Lebanon.
One of the most fascinating and exotic cities in the world, and yet remains unvisited by so many. With constant travel restrictions and ongoing turmoil going on in the region, it’s hard to imagine taking your family to this destination for a holiday. Yet, each summer this city is jam-packed with vacationers from Europe, Africa and the Gulf region because of its wonderful weather, nightlife and more importantly its food!
Known as the “Paris of the Middle East”, Lebanon has exceptional cuisine. Popular Lebanese foods such as fresh warm pita, hummus, falafel, tabouleh, baba ganoush, kebabs and shawarma have already made it into Western supermarkets and more and more “Eastern Mediterranean” restaurants keep opening every year in the United States alone.
Since my husband is from Beirut, the kids and I get to visit the at least once a year – albeit the travel warnings, we find the country safe and family-friendly and we look forward to visiting each year.
We’ve been to many restaurants throughout the country, but made a list of ones the kids liked the most.
Clay Restaurant – Bikfaya, Metn
This family restaurant has a 2-storey indoor play area with slides, tunnels, ball pool, climbing wall, and more. They offer packages for kid’s birthdays and playground activities for schools and daycare with age ranging from 12 years old and under. Their menu consists of cold and hot Lebanese mezze, burgers, fried, and grilled platters, pizza, desserts, and more.
Living Colors – Dbayeh
This restaurant has a variety of appetizing starters and finger foods that our kids loved and we enjoyed. This casual restaurant is located near the beach and their menu contains a variety of salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, pastas and have their own menu for kids. They also have a playground for your youngsters to run around.
Tawlet – Beirut
This is a restaurant serves Lebanese cuisine using fresh ingredients from farmers. Every day they have a guest chef from a different village that cooks recipes from their area. Your entire family will enjoy trying something new. They also have cooking classes available for booking.
Mounir – Broumanna
This is a restaurant located at heart of the pine forest and oak. You and your kids will enjoy the atmosphere and the great view of the vineyard, gardens and waterfalls. A wonderful day out for all.
Al Kamanja – Byblos
This 4-story restaurant has a great view of Byblos. They are known for their relaxing atmosphere and the 400 m2 playground for the kids to enjoy.
All of the restaurants above are child friendly because they prioritized their services towards the entire family. We look forward to visiting Beirut to revisit our favorite places. If you ever have the chance to visit Beirut with your family, pay these places a visit. You’ll have a great time and will appreciate the wonderful hospitality of the people and cuisine of Lebanon.