Street food done well at Le Souk Beirut.
Honestly, what could be better than Lebanese street food? From that you-shouldn’t-but-you’re-going-to-anyway kebab at 3am, glorious halal snack packs or the revelation that is hummus. At Le Souk Beirut, located down the Surry Hills end of Crown Street, amongst many other funky, trendy bars and restaurants, this is up market Lebanese street food. Le Souk Beirut is full of the decor and decorations of its namesake, it even has a painted mural of the seaside town of Beirut adorning the restaurant. But most importantly, it showcases the amazing flavours of the beautiful Middle Eastern capital city.
Did you know they brewed beer in Lebanon? You can throw down an Almaza Pilsner, a nice light and crisp beer, or spice things up with a Mexican Almaza which comes in a chilled glass rimmed with salt and a shot of fresh lemon juice. They also house a local wine, the Fakra Blanc de Blanc, a dead ringer for a Chardonnay, with a delicious Turkish Delight twist. The perfect accompaniment to a Lebanese feast.
There is a massive selection of items to choose from at Le Souk Beirut. They have a selection of chargrilled French rolls, stuffed with traditional smoked meats like kafta, shawarma or bastruma (air-dried cured sirloin beef). Mixed meats plates and vegetarian specials also feature on the menu.
If you, like us, want to try a bit of everything and have a few ravenous mates in tow, try the banquet ($45pp, minimum 4 people.) It’s a smorgasbord of food, showing you why Le Souk truly means “marketplace”. You start of with a range of four dips – hummus, baba ganouj, labne and the garlicky toum, our personal favourite.
There are zesty salads – fattoush and tabouli and traditional Lebanese snacks like vine leaves, kibbe and falafel. Delicious lady fingers are similar to a spring roll but with Lebanese mince and spices inside paired with sticky-and-sweet pomegranate molasses. We also loved the fried cauliflower.
The banquet comes with three types of meat. The chicken tawouk was exceptional whilst the sujak, a spicy and more aromatic kofta offered the traditional comfort food. These were unfortunately just a touch over-cooked, but they still had a nice flavour, and went well with all the sides.
Overall, Le Souk Beirut invites you to a warm, welcoming meal, feasting on the simple delights of Lebanon. The staff are both knowledgable and kind, willing to give you both stellar wine and food recommendations. It’s a lively and satisfying night out, especially if you get the banquet. Roll up your sleeves and dig in. Believe me, from Le Souk Beirut, it’s all finger-licking good.
535 Crown St, Surry Hills
(02) 8937 2191
Sun – Thurs: 11am – 10pm, Fri – Sat: 11am – 11pm