Mounir Restaurant

It’s a great place for big groups and family, the food is so consistent, and it’s always great energy. It’s also great service always, extremely attentive. My favorite part are the fruit service at the end. ☀️ 🍒 🍉

It was lunchtime on a Spring day in early May and we arrived at Mounir restaurant. My friend parked her car within centimeters of a towering jasmine hedge so that I opened the car door straight onto fragrant white blooms.This is the loveliest welcome one could hope to have at any restaurant, yet alone one at a mountain side in Lebanon, a place of antiquity that holds one of the oldest country names in the world in continuous reference and reverence and yet at the same time gives startlingly fresh and ethereal dining experiences. As I followed the artistic floral path of jasmine,geranium and other horticultural delights to the restaurant’s main door, I peaked between the pathway's foliage and there I saw what can only be described as a breathtaking tent with tables and chairs elegantly awaiting our arrival… smart waiters in the grand space perfecting flourishes here and there. To the one side of the restaurant, diners overlook a terraced slope where produce is grown and to the other end seating is alongside a rock garden with murmuring water feature...a thoughtful outdoor experience comfortably indoors. One should go to Lebanon in May just to be seated at Mounir, to almost fall into a jasmine hedge on entering and then to simply have a bowl of equally fragrant mint leaves placed in front of you on a very crisp tablecloth on a very long table by a very grand waiter. Wow. A symphony of delights continues in Lebanese style with one fresh plate after the next, after the next until the table is filled with dishes like artichoke and hindbeh , purslane with toasted pine nuts on humus , potatoes with coriander, meat and cheese rolls, stuffed aubergines ……each thing to be enjoyed for itself as something perfect in itself , or layered in a progression of flavours. The service is impeccable, the finesse is exquisite. Even the bread , markouk bread ,was held up to the mountain light by my Lebanese friend as if it were a hand spun textile. Who even needs dessert in Lebanon when one has filigreed bread or a bowl of sweet onions that can be eaten neat ;) We left Mounir to my friend’s mountainside home, another corner of another cliff away, another hospitality awaiting us. Any lunchtime experience in Lebanon is where food, friendships and generosity effortlessly persist.

Please like and follow. The entrance to the restaurant is a garden of flowers and colors. The outside seats are laid into two configurations; one facing the flower garden with water streams ( a true garden of delights) ,the second facing the charming views of the sea, and the mountains valley extened all the way to the bay of jounieh. The service is another very positive experience with our waiter Ahmed and his teammates paying attention to the smallest details. We ordered raw liver, hot potatoes, baba ghanouj, BBQ meat and chicken, brain pane, and tabule. Aside from that, everything tasted very well and delicious the generosity in terms of portions was apparent. For deserts, we ordered water melon and Ashta. Sweet and delicious I highly recommend this restaurant.

Excellent Food and good service.

One of the most iconic Lebanese restaurants, renowned for its timeless reputation. The food and service never disappoint, and the views of the Mediterranean Sea are simply breathtaking. A must visit if you are around Beirut.