meat (burnt effect of the meat) with delicious palatal sensations. A light thin leaf of lettuce, American sweet pickles, very thin and enjoyable tomato slice… all with a final light crunch of the lower toasted bread. Just imagine! A dream-like sensation. A burger for the connoisseurs.
What more can I say about Onno, this small modest Armenian restaurant in Bourj Hammoud. I can easily repost the same review published exactly a year ago, but I need to give this place justice by reliving the great experience in words…
Onno is a place you go to relax and enjoy some local jewels. Leave your ego home and come and enjoy the finest homemade food Lebanon has ever witnessed.
The experience at Onno is breathtaking where you will enjoy some really good food. Some authentic, unsophisticated flavors of what real Armenian cuisine is all about. Fattouch, cooked vegetables, tabbouleh, meat… I’m finding it hard to tell you how happy we were, looking at each other, in awe and amazement.
Onno is Onno. Onno offers perfectly tasty food where passion, dedication and love is enjoyed in every bite.You leave Onno happy and satisfied… You feel that all your senses have been attended to, with care and dedictation. Onno is a must try…
The Four Seasons Hotel: The Best Breakfast You can Have in Lebanon
Arrive at the Four Seasons facing the Zaytunay Bay and give your car to the professional valet. A smiling and attentive doorman will show you to the Grill Room, on the second floor. They recently introduced a new breakfast formula, which was thoroughly explained by the hostess. I’m not sure why they changed since it was perfect already, but then again, this only shows the brand’s professionalism and constant need to improve and perfect their brand.
The new breakfast formula includes a different set of starters that land on your table as you sit, followed with a choice of fresh juices prepared on the spot. Inside, the buffet has been doubled with more fruits, more pastry items and more of everything.
Eggs Benedict: I still insist that this is one of the best in town. Two round English muffins topped with salmon and poached eggs on top while Hollandaise sauce flows around. Two poached eggs served individually, each on a thick slice of smoked salmon overlaying an English muffin. Beautifully presented and simple, the eggs are half cooked and covered with a rich and tasty Hollandaise sauce. As soon as you cut into them, the egg yolk flows around making your eyes water.
To confirm, The Four Seasons still offers the best breakfast in Lebanon and a great price. All of the above, starters, a wide buffet, fresh juices, coffee and four different plates for 58,000L.L all inclusive.
Fouad Khalil’s Authentic Lebanese Food
I truly hope I will be able to describe my experience at the one and only Fouad. Giving justice to a place and finding the right words to describe is hard, especially when the overall experience is truly amazing. But I will try… At Fouad the experience is unique on many levels: An extraordinary welcoming, superb food, awesome choices along with well trained staff who will absolutely make you leave in total awe. Everyone I know who has visited Fouad plan on coming back again and again…
Fouad is a restaurant in Nabe3 el Mghara, Hrajel situated in a location far from tourists’ vibes. In here, they know nothing about marketing or the use of social media for advertising. But that’s just it! The best authentic Lebanese restaurant that serves food the way our ancestors used to prepare them, they don’t need advertising – they are always fully booked.
You are welcomed by Fouad, the order is taken by Fouad and you eat the food prepared by Fouad himself… All I know is that if you enjoy Lebanese food and crave for that genuine Lebanese hospitality and generosity Fouad is the place to go… I don’t think that any other restaurant in Lebanon can offer you this experience
A food blogger from Lebanon with an undeniable passion for all things fine including food, travel and photography. He joins his passion on one platform and does a fantastic job. Winner of best blog about Beirut, he is definitely one of our favorite food writer we have come across! You can read more about him on NoGarlicNoOnions
