Hot Dogs
For some reason the latest trend in Lebanon food wise is hot dog stands. I tried a couple and they’re ok, nothing extra ordinary I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s over hyped. Food in Lebanon generally sucks just like Paris. Someone recommended I try Nandos in Lebanon, I did, it sucks compared to the one in Kuwait. I had the chicken burger with side order of coleslaw. The coleslaw sucked big time while the chicken was stingy tiny and although I had asked for it to be medium spicy I think they made it extra spicy because I was burning up like crazy. Can’t wait to get back to Kuwait. Only good thing that came out of Lebanon food wise? Hummingbird Bakery.
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Aug 18, 2009
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54 Comments, add your own...
1. pinkdress | August 18th, 2009 at 12:13 am
So I gather u want to return to q8 for it’s good food? lol
2. Bu Yousef | August 18th, 2009 at 12:24 am
HUGE DIFFERENCE:
Food generally sucks in Paris.
Junk food generally sucks in Paris.
3. wa7ad libnene | August 18th, 2009 at 12:31 am
lah lah lah….walaw ya mark…a6yab akel BIL 3ALAM bitla2ee blibnen wi2fit 3ala hal hotdog yalee jibta min il tari2 w nandos…aslan manno akel libnene…kil shi 3anna fresh bil kweit byo6lbo il fweke wl khodra min 3anna…za33altne hek….iza baddak fi hotdog 6ayeb blibnen ismo Charlie’s jarbo….fi minno bi share3 Bliss bil 7amra w fi bil gimayze 7ad comme ci comme saj…oh and comme ci comme saj has great 7alloum/turkey w steak 3al saj;)
4. zaydoun | August 18th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Thank you Bu Yousef!
Mark.. seriously?! Paris has some of the best restaurants in the world but if you’re gonna rate it based on its fast food offerings then you’re completely missing the point.. The same goes for Beirut, where there are some really good proper sit down restaurants. Fast food in Lebanon is probably as bad as anywhere else… I wouldn’t know
Hot dog stands work in Lebanon for post clubbing munchies. Case in point, the stand near Basement does a roaring trade from 3 am onwards.
And Hummingbird is a British import… I see franchise fever is as bad in Lebanon as it is here!
5. TweeZ | August 18th, 2009 at 1:26 am
man, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
6. Patrick | August 18th, 2009 at 1:35 am
I think you’re just spoilt. The hot dog stand infront of Basement and the one in Jbeil are pretty damn good, I agree that McDonalds and BK both suck in Lebanon compared to here, but there are some pretty good places to eat.
7. Ozy | August 18th, 2009 at 2:05 am
BK in Leb is better than Kuwait imo. And the hotdog stand in Jbeil is waay better than the Basement stand. But i agree that in general food in Kuwait is a whole lot better than lebanon
8. Ozy | August 18th, 2009 at 2:06 am
BK in Leb is better than in Kuwait imo. And the hotdog stand in Jbeil is waay better than the Basement stand. But i agree that in general food in lebanon is worse off than in kuwait
9. Zaid | August 18th, 2009 at 2:12 am
charlies hotdog on bliss street or in gymmayze are basically the best ive tried thereee….plus, go to places like mandaloon cafe or grill, giovannis, la parella, margharita on gymmayze, sushi bar, le gray … all very good sit down places
10. FTO | August 18th, 2009 at 3:50 am
The People, Chopsticks, Scoozi, Margharita, The Kitchen, La Piazza..all very good restaurants :D
11. vampire | August 18th, 2009 at 8:30 am
+1 on Zaid’s comment
12. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Who said anything about fast food? I was comparing sit down restaurants. Fast Food tastes the same everywhere.
13. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Actually there is this sajj place next to my place that is pretty good. Run by an old man and woman in a kitchen that looks like it hasn’t been updated from the 70s with the same fridge and oven still being used. Very cool.
http://www.248am.com/images/sajj.jpg
14. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 9:10 am
FTO: Dude Scoozi??? Man its like the worst food, tastes like plastic, its terrible. And Chopsticks? Come on…
15. Patrick | August 18th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Yeah, seriously Chopsticks? I’ve gotten food poisoning from there twice. There are much better Chinese places in Lebanon.
16. Spartan | August 18th, 2009 at 9:38 am
hearing an expat sayin: “can’t wait to get back to kuwait” is miiiiiiighty refreshing =)
17. HeartBeat | August 18th, 2009 at 9:54 am
“Food in Lebanon generally sucks just like Paris”
That is a very wide unfair and stereotype kind of comment!
Personally I believe, food wise .. anything in Lebanon is much better than any other place including Kuwait and even if the restaurant is just 1X1 square meter in a corner of Beirut back alley!
18. Alvaro - Buzberry | August 18th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Mark! give me a break!! Food sucks in Lebanon? I can’t think of a place on earth with better food!!!
And about the hotdog thing.. I think you should try the one on Bliss street if it’s still there..
http://www.buzberry.com/?p=318
19. Amy | August 18th, 2009 at 10:17 am
food sucks in paris?
