Beirut Restaurant - Stunning Lebanese Cuisine In Thailand
Beirut Restaurant is one of the most popular Lebanese restaurant in Bangkok
Bangkok is a hive of global cuisines and influences. For those looking for a taste of Lebanon (or the Middle East) then look no further than Beirut Restaurant Bangkok.
What started off as a humble snack restaurant has now expanded to 3 locations across Bangkok and has now been serving up delicious Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food for 12 years.
I wen to the Ploenchit Branch with my partner, which is situated in basement floor of the Ploenchit Center building, about a 5 minute walk from the Ploenchit BTS station.
So Many Different Dishes to Choose From!
The very first thing you will notice when you look at the Beirut Restaurant’s menu is that there are so so many different dishes to choose from.
Now I’ll be honest, I am an amateur when it comes to Middle Eastern food, and when I looked at the menu I was completely overwhelmed. But I know in my heart there are 2 dishes that I wanted to order: Hummus, and some form of meat kebab.
The menu is divided into multiple categories:
Appetizer
Egg
Salad / Soups
Sandwiches / Burgers
Meats
Pastries
Special Dishes
And so much more…
Pricing
For Thai standards, the price is pretty high but it is to be expected for cuisines that are uncommon to find in Thailand.
You can expect each dish to cost at least 150 THB (or 4.20 USD) and above, with the more special or platter based dishes costing an upwards of 500+ THB (or 14 USD)
The cheapest thing may just be the pita bread coming in at 40 THB (or 1.10 USD).
For all of the dishes I have ordered (there a couple more that are not picture below) everything came to ~1600 THB (or 45 USD), with the inclusion of VAT and service charge it came to a total of 1900 THB (or 53 USD) for a meal for 2 (mind you we eat a lot and wanted to try as many dishes as we can).
A Selection of Starters
Starting off the meal, we have a bunch of starter dishes, initially we ordered only the hummus and and garlic naan for the appetizers but after looking through the menu a second time we just couldn’t resist ordering more dishes.
Complimentary Pickles, Veggies, and Sauces
A complimentary plate of pickles, tomatoes, chili peppers, lime, and various sauces.
Our first dish is something we didn’t even order, it was a complimentary plate of vegetables and sauces.
The vegetable plate consists of:
Pickled cucumber spears
lime
Basil leaves
Tomatoes
Chilli peppers
Carrots
And there were 3 sauces
Tahini - a sesame paste thinned with lemon juice, water, and olive oil
Labneh - A mild and creamy yogurt with salt
A parsley and chili dip with olive oil
Of all the 3 sauces, the Labneh is definitely my favorite for its creamy texture and fresh cheesy/yogurt-y flavor
The vegetables were a nice touch too, used to eat with the meats or added to any breads you may have ordered
Everything was fresh and tasty.
A Diverse Platter of Hummus
Spicy Hummus, Traditional Hummus, Basil Hummus, and Beirut Hummus
Up next we have 4 different types of hummus’ to dip our toasty breads into!
Traditional Hummus - this one tasted nutty, much like how you would expect hummus to taste. I’d say this is a safe bet for those who do not know what to order.
Spicy Hummus - the spicy hummus has a little extra kick from what I assume is paprika. It has a little bit of heat but nothing too major.
Basil Hummus - the basil hummus is definitely my favorite and the one I would recommend you order. This one has a nice delicious herby flavor coming in from the basil.
Beirut Hummus - the Beirut hummus is a derivative of the traditional hummus, it contains much more herbs such as garlic, peppers, tahini, and cumin. All of these extra ingredients add another dimension of flavor to an already amazingly tasty dip. Not to mention it’s topped with a little mountain of chickpeas.
All of the hummus is served chilled so there is a contrast in temperatures when you dip them with the freshly baked breads. That’s not to say it is a bad thing, far from it, it actually makes it refreshing and addicting.
And you can’t forget the extra drizzle of olive oil to add a bit of fatty richness to the hummus.
Deliciously Hot and Fresh Breads
These are made fresh and piping hot
To go along with the glorious hummus, we have ordered one garlic naan bread that was cut into 4 large pieces.
When they first landed on our table the bread was piping hot and fresh, and when you dipped them into the hummus oh my lord… It was such a beautiful combination.
I’ll be honest, the garlic was not not too garlicky, I could barely taste it actually. However the bread was nice and and soft with a little chew, and some charred parts gave it that extra crunch.
