FOR FOODIES

01 MAHFOUZ

Essentially a sandwich shop, Mahfouz is no ordinary culinary experience. Its speciality is fatayel – beef filets cut into small, mincelike pieces and then fried and served in Arabic bread with tarator and tomatoes. Chicken and makanek (a small pan-fried beef sausage) versions are available, but the fatayel wins. Souk, Tyre, Tel: (+961) 7 740131. facebook.com/ mahfouzsandwish

02 BAROUD

Another Tyre institution, Baroud is also situated in the Old Souk and opens at the crack of dawn. A morning spot only, it serves Lebanese breakfasts with zero pretension and maximum taste. The menu is limited – foul, hummus with tahini, or msabbaha (hot chickpeas with tahini, crushed garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and salt) – but delightful. Don’t go expecting five-star luxury. Souk, Tyre, no number

03 AL FANAR RESTAURANT

Situated on a wooden jetty overlooking the sea in Haret el Masihiyeh, Al Fanar offers the usual array of Lebanese dishes served to the sounds of crashing waves. There’s a lighthouse, too, and a small beach, so if you feel like a quick swim afterwards you don’t have far to go. el Masihiyeh, Tyre. Tel: (+961) 7 741111. alfanarresort.com

04 AL JAMAL

Nobody seems to be sure of the name of this ramshackle restaurant in Al Jamal, a stretch of beach just along the corniche from Al Fanar. Either way, it’s all about the seafood at this wooden shack on stilts. Expect a relaxed atmosphere, fresh food and staff who have been weathered by the sea. Tyre, no number