Phone and Dine in Lebanon - Restaurants Beirut Ashrafieh Hamra Byblos

Phone and Dine in Lebanon - Information of Restaurants & Cafés provided by cities

What makes the styles of cooking so different in Lebanon, whether in the houses or in the restaurants, is the Lebanese themselves. The same dishes, with the same ingredients, are better than those anywhere else in the Middle East, pastries included. I have tasted pizzas in Rome, Florence, Naples and Paris, but they could not compare with those of Beirut. Take for example the tabbouleh or the hommos made with sesame oil that the Israelis wish to be considered their national dish; in Lebanon they have a far better taste! This comes from the character of the Lebanese, who is generous, clean, and skilled; he possesses infallible good taste, serves food attractively, and has exceptional savoir-faire and a sixth sense for innovation.

Even the coffee that is called Turkish but is really purely Lebanese is unbeatable, leaving in the mouth its aroma of cardamom or other essences.

I would add that every style of cuisine of the planet is transformed in the hands of a Lebanese chef, remaining distinctive while taking this breath from the Land of the Cedars.

In Lebanon, from north to south, from east to west, one finds restaurants of every category. The popular dives may be no more than a bakery or large oven where crowds can enjoy good food cheap, while more well-heeled customers swarm to restaurants of a more sophisticated class. Close to the shore all along the coast there are picturesque restaurants variously decorated overlooking swimming-pools and with extensive views of the beaches; there are venerable houses with terraces giving an intimate feeling and newly raised roofs all ready to receive customers at their tables.

As for the staff, it is well qualified, trained, clean, polite, obliging, speedy and vigilant. Many who serve are university students taking degrees in hotel and restaurant management, supported by an army of non-Lebanese who are strictly controlled by the appropriate ministries, Public Health, Tourism, and Interior. From the northern frontier down to Nakoura in the South, there are establishments to please every taste.

If we go inside the towns, through the streets and alleyways, there is another world to explore. Architects, civil engineers, landscape gardeners, decorators, antiquaries and technicians have put their skills to the service of catering, creating incomparable surroundings.

In the capital and its surroundings, entire streets have been transformed into restaurant areas where every day of the week people go in their thousands. The choice is bewildering. Whether we go up into the mountains or descend into the valleys, or follow the river banks, there is a distinct world open to the country's inhabitants and tourists alike.

Seated by rushing waters, under the shade of verdant wide-spreading trees, with splendid views stretching to a far horizon, one may be served meat, fish, and poultry, in fact grills of every description, with a hundred varieties of little dishes as appetizers. There are wine cellars which offer the best foods in the world, including a range of local and European cheeses. Whether one climbs high on the mountain or wanders in the plains, in the tourist sites one finds restaurants without end receiving and welcoming their clients with open arms.

Music there is of every kind. Some prefer calm and silence but for those who like music boosted by electronics it is easy to find. Of star singers to enliven the evenings, of folklore or contemporary dance groups, there are ones to suit every taste. One even finds old railroad wagons, aircraft fuselages and boats, every sort of original setting, adapted to attract the public.

As for foreign food, there are numberless French chefs and also Italian restaurants with their typical menus. Chinese, Indian, and Japanese sushi eating places abound. The Spanish La Puella has an atmosphere Mediterranean and Lebanese. Brazil and the rest of Latin America offer their dishes and their drinks. Africa is not forgotten, with the Maghreb and its cooking. One may eat Greek, Turkish, Armenian, or Mexican, spiced and accompanied by sea foods.

From Germany and the Far East with Korea, the whole planet is represented here in Beirut. At the same time, the Lebanese mezzeh, the little dishes from which one can pick and choose before the main course, are universal.

Bread of every description is served piping hot, the larger restaurants having their own bakery to produce loaves at mealtimes. To talk of all the sweets, pastries, ice creams and sorbets would take up too much time. Fruit and desserts are offered in abundance freely like water. Most establishments have their car park with attendants.

A meal in a restaurant in Lebanon is not simply a pleasure, it is a family communion.