A guide to Lebanese mezze: what to order and how to share it

What is Lebanese mezze?

Lebanese mezze is a spread of small dishes, cold and hot, that the whole table shares, either to start a meal or as the meal itself. Instead of one plate each, you order several and everyone eats from the middle, usually with warm Lebanese bread to scoop with.

Mezze is less a course than a way of eating. It is generous, unhurried and built for conversation, which is why a Lebanese table always looks full.

What are the classic cold mezze dishes?

The cold mezze most tables start with are hummus, moutabal, tabbouleh and stuffed vine leaves. These are the dishes you will find on almost every Lebanese menu, including ours:

• Hummus. Chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, finished with olive oil. Habib Beirut also serves variations such as Beiruti hummus, beetroot hummus and pesto hummus.
• Moutabal. Smoky grilled aubergine mashed with tahini and lemon.
• Mouhamara. A roasted red pepper and walnut dip, sweet and sharp from pomegranate molasses.
• Labneh. Thick strained yoghurt, served here with garlic or with vegetables.
• Shanklish. An aged, spiced cheese, crumbled and dressed with tomato, onion and olive oil.
• Stuffed vine leaves (warak enab). Vine leaves rolled around a seasoned rice filling.
• Hindbeh. Wild chicory sautéed with olive oil and topped with crisp fried onion.
• Tabbouleh and fattouch. Strictly salads, but almost always part of a mezze spread: tabbouleh is parsley-led with fine bulgur; fattouch is a crunchy mixed salad with toasted bread.

What are the classic hot mezze dishes?

Hot mezze arrive after the cold dishes and are mostly baked, fried or griddled. The ones worth knowing:

• Kibbeh. A shell of bulgur and minced meat with a spiced meat and pine-nut filling, fried until crisp.
• Sambousik. Small pastries filled with spiced minced meat.
• Fatayer. Baked pastries filled with spinach, lemon and onion.
• Falafel. Chickpea and herb fritters, crisp outside and soft inside.
• Foul. Fava beans slow-cooked with garlic, lemon and olive oil.
• Soujok. A spiced sausage, cooked in the pan.
• Hummus with meat and pine nuts. Hummus topped with sautéed minced meat, a warm favourite.
• Grilled halloumi. Firm cheese, griddled until golden.

What is kibbeh nayeh?

Kibbeh nayeh is the Lebanese raw meat dish: very fresh, finely ground meat mixed with bulgur and spices, eaten with bread, mint and onion. It is a mezze for confident eaters. At Habib Beirut you will find it in the Raw Meats "Nayeh" section, alongside kebbeh orfaliyeh and raw meat tebleh.

How many mezze dishes should you order?

A good rule of thumb is two to three dishes per person, mixing cold and hot. For two people, four to six dishes is plenty before any grill. Start with fewer than you think and add more; mezze is designed to keep arriving.

If it is your first time, a mixed platter is the easiest start. Habib Beirut's Mezza Mix of 3 lets you try three dishes on one plate.

How do you eat mezze?

Tear a piece of bread, scoop, and share. There is no fixed order, but most tables follow the same rhythm:

1. Cold mezze and salads first
2. Hot mezze as the cold dishes settle
3. Grilled meats, such as mixed grill or shish taouk, if the table is still hungry
4. Something sweet, like knefeh or mhalabiyeh, with Lebanese coffee

Pair it with laban ayran or fresh lemonade with mint, both served at Habib Beirut.

Where can you try Lebanese mezze at Habib Beirut?

You can order the full mezze range at each of our restaurants with a menu online:

• Dubai Marina menu
• Abu Dhabi Mall menu
• Khorfakkan menu
• Sofia menu

Or find your nearest branch on our locations page.