Beirut’s Restaurant Scene Signals Lebanon Is Making a Comeback
After a difficult few years, cafés and restaurants are full again as tourists return to the cosmopolitan streets of Lebanon’s capital.
Diners at a café look out over the water near Raouche Rocks in Beirut, Lebanon
Source: AlamyOn a sunny afternoon in downtown Beirut, groups of Kuwaitis and Emiratis queue in excitement to get a taste of a $13 tomato sandwich. The pricey snack, which caused a stir on social media last July, is among a selection of Mediterranean bites at Em Sherif Deli, a popular eatery founded by Beirut-native Mireille Hayek in 2011. Em Sherif is one of Lebanon’s most recognizable brands, a mini-empire that now spans 30 restaurants and cafes in London, Monaco and other cities.
Waiting in line allows you to look around the Deli, which is cozy despite the crowds. A go-to spot for affluent locals and tourists alike, it stocks jars of pomegranate molasses, herbs and dried flowers. Waiters sport the shop’s signature T-shirts adorned with the words “Beirut, mon amour.” Tourists document their experience excitedly, while those not lucky enough to find a seat inside enjoy the shade under sidewalk awnings.