…
20. Security Adviser | August 18th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Woha!! Food Sucks in Paris??? I think the entire French Nation just got turned on its Head !!! I can see the frogs running down the street screaming Sacra Bleu and off and preping the Guilotine to fit Mark’s head.
Matter of fact I bet Sarkozy is on the phone with Gen. Michel Suleiman right now asking that Mark be extradited to France ..lol. :)
21. Projectile Mayhem | August 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Fiona’s, Wok Wok, Al Balad, L’Eau De Vie, Shtrumpf, Julia’s, These are all excellent restaurants in Lebanon and beat anything in Kuwait
22. PeevishGuy | August 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
everytime I visit Lebanon I get food poisoned!!
23. Ghostface | August 18th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
What was the topic? “Hot dogs”?
Oh, yeah I think a hot dog stand in the right place could be quite popular and earn quite well. Nathan’s Hotdogs just don’t do it for me anymore. A good old fashion hot dog stand where you can pick and choose your own condiments to put on it like relish, mustard, ketchup, and cole slaw, cheese, chili, etc. would be awesome.
24. d.jesus | August 18th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
what ever happened to snack ill mat7af
25. H | August 18th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Negativity at its best….
26. Gizmoshow | August 18th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Compared to food in Kuwait where I always get food poisoned at the wonderful and “Extraordinary international Food chains”, I believe food in lebanon is a 5+ stars.
At least I can eat at Bedo or at any street corner snack. The last time, I was only eating mana2eesh on the street, which, despite its simpleness, no one knows how to make it here in Kuwait.
27. H | August 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I feel there is something going on between Nando’s Kuwait and Lebanon..are they for the same owners?
28. QTB | August 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
why would u go to nandos in beirut come on their are a bunch of good restuarants…..mandaloon cafe in achracfieh in centre sofil….market in achrafieh….pastis in gemayzeh and a bunch of others in gemayzeh….leilah in abc is great no comparison to the one in kuwait
and come on about paris!
29. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Alvaro: I’ve tried the one on bliss street on a number of occasions since its near my hotel. Freddy’s and Tom’s both serve better hotdogs.
QTB: someone recommended it to me. Also Which restaurants on Gymayze? I’ve tried I think all of them except for GodFather. Only thing there that is good is the ham and cheese sandwich at Torinos.
Gizmoshow: Bedo, Mano, Canadian Burger, Road Runnder, Varouj, good places true.
d.jesus: Antoine? Still there, good taouk sandwiches.
Projectile Mayhem: Schrumf? Maybe back in the 90s but the place like Crepaway has been going down hill for a very long time. Julia’s had it twice, once tried a burger and another time a steak. Over hyped.
HeartBeat: its not a stereotype comment but yes it is a generalized one
I know there are a ton of Michelin star restaurants in Paris but if you try food at any random place don’t expect it to be great.
30. FTO | August 18th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
oh come on Chopsticks has one of the best pecking duck dishes! and okay Scoozi may have been a longshot but La Piazza does serve some of the best pizzas and I forgot to mention Duo, they have a french onion soup to die for.
31. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Duo? That sounds familiar. Where is it located?
32. K5 | August 18th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
i couldln’t agree with you more, the food is TERRIBLE over there, however i didn’t like freddies hot dog which is really popular over there (the one in ur picture) but charlies hotdog in gemyze wasn’t that bad. Also La Piaza near ABC ashrafiyah was pretty good, their clamari fritti was AMAZING! if u feel like italian try that or La posta, La posta is pretty ok, but kuwait tops in everything food wise. Maybe because thats all we do, go out side to eat so they have to make sure their food is good.(kuwait) while lebanon theres much more to do..
33. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Where is Charlies in Gemeyze? I am surprised I didn’t notice it although when I am down there I wouldn’t notice if a red elephant was crossing the road. The picture above is of Tom’s hot dog.
34. K5 | August 18th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Charlies I think is near to intuition I think, ask any1 there they shud knw, and its right next to comci saj, towards the end of gemeyze, there isn’t a huge
its run by 1 man, and the charlies sign is inside the shop :/ he is apparently waiting for the profit to kick in big time so after the summer high season he will be able to have the chance to renvoate and put an outside sign, becarefuk though he tried to cheat me with the change when I staryed talking in kuwaiti! But it didn’t affect the fact that I liked the hotdogs they served;p
35. Projectile Mayhem | August 18th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Charlie’s is on bliss street right next to mcdonalds and dunkin donuts… excellent hot dogs!
Ok I agree about the shtrumpf, i havent had it in 2 years…
there’s a great place called scallywags that no one’s heard of but i can’t even think of how to give u directions, totally forgot
oh and Let’s Burger in achrafieh is pretty sweet for a burger joint
Duo has good steaks
36. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Let’s Burger is opening at 360 Mall supposedly
37. K5 | August 18th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
The charleis I went to was the ones in gemeyze though and I think duo or uno(not sure what its called) in abc ashrafiyah was one of the top places I went to service and food wise.
