The Cosiest Cafés in Beirut for a Caffeine-Cradled Afternoon
The best things in life come roasted and ground. Check out our favourite places to get a caffeine fix in the Lebanese capital.
A favourite purlieu for bookworming and remote working, cultural conspiring and all things ‘slow-cialising,’ the timeless but humble café finds itself at the intersection of worlds and selves.
When wandering the streets of Beirut, you’ll notice that cafés are not something the city lacks: friends and family gather for quality time in sun-dappled terraces and converted spaces on every street corner. And many of these café spots, just like the rest of Lebanon’s culinary heritage, exude intention and skill in their curation of coffee beans and decor.
Off the back of a three-week trip (which was meant to last just one, but here we are, Lebanon worked its magic on me), here’s a list of my top eight picks of the cosiest espresso-fueled pied-à-terres dotted across the Lebanese capital.
KALEI (@kaleicoffee.co)
RUE MANSOUR JURDAK, RAS BEIRUT: Open 8 AM - 11 PM, Monday to Sunday RUE 54, MAR MIKHAIL: Open 9 AM - 11 PM, Monday to Sunday
With branches in Mar Mikhail and Ras Beirut, Kalei’s crisp and airy interiors make for an ideal workspace and social space alike. Perched on a hill just off of Armenia Street, its Mar Mikhail branch offers a more scenic experience with an outdoor pebbled garden and open rooftop space. The Ras Beirut branch exudes a cosier and more discreet vibe, with its entrance cloaked in foliage and a grassy garden nestled round the back. Their daily selection of cakes are great too – grab the chocolate tart if it’s there.
BARZAKH / BN COFFEE BAR (@Brzkh.space)
HAMRA: Monday to Sunday, 9 AM - 10 PM
Propped on a first-floor space overlooking Beirut’s Hamra district, Barzakh is primarily a bookstore by day and a cultural events space by night, having cemented itself as a favourite hangout among the city’s poets, artists, cinematographers and intellectuals since its opening in 2021.
Serving local coffee brand Bn Coffee Bar (which itself also has another spot in Gemmeyze), its café is a must-visit for book lovers and cultural enthusiasts. Clad with a twee and eclectic set of vintage armchairs, wooden coffee tables and shared dining tables – not to mention its excellent selection of reads curated daily by its staff – this is a space for happy idleness and honed brainstorming alike. Make sure you go hungry: their daily hot meal draws together seasonal ingredients and culinary spontaneity. We hope you’re there for their veggie lasagne. That one is a highlight.
Food for the mind and soul continues into the evening with its programme of screenings, music salons, poetry readings, stand-up comedy nights – and great cocktails.
B.HIVE (@b.hivelb)
HAMRA: Monday - Friday, 7 AM - 9:30 PM; Saturday - Sunday, 8 AM - 9:30 PM
Need to get a good shift of work done, uninterrupted? This one’s your go-to. With WiFi in the city being notoriously unstable, B.Hive is the number one spot for a reliable connection, high bandwidth and ubiquitous socket space, for that reason gathering clusters of uni students and digital nomads alike to its branch in Mahatma Ghandi Street in Hamra.
Tech geeks, assemble. B.Hive is also the first coffee shop in the world to introduce NFTs, accepting crypto payments and offering services both digital and in real life like it's app design course and workshops on the Web3 community.
Choose between sleek air conditioned interiors, a (very) quiet basement workspace, and a sheltered outdoor area, depending on your mood. The one down-side? No non-dairy milk, but we won’t complain too much about that.
THE BARN (@thebarnbeirut)
MAR MIKHAIL: Monday - Sunday, 8 AM - 10:30 PM
Let’s not get it twisted: The Barn is a great place for a caffeine fix, with a bold and smooth espresso. But its major appeal, for me at least, were the ‘pain de campagne’ open-face toastees topped with a whole catalogue of artisanal food combos. Think almond zaatar cheese to farmhouse feta and rose petals, barn-style labneh and kumquats, stone-ground almond butter, sun dried figs and goji berries. Haters will say it’s OTT, until they try it.
The place packs out on weekends, and with good reason: it’s a bright indoor space with a prime spot in the middle of Mar Mikhail’s Armenia Street, plus a strong selection of vitamin-laden juices to nurse a hangover (speaking from experience? Maybe…). Then factor in the above-mentioned toastees, and all required elements come into equilibrium to start a summertime Saturday off right.
TAWLET AT SOUK EL TAYEB (@soukeltayeb)
MAR MIKHAIL: Monday - Saturday, 9 AM - 5 PM This one was recommended to me by multiple people before setting foot in Lebanon, and I’m now here to pass the baton. Souk El Tayeb is an indoor farmers’ market that takes place every Saturday, where you can go into full discovery-mode on Lebanon’s culinary heritage. From fresh fruit and vegetables, olives to zaatar, pistachio halawa to pomegranate juice that’s hand pressed in front of you, plus a selection of Lebanese deli staples such as kibbeh, there’s a lot to explore here, an experience that’s admittedly a little tiring. Good thing it’s got its own café right next door.
‘Tawlet’ is the café/restaurant offshoot of Souk El Tayeb: beyond its good coffee and warm ambience as a lunch spot, the menu is a chance for farmers from across Lebanon to tell their stories and traditions through their cuisine. The café space is also home to a local produce shop if you’re not in town on a Saturday for the market day.
CAFE YOUNES (@cafeyounes)
HAMRA, NEEMAT YAFET STREET: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 7 PM; Saturday, 7:30 AM - 5 PM; Sunday, 9 AM - 5 PM
HAMRA, BAALBECK STREET: Monday - Sunday , 7:30 AM - 11 PM
ACHRAFIEH: Monday - Sunday , 7:30 AM - 11 PM
BADARO: Monday - Sunday, 7:30 AM - 12 AM
SODECO: Monday - Sunday , 7:30 AM - 11 PM
One that has stood the test of time is Cafe Younes, founded in 1935 and serving coffee freshly roasted and ground ever since. It’s a must-try for serious coffee lovers – their cardamom coffee is my top pick. It’s now dotted across several locations in the city, including Achrafiyeah and two in Hamra, as well as in the city’s residential areas of Sodeco and Badaro.
Barista amateurs, take note: Younes serves take-home packets of single-origin coffee, its selection carefully curated and drawn from Kenya, Guatemala, Sumatra Indonesia, and more.
AALIYA’S BOOKS (@aaliyasbooks)
MAR MIKHAIL: Monday - Saturday, 9 AM - 12 AM; Sunday, 11 AM - 12 AM
A favourite purlieu for literary fiends, Aaliya’s is an independent English-language bookshop that sells new and used books, with a bar and café. The WiFi is good enough for remote-workers to put in a good shift on laptops during the daytime, before unwinding to one of their evening events.
Check out their colourful programme of weekly events that include Lindy Hop Swing Dancing, Live Listening Sessions with social and cultural podcast series ‘Beirut Banyan’ and ‘Aaliya’s Book Club’.
BEYT GARDEN CAFE (@beyt.lb)
MAR MIKHAIL: Monday - Sunday, 9 AM - 11 PM
A 19th-century building with rustic interiors make Beyt one to visit for its ambiance – as well as its boutique store Zawal, proffering all things rugs, candlesticks and earthenware, with a current exhibition displaying artisanal pottery from Tunis Village in Egypt.
Its strong coffee game aside, my favourite on the menu was the ‘Sweet Margherita’ pizza, topped with tomato jam, baladi cheese, fresh thyme, walnuts and honey. Chef’s kiss.
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