It was about halfway into our meal that I realized that we wouldn’t have enough bread to eat the meat with, and so I ordered 2 additional pita breads for my partner and I.
Unlike the garlic naan however, the pita was served at room temperature, almost cold. It was a very flat and thin bread, and my partner described the taste as a little sweet but I couldn’t taste it.
Sambosas Fried to a Golden Crispy Perfection
Gorgeous golden triangles of deliciousness
A dish that we ordered later into the meal was the lamb sambosas. You’ll have to be patient before you take a bite though, it’s piping hot! I almost burnt my tongue.
The sambosa shell was golden and crunchy of course, and the filling was a mixture of lamb, potatoes, carrots, and onions.
It was juicy, meaty, crunchy, and very filling.
There was a little bit of spice as well but not so much. I would describe the overall flavor profile as pretty bland, too much starchiness from the potatoes and all of the flavor kind of blended together. There wasn’t much wow factor to these sambosas other than the fact that it’s very filling and it’s served freshly fried, hot and crunchy.
A Fresh Mixed Salad to Cut The Grease
A simple salad of mixed vegetables to help with cutting down all the meat and grease
We ordered the mixed salad as we thought that it would help with cutting through all the fat and meat that we were about to eat.
The salad comprises of chopped up vegetables such as lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
The thing that rounds all of this together is the dressing. I could not tell you what the salad dressing was exactly made up of, but I can for sure say that olive oil was involved. In addition, the dressing was also sour from the lime.
Overall the salad was pretty simple but it did the job and was pretty tasty nonetheless.
The Star of the Show, the Meat Platter
Six different types of meat: beef, chicken, lamb, pork
Finally, we have come to the star of the show, the highlight of the entire meal.
The humongous meat platter, This was a board of six different types of kebabs, served with a side of french fries, grilled onions and tomatoes, and a few pita bread slices with sauces already on them.
There is I think, two which are chicken (yes we are starting with the chicken), and they are probably the most tender pieces of chicken I have ever put in my mouth. They are tender and not dry which is pretty amazing as I think those were chicken breasts which are known to be very dry.
One stick was rubbed with a spiced seasoning while the other was grilled with some herbs and I think olive oil.
Either way the chicken was surprisingly very good.
The beef was no different, it was soft and tender with a little bit of crunchiness from the charred parts. I would say however that there wasn’t that much flavor form the spices, the flavor naturally from the beef itself.
There was one stick of beef that was quite tough and rubbery however, it was cubed chunks of beef, which unlike the others, where ground beef.
There was one that was disappointing however, It was a beef stick with visible chunks of garlic on it, I thought that that one had to be the most flavorful but it turns out it tasted pretty bland.
I will say as you go through your meal, and as the meat cools down, it becomes dry and the lack of flavor really starts to be more apparent.
Conclusion
Pros
Many different dishes to choose from, a very extensive menu.
The food was served really quick and the staff was friendly.
Fair pricing for this type of cuisine in Thailand, the portion size was worth the price.
Cons
Quite a few dishes were so-so, not bad but I expected a bit more flavor from the spices.
Overall I would recommend Beirut Restaurant to anyone in Thailand who is looking for a taste of Lebanon. As difficult as it is to find Middle Eastern food in Thailand Beirut does really well by providing an extensive menu with lots of dishes to try. The service was also really quick and the staff was friendly. The price is also not too bad either for this type of cuisine and the portions were big as well.
The only thing, and a big thing, that knocked off some ratings was that some of the dishes were bland or had little flavor such as the sambosas and some of the meat.
Beirut Restaurant | 7.5 / 10
Phone: +66 02 656 7377
Location: 2 Sukhumvit Road, Khwaeng Khlong Toei, Khet Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
Pricing: 150 - 400 THB (or 4.20 - 11.20 USD) per dish
Looking for Things to Do in Bangkok?
SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World - Encounter over 400 marine species and 30000 creatures
Floating Markets Day Tour - Tour 3 major markets: Damnoen Saduak, Maeklong, Amphawa
Safari World Bangkok - Meet exotic and friendly animals at Bangkok’s animal kingdom
Discounted Tickets - Browse a variety of attractions, tours, and transports all for a great price
Useful Resources for Traveling in Thailand
Tourism Information - All the information you need when traveling in Thailand
4G/5G SIM Card - 8 days, 15GB, Important for staying connected while in Thailand
Private Airport Transfers - Transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city without worry
Best Bangkok Hostels - A list of the best hostels to stay for cheap and meet new friends
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER ARTICLES!
