Restaurants & Cafés

The Abela's have been in the catering business for generations and have gained a large market share in numerous Arab countries. The name has now moved to Beirut and taken the shape of Abela Delices, a company capable of catering for a capacity of as few as one diner to a massive dinner for 500 people.

Enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and the traditional mezze at very fair prices. Go for a traditional breakfast in the morning and enjoy the perfectly mixed homemade Arak in the evening.

Intimate both in decor and service, Acapulco offers an impressive array of dishes to tease your palate all in a colourful and romantic interior with enchanting music and a special entertainment program every weekend.

Though it bid goodbye to its longtime Gemmayzeh premises with much regret, the famous traditional Lebanese café is carrying on in the same spirit in Antelias. Full Lebanese menu, live Lebanese music and narguileh.

Zico’s eclectic cultural space and bar has reinvented itself as Al Awwal restaurant, while still supporting the same cultural events and NGOs as always. The Good Food Collective work the kitchen, while the bar space and garden have been given a makeover. Expect relaxed times and good live music in a stimulating environment.

Famous for its baklava and maamoul, this 1950 Oriental sweets house has branches even in the South of Lebanon. aside from the typical Lebanese sweets, their product range includes ice cream, petit fours, croissants, chocolates and Tunisian sweets. try their znoud el set and their lip-smacking date treats.

High-end Italian restaurant hung with chandeliers, thick drapes and faux Renaissance paintings. Request the capellini with asparagus and white truffle oil or try one of the risottos.

Café/restaurant with a truly Beiruti experience. Relish in the remarkable seaside setting and savour some of the most delicious flavours Lebanese cuisine has to offer.

Fantastic Armenian/Lebanese mezze and main dishes with a homemade Aleppo twist. The kefta in cherry sauce is unmissable, and other stand-outs include the quail’s eggs with basterma and sparrows in pomegranate sauce. Don’t be surprised if you’re serenaded by the grinning, guitar-strumming in-house musician and his moustache. Tip – he also takes requests.

With a reputation for the highest standards, Sultan Brahim has been known for its superb traditional Lebanese cuisine for over 40 years. Enjoy a wide variety of fresh fish along with the best of the traditional Lebanese mezze.

Cavernous, even by Lebanese standards. This 1,000-odd-seater giant is nonetheless worth a visit even if there are only a few of you; residents say this is some of the best food around. Our visit delivered the goods: a menu with several unusual variations; even the trusty favourites were slightly surprising, in a good way. Go for the tangy kafta meatballs with pomegranate syrup and the Ehden speciality, kibbet qaras, a large, baked kibbeh strongly spiced with cinnamon and stuffed with pine nuts and minced meat. The spicy potatoes, too, were sublime. The panorama of the valley alone deserves the trip, as long as you get to sit near it.

The temptingly comprehensive range of Indian dishes on offer at this, one of Beirut’s very few Indian restaurants, might not bowl over curry aficionados when they arrive, but the decent effort and sumptuous décor will surely make up for it.