April 30, 2018 Beirut Lebanon Middle East

Issa: Foul, Fatteh, Msabbaha and Hummus for Breakfast in Beirut

Located behind the Arab university, Issa has been serving foul and hummus for as long as Beirut remembers. Staff smoking a cigarette on the sidewalk, news loudly broadcasted on the television, in a calm, dull ambiance. Two owners sitting at the counter couldn’t care less about our arrival. We sat and waited more than fifteen minutes for someone to take the order. 

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New and for the first time; Hummus with makanek, I was excited to try it. On the menu, choose from a selection of Hummus, Foul, Balila, and Fatteh. 

The specials;

  • Issa’s plate.
  • Foul with butter
  • Hummus and meat
  • Fatteh with tahini

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The table is prepared with two plates of vegetables, red spicy sauce, green spices, Lebanese bread and traditional plates.

The restaurant is calm, made of a counter and a dining space. Plastic tables and chairs, empty water carafes, writings on the wall from last year’s ramadan. Space is nonsmoking.

Hummus with makanek balls with a hummus that needs more flavors. An excess of salt thrown here and there. A refreshing fattet Laban, msabbah (hummus and tahini), edsiyyeh (hummus, Foul and moutabbaha). Issa’s plate is made of tomatoes, parsley, Foul, hummus and olive oil; it has a certain bitterness that I didn’t like.

I remember better and expected much better. Had a cup of tea and continued my day to another breakfast discovery.




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