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Yes, an impressive lighthouse with a unique grandiose setup nestled on Amchit's seashores. It will attract your attention from several kilometers away. Reach Amchit, and then take the sea road to continue towards Tripoli, where 50 meters upfront you take a sharp left towards Mhanna sur Mer and camping Amchit. All you have to do is follow the lighthouse to reach Babel Bahr.
Babel Bahr, spelled bab el baher (the door to the sea) in Arabic, is the new Babel venue serving a wide selection of seafood in a new revisited and different way. When you go to this one don't expect anything like the one at Zaitunay Bay or even the one in Dbayeh, but something new never seen before in Lebanon.
I've been here, done that and now back after 5 years... everything is still as is, same decor, same food, same service... same everything.
The place is grandiose:
- An extremely unique architecture: Approaching Amchit, you will spot the lighthouse from the main road The lighthouse is so grandiose, even bigger than the famous one in Beirut: Maybe more than 40 meters long.
- A huge and grandiose entrance makes you wonder what's hidden inside.
- The entrance is located to the right under the stone arcade
- On the left, you can see the dining building above the sea.
- The parking appears after the arcade with yellow lighting and some impressive stones covering the walls.
- Stones are everywhere, the same ones used in Dbayeh and Zaitunay Bay: A luxurious setup indeed.
- A sculpture next to the entrance surrounded by a sofa.
- Flowers delimitate the stairs And here starts the journey under the road to the main dining area next to the seashores.
- Walk down two floors on stone stairs decorated with a ceiling of shining stars.
- When you reach the wood floor, know that the journey has approached an end.
- An impressive long tunnel of stone arcade over a water passage.
- In the end, to the right is the fish display before reaching the dining space.
- A reflective stone flooring decorates the dining space.
- The main building is close to Babel Zaitunay Bay with metal framework and led stars shining from above.
- To the right a long bar with a mirror which makes it look twice the size
The place's different sections:
- A sunset bar with lounges which can host up to 60 persons
- 30 persons can be seated on the first floor overlooking the sea and entrance
- The main area can host up to 120 persons
- 80 persons can enjoy the terrace on cool days Built on the seashores, Babel welcomes you for a swim
- By boat or by car, reaching Babel is easy
The little details I loved:
- The Arak cups are amazing.
- A middle-sized cup - between the small and long drinks. You enjoy your drink calmly without having to refill every minute
- I like the Arak carafe: Classy
- The service is close to perfect.
- The plates are generous and the presentation appetizing An olive oil bottle, a pepper mill and a glass bucket is available on every table
- The air conditioning system is very good absorbing all smoke smell Arak Babel is delicious with no after-effects the next day
- The toilets are very well designed and clean. Not a single detail is left unattended to
The food: Babel serves good food in all its outlets. Traditional Lebanese food with a touch of finesse and a sprinkle of fusion. I never had bad experiences to date. The same as I left it six years ago, hummus, calamari, and fattet bizri. Unfortunately, the chef loves garlic which you can find in almost all plates.
Best of the best: Ashta bel Ashta, a dessert which deserves an award: Ashta ice cream perfectly prepared without any unneeded sweetness, topped with fresh Ashta laid on a bed of flower jam and finished off with sugar syrup and crushed pistachio nuts. To be honest, the previous setup was more appealing, with the Ashta portions that were bigger and the sugar syrup was less sweet. Anyway, I am still in love with it.
Check out the photos and plan your next visit to Babel.
