Al Falamanki: Impressive Lebanese cuisine and card games with a view

We’re in Beirut craving a typical Lebanese restaurant offering the works i.e. renowned Lebanese hospitality, classic ambiance, arguileh, and of course, great food. Lebanese cuisine is at the top of my favourite cuisines of the world, by the way.

Let’s eat at Al Falamanki Raouche, the iconic Lebanese restaurant’s newest branch.

Firstly, I prefer this branch over the original Al Falamanki in Sodeco for 3 main reasons:

1. The restaurant overlooks the sea (i.e. the view is WAY better)
2. The set up brightens up your life (because it’s so spacious)
3. The food is slightly better (however, this could be because of the positive sea vibes)

P.S. We eat lunch at noon, so if you intend to visit be sure to reserve as this Al Falamanki gets seriously packed!

The menu has a sweet story to tell about Khalil Al Falamanki; it was a nice touch.

Start with…

Arguileh. You’re at Al Falamanki, one of the most renowned Lebanese restaurants in Beirut. The classic Arguileh is not an option. I don’t personally smoke, but I won’t shame you if you do 😉

Next up… a lunch date at Al Falamanki

If you’re here for lunch like myself, order Arak, and not by the glass. Get the bottle and watch them mix the concoction like you’re in a chemistry lab.

Pre-mezza, at Al Falamanki, you’re served nuts to nibble on. We also ordered some specialty drinks to enjoy with the food.

Bring on the mezza!

Mezza (i.e. Lebanese appetizers or starters) has become very popular worldwide and there’s no reason why not! I mean, it’s delicious – and seemingly never-ending.

Really, if you see the amount of food that’s brought to the table, you would wonder where we put it all! If you must know, it sits happily in our bellies (peaking out of our unbuttoned jeans).

At Al Falamanki, we started with the Mini Mezza Plate for two (21,500 LBP) with add-on meat over the hummus.

I wasn’t a big fan of the carrot and beetroot tahini. The concept of having a mini mezza plate for two to share is genius! How about giving us a choice from other cold mezza favourites on the menu?

Next, we had the Vine Leaves in oil (9,500 LBP), Labne (10,500 LBP), and Fattoush (9,000 LBP) with pomegranate molasses dressing, all of which were fantastic. To me, Fattoush HAS to have pomegranate molasses dressing – it’s 100 times more delicious! I always add extra.

Moving on to hot mezza…

The Kbaibeit with yogurt (18,500 LBP) at Al Falamanki is perfect: Crunchy and flavourful fried kebbe swimming in thick creamy yogurt with coriander, garlic, and pine nuts. That’s my kind of dish!

Of course, we ordered Batata Harra (10,500 LBP) because you can never skip that at a Lebanese lunch. It’s just not done. The grilled Rakakat (8,750 LBP) are also a must at Al Falamanki.

T and I ordered two main dishes with our hot mezza.

Taouk (24,500 LBP) is also a staple food at a typical Lebanese lunch. I found the chicken to be rather dry though.

On the other hand, I loved Grilled Kafta in yogurt with cherries (22,000 LBP), but it needed to be on the grill a little longer. The flavours were on-point.

Excellent Oriental Desserts at Al Falamanki

We’re ending our seemingly 5-hour “lunch” with dessert and traditional coffee.

Although the Grilled Halloumi Steak (15,000 LBP) with figs dipped in sugar syrup isn’t on the dessert menu at Al Falamanki, we enjoyed it at the end of our meal. It’s super delicious! Order it (or even try it at home with fig or strawberry jam) and let me know your thoughts.

Lebanese Cotton Candy (16,000 LBP) had to join us for dessert. There’s ice cream hidden under there 😉

Baklava with ashta ice cream (16,500 LBP) followed. Every bite of this beautiful pie-like layered slice was a delight!

Final Verdict?

Lebanese cuisine truly is a culinary adventure and must be explored and experienced. You simply cannot visit Lebanon and not go to an authentic Lebanese restaurant to enjoy a typical Lebanese meal including mezza, main dishes, AND dessert – don’t forget the arguileh and the traditional arak.

Al Falamanki is a good start to exploring Lebanese cuisine while you play card games and “Tawlet”. I have to admit, the prices are a tad high. However, the food quality and taste, sea view, space, and service kind of make up for that. Not to mention the fact that the previous restaurants who had this ideal location were serving average food at sky-high tourist prices! So thank you Al Falamanki for stepping in 😉

I would recommend trying out the traditional Lebanese breakfast at Al Falamanki too after a nice walk on the corniche by the sea.

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Al Falamanki

Address: Charles De Gaule Street, Facing the Rock, Raouche, Beirut District

Contact: +961-1-808011

 

For opening hours, check out Al Falamanki on Facebook or 

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