Samira from Beirut

About Me I am a reflective wanderer who turns her encounters into stories to be told during her walking guided tours in Beirut. I am passionate about discovering hidden gems, attending art exhibitions, having oral history conversations about the recent history of Beirut, and discovering specialty coffee shops. Why Beirut? Beirut is the city that all the Arab countries have...

Sep 17, 2025

Farrouj Zaghal Beirut

1966 Chicken Restuarant

"What makes the chicken sandwiches different at Zaghal's is that they're wrapped in a "Marqouq bread" which was not popular in Beirut back in the 60s..."

When you walk the busy main street of Noueiry neighborhood, and reach a crowd of people standing at a restaurant, know that you've reached the iconic Farrouj Zaghal.

The Arabic word "farrouj" translates to "chicken" in English, and serving the chicken after cooking it on gas while horizontally rolling it on a stick has been popular in Beirut since the 1940s. However, Saeed Zaghal, the owner of this takeaway restaurant has been in this business since he was 16 years old when his father decided to open such a shop in 1966 knowing that his son will be learning a new profession, and Saeed adapted and mastered it quickly!

What makes the chicken sandwiches different at Zaghal's is that they're wrapped in a "Marqouq bread" which was not popular in Beirut back in the 60s, but was brought to the capital Beirut from the villages of Lebanon. So Saeed started selling sandwiches with this bread, and he found the people of the city are enjoying it, so he adopted this concept!

This restaurant doesn't have seating, so it's perfect for takeaway or grabbing a sandwich and eating it on the sidewalk. You can always pass by it and see Saeed sitting on a chair at the door of his store every day from 05:00 A.M. till 02:00 P.M. and even start a spontaneous conversation about the history of this city and his memories of it.

Restaurants

Snacks

This week 25% off

with the code fall25

*on our yearly membership

About this spot

Basta

Sandwich:

LBP

200000

+961

01758387

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