I have never been to the Middle East but I have always been fascinated with their dishes. I am a big fan of their Khoboz Bread and Shawarma.  Growing up, I am always hearing the term Khoboz and Dates from my mother who worked at Saudi Arabia for so many years. So, imagine my excitement when I received an invite from one of the owners of Beiruti Bite.

Saad Aggag, an Egyptian Lebanese and one of the owners of the resto, has been working here in the Philippines for 5 years and oftentimes, he find the current Arabic-Lebanese dishes being offered here lacks authenticity. Thus, he was inspired to put up his own restaurant so he can share to the Filipino people the authenticity of their cuisines.

Beiruti Bite was conceptualized to be taking a bite of Beirut. Because basically, Beirut is the center of the middle east.  So it’s like you’re taking a bite of the center of Middle East.

With the restaurant’s atmosphere and decors, anyone who stepped in, will feel that they have been easily transported to Lebanon or to the Middle East.

Their shelves is a clear picture of their culture and history because of the different decors and paraphernalia’s available for everyone to see and appreciate.

Then there’s the fascinating Shisha. It is also called Hookah or Waterpipe which is their common way of smoking tobacco. They lend these to the customers for a very affordable price.

Now, let’s go to the food part. Lebanese or Arabic dishes is not new to me but I still can’t help but to feel ecstatic as the food is being served one by one. Saad happily told us that all their spices and ingredients were imported from Lebanon to make their dishes authentic to the very core.

He initially served us with his offerings from the Cold Mezza.

First was the Hummus which consists of pureed chickpeas blended with garlic, lemon juice, sesame paste and drizzled with olive oil.

Then, there was the Baba Ghanoush which are roasted eggplant mixed with garlic, lemon juice, vegetables, sesame paste and drizzled with olive oil.

Another one is the Moutabal which are roasted eggplant mixed with garlic, lemon juice, sesame paste and drizzled with olive oil.

These dishes will not be complete without the Khoboz Bread.

Among the three, I fell in love with their Baba Ghanoush instantly. It’s like our Ensalada, made the Lebanese way.

Saad even showed me how to eat it and joins me in enjoying the palatable dishes in front of me. He explained that they like to call the Khoboz Bread the ears of the cat so they hold it like it was one.

He then went ahead and serve some of their dishes of the Hot Mezza.

First one was the famous Falafel which are deep-fried chickpeas patty blended with vegetables and signature spices. Served with Beiruti Bite’s special Tahini sauce and homemade pickles.

Then the Spicy Potato comes which is literally very hot because of the generous amount of chili.

Saad couldn’t stop sharing how their Shawarma is totally different from the one being serve here or from the one that we are familiar with.  Their Shawarma is made the traditional way and one will not find the different cheesy sauces that we have been putting on top of it.  But despite the lack of the sauce, it certainly didn’t compromise the taste. The aroma and the smoky flavor of the beef will make you want for more.

But Grilled Chicken with fries was my favorite. With the tender meat of the chicken seasoned with spices and oozing with flavor. It’s the best grilled chicken I have tasted so far.

To wrap this off, Saad insisted that I tried their traditional hat, so here I am wearing one.

Overall, we enjoyed our first experience with Beiruti Bite, with the courteous staffs, very accommodating owner and the authentic Lebanese food with it’s affordable price, we would surely come back and try their other dishes soon.

Beiruti Bite:

Address: Second Floor, ITC Building, Panay Avenue corner Timog Avenue, South Triangle
Contact Number: 02 4168352
Store Hours: 11:30 AM to 12:30 AM