We have been going to Beirut for years now, and one thing that we keep telling people is that Beirut is one of the world’s best food cities! Good prices, amazing quality food and with that beautiful Mediterranean climate, late night long dinners outside are a pleasure to enjoy.
Beirut has so much food on offer in both fancy restaurants and street food styles. These recommendations are sit down restaurants that we think anyone who visits Beirut should go to. They are all located in our favourite area of Beirut, Hamra, which for us is the best combination of lively and relaxed with lots of restaurants and bars and great proximity to everything you’d want to visit in Beirut.
Mezyan (مزيان)
We love Meyzan, and proof of this is in how many times we have visited this place, with and without groups. They have great local food with such epically delicious salads which go great with their cocktails and tap beer! We’d definitely recommend a reservation if you plan on visiting from Thursday into the weekend. If you stay around late enough you might even get to see the place turn into a live music venue with dancing!
T-Marbutah (ة)
T-marbutah can be a little tricky to find if you don’t speak Arabic, as the name is the name of a letter in Arabic which can be seen on their front door (the letter looks like Ö for your info). If you go through you’ll get to see their amazing open air courtyard which is one of our favourite outdoor eating spots in the city.
Oh and the prices are great! Definitely a great place to have a long boozy meal. Reservations are also recommended on weekends.
Raseef (رصيف)
Raseef feels like the fancy cousin of T-marbutah with beautiful lighting adorning the trees of the outside of the restaurant. The inside has beautiful old décor and of course the food is amazing! The waiters are also extremely friendly and they do a great job at keeping the resident obese cat from disturbing too many people. Definitely would be a good spot if you wanted to take someone on a romantic date or even just for a cocktail before heading to somewhere with more of a party vibe.
Ferdinand
This is a staple for many Lebanese who come back to visit Beirut. Everyone knows Ferdinand. If you go here, you have to get their signature burger with blueberry jam. We know it sounds strange, but trust us it works! Ferdinand is on the pricier side, but if you go during certain hours you can snag some amazing happy hour drink prices. Reservations are also highly recommended, especially if you’d like to sit out the front.
Barbar
Barbar is also another classic, well-known for their amazing shawarma platters. You can of course just get the simple take away shawarma, but if you are feeling extra hungry then we recommend sitting in and pigging out on their amazing chicken or lamb shawarma plates. It’s not the cheapest shawarma in the city, but it definitely is one of the best!
Currently all of our Syria tours begin and end in Beirut, so joining us for a Syria tour will give you a chance to explore the best of Beirut’s culinary scene! If you’d like to join us in Syria or Lebanon check out the tours we currently have on our Middle East tour page or send us an email to [email protected] .
