Living the Lebanese Dream: Visiting Beirut

I probably don’t have to tell you that visiting Beirut was an absolute experience of a lifetime. From the stunning views of the Mediterranean to the awe-inspiring historical sights to the vineyards in the mountains to the mind-blowing cuisine, it was a trip that I will never forget. While I don’t have any recommendations on hotels, as I was staying with a friend, I do have insight into sights to see and restaurants to visit—places you will never forget and food that will change your life.

Where to Eat

Baron: If looking for an exquisite dining experience while visiting Beirut, this place is for you. The restaurant is always crowded, and features an open kitchen bustling with staff, but the venue is chic and charming, with the owner himself serving food and part of the restaurant open air so you dine under the stars. Highlight dishes include a halloumi cheese served in a smoke infused glass tagine with chilies, pistachios and grapefruit; the freshest green tomatoes I have ever had; a whole cauliflower smothered in a tahini sauce so creamy you will want to bathe in it; roasted eggplant served with earthy yogurt and pomegranate seeds.

All of this is washed down with copious amounts of Lebanese wine. It is, as it says on the website, “A place to celebrate life with what we know best—food and drink.” An accurate description of how I live my life, and an eloquent way to describe Baron, Beirut, and Lebanese culture.

Margherita Mare: This venue is the ultimate spot for a relaxing, seaside lunch featuring some of the freshest Italian fare available in Beirut. The views of the water are so picturesque and the food is so divine you don’t even need conversation. Enjoy a simple arugula salad, drizzled with local oil olive and lemons, pasta with a bright, cheerful housemade Pomodoro sauce, pizza laden with basil and pillows of mozzarella. And of course, Lebanese wine.

Al Falamanki:  While visiting Beirut, you must try the local cuisine. This local venue had perhaps the most authentically Lebanese food that I sample, and it was one of the most memorable meals of my life. Lebanese food is always served family-style, which is the most pleasant way to eat. The meal opens with cold mezze, bright salads with tomatoes and cucumbers and parsley, simple olive oil dressings; feta sprinkled with za’atar; the most divine hummus I have ever had, drizzled with a fresh mint sauce; beet tahina that is sweet and luscious; deeply smoky mashed eggplant; labneh so silky it melts on your tongue. Then, warm mezze, sumac potatoes and kibbeh and cheese wrapped in fried phyllo. Pita, serving as a mop to soak up all the flavors, is almost an afterthought.

Liza: For an upscale dining experience while visiting Beirut, this is the venue. It is one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever been to. The tables are a pristine white, and everything else from the chandeliers to the window curtains to the lighting is an opulent, eye-catching gold. You wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off of the decorations if the food wasn’t even more beautiful. Order grilled eggplant puree for something meaty and smoky and labne for the silkiest and somehow, sweetest but tartest yogurt you will ever have. Fattoush, salad with crispy bread is also divine, as is the fatayer, which are small spinach pies.

Al Sousse: This small, unassuming spot serves a breakfast for champions, all cooked by one elderly gentleman. Mashed chickpeas swimming in olive oil are hearty and filling, and the fatteh, yogurt with chickpeas and crunchy shards of pita bread, is the best I have ever had in my life.

Where to Drink

Bar Italia: This charming bar in the old souk of Byblos is a great place to grab a drink after visiting the ruins. The interior is rustic and unique, with stone walls and a low lighting. Outdoor seating is also available if the weather is nice. You can peruse the shops in the old souk before or after you enjoy your beverage.

Stairway: Mar Mikheal is one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in Beirut; the streets are lined with bars and restaurants. Stairway is one of the best with a gorgeous rooftop where you can drink, mingle, and people watch.

Hole in the Wall: Live music and inexpensive drinks are the name of the game at this bar, which is located in Ashrafieh, one of the oldest districts in Beirut. Mingle with the crowd inside, or grab a table with stools outside.

Where to Visit

Byblos: This UNESCO World Heritage site offers an opportunity to view the ruins of several successive civilities and is one of the oldest continuous habituated cities in the world’s history. The city has been inhabited since the Neolithic times, and serves as the place where the origin of our alphabet was first discovered. You can walk among the ruins, admire the surrounding Mediterranean waters, and marvel at the significance of this archaeological site.

Lebanese Wines

Massaya Winery:  Make sure to add in a visit to a winery while visiting Beirut. I may be biased, but Massaya is not only the best winery in Beirut, but also one of my favorite wineries in the world. Nestled in the Mount Lebanon mountain range in Faqra, the winery showcases the best of Lebanese food and wine. Owned by brothers Sami and Ramzi Goshen, who reclaimed the property they had to abandon when the fled from Lebanon due to the civil war, the vineyard is a sprawling masterpiece, complete with a tasting room, a restaurant, and terrace.  Many years ago I had the opportunity to sample Massaya’s wines at a wine tasting dinner at Zaytinya in Washington, D.C. My obsession with the wine from that dinner made the visit to Massaya all the more poignant.

To visit the place the produces one of my favorite wines, to immerse myself in the wine tasting culture of Lebanon, which really has not been fully realized by the world, was overwhelming—in the best way. Visiting Massaya is more than just sampling wine and absorbing the views. If you decide to go for lunch, you can enjoy a three course meal with as much Massaya wine as you want, white, rose, and red. It’s a deal so good I still can’t wrap my head around it. The food includes warm, housemade soup; frikeh and grilled vegetables served in jars; fresh pasta swirled in a fragrant pesto sauce. Desserts are equally as delicious, lemon meringue tarts that so bright and sweet and tart, chocolate pie that is sinfully decadent, and little baked custard cups that are so damn you good you won’t ever want to leave.

Pigeon Rocks in Raouche: Raouche is a neighborhood in Beirut that runs along the water. Head to the stunning Pigeon Rocks, which are located at Beirut’s Western most tip. Walk along the seaside promenade, called the Corniche, stop for coffee at a seaside cafe, and be sure to take lots of pictures.

Visiting Beirut: The Verdict

Travelling to Beirut was one of the best travel experiences I have had so far. The pictures speak louder than anything I could say. If you have the opportunity to go to Lebanon, don’t pass it up.