December 20, 2013 Lebanon Middle East

2013: Best Italian Restaurants in Lebanon

Any dish served in Italian restaurant is simply. Pizzas, pastas and risottos, Italian cuisine is great. Voted for many years as the trendiest and most loved cuisine on earth, the Italian cuisine has gained a large part of the local market. Check out areas like MarMikhael and Gemmayze to find more than five Italian restaurants. Below are the ones I like and recommend.   NoGarlicNoOnions_Top10_Restaurant_Reviews_Lebanon Margherita: Pizzeria del Quartiere dal 1959

Yes, Margherita again… Three times in less than three months.  When I crave for a good pizza, automatically Margherita comes to mind. It’s where I head to, when I plan to enjoy some good old Italian style pizza. I often visit their branch in Jounieh, which is actually called Margherita Mare. Even though the negative »more… Margherita_Pizzeria_Dbayeh_Blueberry_Square74

Tavolina: Back for the Pizza and More

I was recently welcomed as a new member of the Academia Italiana Della Cucina with a lunch at Tavolina that gathered all members of the Lebanese chapter. Even though I’ve been to Tavolina a few weeks earlier, the enthusiasm of having some of their tasty pizzas and past was still high. A bit about Academia »more… Tavolina_NoGarlicNoOnions72

The Al Dente, Abdel Wahab Al Dente, one of the finest restaurants in town,  located in the Albergo boutique hotel in the heart of Achrafieh. With the sophisticated Bordeaux like ambiance, Al Dente is a very nice place. Located inside the Albergo hotel, Achrafieh, Beirut, the place is divided into three separate rooms, each with a high ceiling and round »more… Aldente_French_Gastronomy_Week_2013_Beirut53 Marinella, Mar Mikhael Walking along the streets of Mar Mikhael, enjoying the old traditional Lebanese heritage, I decided to stop for a lunch at Marinella checking on the updates of this talked much about trattoria. Marinella has been the talk of the town for the last couple of months as the owner Sophie Schoucair provides high end service and »more… Marinella Beirut La Piazza: The Italian Village in Beirut

La Piazza, one of the first Italian restaurants to have opened in Beirut, has become a place a very few people visit. We have to admit that Lebanese always like to try new places forgetting about the real places with authentically unique concepts. Last week, I felt like going back there as I wanted to experience »more…

piazza-1 The Peninsula, Dbayeh The Peninsula, Italian restaurant in Dbayeh is one of those places we tend to forget sometimes, only because several other Italians have opened around town and maybe in more convenient places like malls or closer to Beirut. The food is good, the location and whole set up is fresh, a perfect spot for a Sunday »more… Peninsula_Italian_Restaurant_Dbayel_Lebanon67 L’Oca Matta, My second Visit to the Italian of Mar Mikhael

This is my second visit to L’Oca Matta. It was more challenging for me this time, as I walked in eager to see if any changes were made since my last visit, six months ago. Since then, we have new Italian restaurants that have opened around the city, therefore, the minimum any restaurant should do »more…

Loca_Matta_Achrafieh_Mar_Mikhael_Restaurant_Beirut40 Cafe Mondo: Maintaining the Same Quality for Years

As I have already mentioned before, Cafe Mondo, located at the Phoenicia Hotel is a very decent Italian restaurant serving the same quality food for the past decade or so. This place has been renowned for its high-end five star service the hotel it resides in offers, as well as their popular crunchy pizzas and »more…

Cafe_Mondo_Phoenicia_Beirut29 Olio Gemmayze: Pizza, Gnocchi, Risotto, Focaccia… All Tasty

Olio is one of the first places to open on popular Gemmayze street in 2005 which then expanded nationally in just a few years with a menu that’s rich with Italian specialties. Olio became a favorite place for many – but the original restaurant on Gemmayze still stands out. Walk into a cozy set up »more… Olio_Gemmayze_Beirut_Italian_Restaurant54

Toto: A Typical Italian Trattoria in Beirut

Toto, the latest Italian restaurant to open its doors in Mar Mikhael. Replacing my favorite Chez Sophie restaurant, Toto welcomes Italian food aficionados into a cozier 50?s ambiance in a trendy modern setup, all within a preserved authentic Lebanese house. TOTO is a fine Italian restaurant and pizzeria – something never seen before in Lebanon. Toto is »more… Toto_Italian_Restaurant_MarMikhael_Beirut66



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