38. Patrick | August 18th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Let’s Burger is horrible, tried it once, its over priced and the burgers were very mediocre, any burger joint in Kuwait (Burger Boutique, Slider Station) is ten times better.
39. roxas | August 18th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
tell me about it nandos in lebanon sux not enough hot in the hot suace even if i ordered the hottest the best i tried was the one in amalysia it was SO FRIGGIN HOT !
and last time i checked i thought leabanon was all over fajitas
40. moe80s | August 18th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
ok first Mark, in lebanon the food is gr8 it’s more then gr8, ofcourse when i say food i mean real food, NOT the junk food. Mark seriously go try some real lebanese food and if you want to have a taste from heaven try Karake it’s a small sandwich store in Barbur ask anyone there and you’ll get directions but be there early cause at 11:30 he is sold out.. now about the Hot Dog I’m not sure haven’t seen alot and if I have I wouldn’t eat it too much fat.. if you want to eat real lebanese special food in cozy way go to abou hassan at Karakas small place but the food is awesome (these places are mainly visited by beiruties) also you can go eat at Abou Gabi in Bhamdoun Al Day3a Not bhamdoun they have the best chicken grill ever.. while for fish you can go to louis or manuella in maameltein.. if you plan to have a nature view trip go to Sanin Mountain where the best view and Cold watermellon removed from the river while your eating grilled meat.. for the booze taste go to Kefraya at Chateaux Kefraya Cafe where you can taste wine made from the same year you were born :) Mark Lebanon is gr8 u just have to be lebanese to find the real stuff :) go enjoy it without the junk food eat REAL FOOD man ; ) enjoy you time
41. moe80s | August 18th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
oh mark if you are going to Karake take Rosto and Nkha3at awesome sandwiches.. he is famous with the Rosto
42. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
moe as i mentioned above i wasn’t talking about junk food. Louis and Manuella? Come on what do you find special there? They just take the fish and fry it or grill it, you could do that at home. You want a good rosto sandwich? Joe’s Snack in Jbeil. While you’re there try their burgers and fries. Go on a Monday cuz thats when they change the oil.
43. jobox | August 18th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
It seems your stay in kuwait naza3etlak ta3mit temmak
Dear marc we have the best fresh food in the middle esat even in the world but the restaurants that you tried 1st are not lebanese food second they are not the best in lebanon i will list some of the best rest in Lebanon that you have try :
for Lebanese:
Al halabe
Abed el wahad
al balad
manarat al khalij
for foreign food
e cafe in byblos
roadster diner
casper and gambini-fo
central gemmayze-French
fiona- italian saifi down town
So achrafieh-international cuisine
when you try one of these you can post about the food in Lebanon! unless you lost your good taste in Kuwait…
44. Mark | August 18th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Al Balad is very average had it last week and terrible service. Roadster diner? PLEASE I could make better burgers at home. Casper and Gambini and So? Yanni of course I’ve tried those and I never found anything special in them. So is fun to go watch the cliche Lebanese snobs have lunch, Casper and Gambini seriously?
45. Eliedh | August 18th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
for Italian food try El vigneto in dbayeh in front of living colors.
46. Realist | August 19th, 2009 at 1:21 am
The way I see it is that in Lebanon good food is found in unpopular places. I dont know why but its true.
47. smk | August 19th, 2009 at 1:35 am
no one does hot dogs like we do in New York :D
same thing for pizza ;)
as for Lebanese cuisine . . . guess I’m biased, but I’d had to say that my mother-in-law’s kitchen outdoes ANY eatery in all of Lebanon.
48. bazaar | August 19th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I have had great meals in Beirut many times. I agree that the fast food is dismal, but then again, why have typical fast food when you can have fresh Haloumi sandwiches and the best falafel and shawermas in the world.
When it comes to fine dining, there are good places and horrible places, but at least a couple of bottles of red wine makes most food taste pretty good! And of course when it comes to lebanese mashaawi, araq makes the world a much happier place!
bon appetit !
49. Patrick | August 19th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I can’t believe someone actually mentioned Roadsters. Food in Lebanon isn’t that great, especially compared to a place like Kuwait, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I think some of you are taking this too personally, what I think Lebanon does better than Kuwait though, is Sushi.
50. Zaid | August 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
can u recommend a few patrick? I tried sushi co (i think that’s what its called) in abc and it was very average … scoozi’s sushi is horrible … havent tried yabani but heard it was good … the only place i liked was sushi bar … any others?
51. Mark | August 19th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Zaid, don’t listen to Patrick. He recommended a sushi place for me at ABC Achrafieh and it turned out to be really bad. Good saki though.
52. Ozy | August 20th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Sushi in Kuwait is better overall imo. There are some good sushi places Leb, but expect to pay ridiculous prices.
53. !BOOJi | August 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Mark Im Sorry if u didnt really like nandos lebanon but which one did u eat at?
54. zaydoun | August 22nd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Tastes and preferences in food are very personal so any argument for or against is a waste of everyone’s time
but the words “sucks just like Paris”???…. them’s fightin’ words!!
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