The “Beirut” is a snack bar and restaurant which totally deserves to be called “authentic” in every way. Hidden in a narrow alleyway of the super crowded and touristy area of the Heumarkt, between all those typical German breweries, trashy pizza shops and other snack bars, “Beirut” is a real gem.

What you find here is more than just Shawarma or Falafel, it’s 115 different Lebanese dishes. Amongst those you’ll find vegetarian dishes just like the ones you’d find in the authentic Arabic and Lebanese cuisine. Baba Ganoush and other sauces are homemade, like most of their other ingredients.

Have you ever had a sandwich with cooked dandelions and roasted onions, or one with roasted eggplant, cauliflower and zucchini with sesame paste? If not, you should definitely try it here! Meat lovers can choose, among others, between finely minced lamb, “Beirut’s” homemade little lamb sausages, fried chicken liver, or those very tasty lamb tartare balls, mixed with crushed wheat, onions and pine nuts. Everything is fresh and grilled on a charcoal grill.

When I visited “Beirut” for the first time with my Syrian friend Salim I thought it was more of a snack bar with a few seats. But it was quite the opposite. I totally remember that night in winter, it snowed, and was freezing outside when we got there, but as soon as we entered we found ourselves welcomed into a comfortable warm tavern that I can’t imagine to be any different in the actual city of Beirut”.