Wine Enthusiast – October 2019

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Drink the Town

Cocktails, craft beer and wine are the

heart of social gatherings here. Start

in the garden bar of Union Marks, a

quiet find for upscale libations amid

the foliage of Bouj Hammoud. Grab a

seat on the patio at L’appartement

Beirut under the shade of weepy

trees and sip on French, Lebanese and

Armenian wines. Billed as a gastropub,

Ferdinand on Mahatma Ghandhi

street has a youthful clientele thirsty

for sophisticated cocktails. See and be

seen at trendy Iris, a rooft op destination

where the rosé flows during summer

sundown DJ sessions. In Saifi Village,

peruse art and books over Italian food

and wine at Remomero. Switch from

coffee to wine as day turns to night at

Torino Express to pair a bottle with one

of Beirut’s best DJ-sets. Otherwise, stroll

surrounding Gemmayze, the quarter

with the greatest concentration of bars

and restaurants.

Eating as Sport

Lebanese cuisine is diverse, combining

fresh regional ingredients like walnuts,

pomegranates and tahini with French

technique. Thus, “make food, not

war” proved a fi tting slogan for Kamal

Mouzawak, a social entrepreneur whose

mission to reunite war-torn neighbors

over a meal led him to found Beirut’s

fi rst farmers market, Souk El Tayeb. It

spawned a slew of projects that include

lunch-only Tawlet. At night, dining

is a banquet-style sport. To dabble in

high-brow multicourse feasting, book

Em Sharif Restaurant or Liza on an

empty stomach. Baron does seasonal

fare. Work through contemporary

Lebanese dishes at Loris, or just puff on

fl avored shisha from a hookah alongside

Bekaa Valley rosé. Inside the elegant Le

Gray Beirut, enjoy city views with a

glass of Château Ksara red at Indigo on

the Roof. Locals frequent Le Chef and

Al Falamanki for familiar foods like

hummus, kibbeh and lentil soup.

Hit the Mountains

For a sense of old Lebanon, ditch Beirut for

mountainous Batroun. Set inside one of few

preserved villages is Beit Douma, a restored

19th-century home with high ceilings and

arched windows. Its cook teaches local

cooking secrets in the light-fi lled kitchen. At

night, chat with international guests around

the communal table over a bottle of Batroun

wine. On the way back to Beirut, visit Ixsir

Winery to sip mineral-fl ecked Syrah on the

leafy patio, or book a tasting at Atibaia for

its structured red blend.

Atibaia Ixsir

Le Gray Beirut

Domaine des Tourelles