I visited Beyroute Lebanese restaurant on Budaiya Highway on the 10^th March 2012. You might think that the date isn’t significant but I think it is. The day before Budaiya Highway witnessed one of the biggest demonstrations there has been in Bahrain. With anti-government graffiti visible all along Budaiya Highway you can see how a good number of restaurant goers might be put off from dining on Budaiya Highway, but in an effort to support the businesses in our area we felt compelled to support our local restaurants and in this case we chose Beyroute.

The restaurant looks good, clean and pleasant on the eye. That said, the wooden seating is uncomfortable and on our visit we were unfortunate to sit directly beneath an air-conditioning vent which for some reason beyond me was unable to be switched off. The waiting staff seemed apprehensive and nervous – perhaps because of the unrest the previous day – I don’t know. The non Arabic speaking staff seemed to lack knowledge of the menu. The Arabic speaking staff were much more attuned and I was able to practice my Arabic when ordering – English only speakers might struggle. Also, it took too long for our orders to arrive – no update, no apology, just late.

I have mixed feelings about the food. The salad we had was too sour and inedible whereas the kebabs were fabulous, succulent and tasty. The waiter didn’t seem to notice we hadn’t touched the salad and I didn’t feel like complaining given the turmoil of the previous day.

With the uncomfortable seats, cold blasts from the air conditioning unit and sour salad I must admit my first visit to Beyroute wasn’t memorable for the right reasons. However, given what had happened the day before then it may be that my experience wasn’t reflective of a typical service at Beyroute so I will certainly visit them again.