The first words you will hear
Ahlan wa sahlan.
It means welcome, but the old meaning is warmer: you have come to family, and your path here is easy. In Lebanon it is said at every door, and it is how we would like you to feel the moment you sit down.
At a Lebanese table nobody orders a plate just for themselves. Dishes arrive in waves, bread is torn and passed, and the conversation always outlasts the food. This page is your guide to eating that way, whether it is your first visit or your fiftieth.
- ShareOrder for the table, not for yourself.
- TearBread is your spoon, your fork and your plate.
- LingerNobody is rushing you. Stay for coffee.
How Lebanon eats
A meal in five acts
A Lebanese meal is not a starter and a main. It is a slow, generous show in five parts. Hover over each act to see how it unfolds.
Pronunciation, sorted
Say it like a Lebanese
No more pointing at the menu. Tap a word, hear it said, and learn the story hiding in its name.
Word 1 of 12
Hummus
What it means
Arabic for “chickpeas”. The full name of the dish is hummus bi tahini: chickpeas with tahini. The name has always been that simple; the dish never is.
On our menu seven ways, from Classic to Beiruty.
The Lebanese pantry
Eight flavours, one kitchen
Almost every Lebanese dish is built from the same small cupboard. Learn these eight and you can taste your way around the whole menu. Hover over a jar to open it.
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Sumac
Summaq
Sumac
Dried, crushed berries with a sharp, lemony tang. Lemon flavour, without the juice.
Find it in
Musakhan Chicken Rolls
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Za’atar
Za’tar
Za’atar
Wild thyme, sumac and toasted sesame, mixed a little differently by every family.
Tastes like
Herbs, sunshine and warm toast.
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Tahini
Tahineh
Tahini
Sesame seeds ground slowly into a silky, nutty paste. The quiet backbone of the mezze.
Find it in
Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Falafel
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Pomegranate molasses
Dibs rumman
Pomegranate molasses
Pomegranate juice cooked down until thick, dark and gently sweet and sour.
Find it in
Fattoush, Sujuk, Chicken Liver
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Seven spices
Sabaa bharat
Seven spices
Usually allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander and ginger. Every grandmother swears by her own mix.
Tastes like
Warm, sweet and peppery, all at once.
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Olive oil
Zeit zeitoun
Olive oil
Lebanon has pressed olives for thousands of years. A generous drizzle finishes almost every plate.
Find it in
Tabbouleh, Vine Leaves, Foul Medames
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Bulgur
Burghul
Bulgur
Wheat that is boiled, dried and cracked. Nutty and quick to soak up lemon and oil.
Find it in
Tabbouleh and Kebbeh
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Orange blossom
Mazaher
Orange blossom
Water distilled from bitter-orange flowers. A few drops perfume Lebanese sweets and syrups.
Tastes like
A garden in spring, in a single drop.
An old tradition, a little fun
Read your cup
When the coffee is finished, many Lebanese families turn the little cup upside down onto its saucer and let the grounds settle into shapes. Then someone, usually an aunt, reads your future in them.
We cannot promise she is right. Tap the cup and see what yours says.
Your cup is waiting
Tap the cup
Turn it over, wait a moment, and let the grounds tell you something.
Your cup shows
Arabic coffee with cardamom · on our menu
Now you know the table
Sahtein.
Two healths to you. Come and sit at ours, and we will bring the bread.