The Scene:

You wouldn’t know it was the hottest restaurant in Beirut, at least from the outside, located by Souk el Tayeb looks like it was cut straight out of a fashionable food magazine. A simple glass front conceals a one-room collection of communal tables topped in reclaimed wood with simple farmhouse chairs and bursting floral arrangements. Tawlet is revolutionary in many ways, most notably as the city’s top purveyor of farm-to-table cuisine presented by rotating chefs and showcased in a casual, hip eatery in central Beirut. Tall glass walls face retractable farmhouse door that conceal a working kitchen with chef’s table under a string of interconnected spotlights and old wine crates with an arty edge. Once a culinary staple of mostly foodie locals, innumerous write-ups now yield a long, albeit thoroughly worthy, waits best avoided with a reservation at least a week in advance.