Falafel shops, holes in the wall, are everywhere in Lavapies. You go in there, into any one of…read morethem, and eat the junk food they serve, buy a bucket of beer, and later you're gifted with bowel issues. That's just how it works, and you accept it. The beers you enjoy less than the company you're with, and the food less still. These sorts of experiences are a dime a dozen.
Beirut, however, offers glorious respite from the monotony of these endless falafel-shop copies. Its terrace, in spite of being situated on a corner of a crossroad, is quiet and shady, and seats twenty or so. The ambiance here, in a less-traveled nook of the neighborhood, leaves Calle Argumosa (and all of its falafel shops) in the dust.
For the same price that you can buy a gut-bomb elsewhere, you can have a delicious shawarma, falafel, or kebab prepared to order, in the moment at Beirut. There is a proper kitchen run by a woman and who I assume is her husband. The latter waits tables and has always been friendly with us. When I have brought my Spanish friends here, to this relative unknown, they have all been thrilled saying that it's just about impossible to find common street food this good elsewhere. Oh, and they also offer combo platters that are WAY TOO MUCH food for one person, replete with a variety of sauces (all delicious).
And that's why I've taken the time to write this review: Beirut, compared to the other Moroccan/Middle Eastern places around Lavapies, offers a far superior experience both in food quality and setting. It's one of my favorite restaurants to visit.
