by daily star.com.lb Beirut has been ranked among the world’s best cities to eat in, according to a New York-based travel magazine. The magazine listed Beirut as their top choice in a recent article about international cuisine. The Mediterranean city came out at number 1 in a readers-chosen survey conducted by Travel and Leisure, making Beirut the only Arab or Middle Eastern city to make the list this year. Other
cities making the list included Bordeaux and Paris in France, Barcelona
and San Sebastian in Spain, Chiang Mai in Thailand, San Miguel de
Allende in Mexico, Rome, Bologna and Florence in Italy.

“Lebanon’s
capital city, Beirut, is having a bit of a cultural renaissance—and
it’s not just new museums like the striking Aïshti Foundation that have
attracted international attention,” the magazine said. It
added that “there’s arguably no better way to sense the friendliness
and enthusiasm of Beiruties than by enjoying a fresh meal at Tawlet, a
fantastic Lebanese restaurant in the hip Mar Mikhael neighborhood (order
goat tartare and the unusual mountain specialty, h’risset ‘akkub: a
lamb porridge with wild thistle).” It also said that the famous Al Soussi restaurant in the Aicha Bakkar neighborhood was known for its fatteh. This
is not the first time Beirut has been acknowledged as a top tourist
destination. Last year, the Lebanese capital was ranked among the
world’s best cities. It has also made it to the CNTraveler
Readers’ Choice Awards Top 50 and was ranked 20th in the world’s best
cities according to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards.