Breakfast

Breakfast is a savoury institution in Lebanon: manousheh (a breakfast pizza) with thyme, greens, cheese or even meat; foul medames (fava-bean purée); and for the most adventurous, try raw liver on a Sunday morning in the mountains. For Beirut’s version, try a Lebanese breakfast on Hotel Albergo’s roof terrace. It’s a sophisticated setting in a sumptuous 19th-century Levantine home, serving breakfast classics such as eggs in a clay pot with sumac, labneh (strained yogurt), manousheh, green olives and na’naa’ (fresh mint).

137 Rue Abdel Wahab El
Inglizi, Ashrafieh
+961 1 339 797
www.albergobeirut.com

Coffee Stop

There are many great spots around this very diverse city. For some local kahweh and the ambiance of Hamra, old-time coffee shop Café Younes has been converted into a trendy “rediscovered” café. Alternatively, give your morning a cultural start with a drink (or a healthy bite) at Joanna’s Table [Resto] in front of Sursock Museum’s palatial façade.

Lunch

I rarely (or never) eat away from Tawlet for lunch – when it is traditional, regional and diverse home-style cuisine, why look elsewhere? Tawlet is the farmers’ kitchen of Souk el Tayeb, the weekly farmers’ market in downtown Beirut. Every day, it hosts a different cook from a different region with a selection of more than 12 dishes, including salads and appetisers – just like if you were hosted at the cook’s home.

These chefs are “home cooks” who perpetuate their region’s tradition and cuisine through old, forgotten, regional, seasonal recipes. Expect fare such as fawaregh (stuffed intestines), the best kibbeh nayyeh zghertewyieh (meatballs with bulgur), sparkling tabbouleh, kousa mahshi (stuffed courgettes) and maakaroun b’toum (pasta in a garlic sauce).

Dinner

Try traditional Lebanese mezze – an endless spread of tabbouleh, hummus and salads – at hilltop Fadel’s hydrangea-ensconced terrace. Genuine French cuisine can be found at Villa Clara, with local fresh fish, pork and charcuterie that has been raised and prepared by chef Olivier Gougeon, who is more Lebanese than the Lebanese.

Tasty Bites

Street food makes the best snacks. In a veggie mood, go to Falafel M. Sahyoun for a falafel, or wonder between a chicken or meat shawarma at BouBouffe – and settle for both in the end!

Night Moves

Michel Saidah set a trend for upscale cocktails in Lebanon through his many bars. Dragonfly is still an old-time favourite; it’s a tiny place with two theatre seats and a few high bar stools, and ideal for an early evening drink. Lux is another good choice for a drink and a bite of fresh organic cuisine by Johnny Farah, one of the masterminds behind Beirut’s timeless Casablanca restaurant.