Beit El Tawlet

Beirut, Lebanon

Having grown up during Lebanon’s civil war, Kamal Mouzawak decided to harness the power of food to create common ground. He began by launching Beirut’s first farmers’ market, Souk el-Tayeb, for small-batch producers, no matter their background. Next came Tawlet, an acclaimed homestyle restaurant whose cooks hail from across the country. The menu changes daily based on what’s in season and who’s in the open kitchen. That warm lunchtime hospitality extends round the clock thanks to an upstairs guesthouse, Beit El Tawlet (beit is Arabic for home). Its eight rooms have an appealingly lived-in feel: plants, rattan furniture, embroidered pillows and local art and antiques.

Guests wake up to a generous breakfast and can try their hands at making fatayer (savoury pies) or rolling stuffed vine leaves. Inclusive as ever, Mouzawak has expanded his concept of home across Lebanon, opening Beit Ammiq in the fertile Bekka Valley, Beit Douma in a mountain town and Beit El Qamar in the former capital of Deir El Qamar.