Even though Souk El Akel has been up for well more than a year now, I have only managed to go check it out a while ago in Beirut Downtown. And just like almost everybody else, I enjoyed the different flavors each stand was offering and loved how appetizing the food looked on display. The general ambiance also felt pretty nice with joyful people all around.
Raclette Burger in the making
Still, I was surprised with a couple of things, first being the unreasonable prices that are definitely not suitable for street food, and second the fact that no one seems to be bothered about it.
$5.6 Pizza slices
I have the utmost respect for Anthony (the founder of Souk El Akel) and everybody in his team for the effort they’re putting to let people enjoy clean and appetizing street food in a cool ambiance, but if that comes at a high cost like a $10 burger or $3.3 popsicle, then you can no longer call it street food, and for such prices I’d rather be at some restaurant enjoying a seated meal. I’m totally aware though that some items include premium ingredients like salmon and Angus beef, but then again, when I want to go have a street burger or a sandwich, it doesn’t really have to be made of premium stuff, just make me something tasty!
$8 Waffles anyone?
I don’t claim to have toured the world, but I have tried street food in several places like the US, Thailand, Turkey, Singapore, and Malaysia, and the prices were always dirt cheap for some of the best flavors I’ve tasted! So I really don’t understand how people here feel indifferent about $10 quick bites and dessert. It’s either everybody is suddenly better off, or I’m simply a cheap guy (I doubt the latter though :P).
I tried these ice cream rolls in Kuala Lumpur last October for no more than $2. Now available as Frooza at the Souk for $8.
All in all, paying $30 for some appetizer, a sandwich, and a dessert is just too much in my opinion for a street food market. For all I know, the organizers and the vendors are free to set whatever price they want and people will probably keep coming because it’s a new and cool concept to Lebanon, but making room for cheaper bites certainly make Souk El Akel earn its name.
$9 Chicken and pork sandwiches
I agree with you on the high prices of some items and the mediocre flavor of some.
I now know which things that are worth and which ones aren’t. But you have to take into account that the rent for the shack is relatively high, then add to it the ingredients cost, be it Angus or local butcher beef, then the pay for whoever is working there. The organizers and the municipality are taking a large sum of money.
I don’t know if your references were from such festivals/events or were sidewalk carts and shacks. You can still get a falafel and shawarma (which are prohibited in solidere) for good prices from any shop around town as the best example of Lebanese street food.
I’m not supporting the festival, but I thought I’d share my POV with you.
Thank you Assaad!
I’m well aware about the prices of shawarma and falafel around Beirut.
As for Souk El Akel, my problem is that the food you find there does not qualify as street food. Street food should be messy, cheap, and does not necessarily contain premium ingredients.
I have no idea about the fees that vendors usually pay to set up their carts there, but a high rent also contradicts with what a street food market is about.
i agree!
The cheaper version is called “سوق الأكل”, but it’s written in Arabic.
Hello Rami, thank you for your report, being a member of Souk el Akel family and having my brand stated in your article, please accept the following few lines:)
I hope that you have tried Frooza and would love to have your feedback on this natural handmade Booza:)
Some facts, since you are sharing the food prices, it would have been more credible to state the whole facts:
( Btw our price menu is visible in the back of the picture you displayed)
Anyway, our Booza is made fresh in front of you, the prices differ according to the size and the mix of fresh Ingredients added by the customer, prices start from 5.000 LBP – 8.000 LBP – 10.000 LBP and the Specials (sandwich Booza, Baileys Booza etc…) are priced at 12.000.
Last Souk el Akel is way above a simple food Market, Soukelakel unite Lebanese around food in a festive atmosphere offering affordable gourmet premium quality food in street food style!
I’m sorry for missing the rest of the prices Elias, I had no idea there was anything written on the back of the board.
As I said earlier, I have nothing against the vendors, you guys can set whatever price you want, I’m simply against labeling relatively high priced food as street food.
Souk el Akel
We can call it adventure, bad adventure, worst adventure horrible adventure, can’t really find the right name to name it, could be simply a nightmare and it will pass away after a short time and we will forget it.
Adventure start arriving to “souk el Akel” to Broumana, Saturday 30 august 2016, we hit a queue, a traffic for more than an hour and we can’t succeed to arrive, we found a place somewhere on the road and we hit it, walked for 15 minutes to arrive to the gate. No parking was dedicated for such an event; it is like the organizers thought that people will come with common transportation or they have thought that they will come flying.
Somehow organizers didn’t care about that, but foulest municipality agree with them and didn’t make any effort to simplify the arrival of the people. Much crowd was there ambiance was great, people were joyful, all restaurant around was fully booked instead of being in what called “Souk el Akel” was a little bit surprised why not in. Didn’t understand why, till we walk in.
Entrance was wide open for all, ZERO security, no one ask us a simple question or checked our bags, it is like we live in the most secured country. Somehow you start feeling uncomfortable. Getting in, display is nice something unusual in Lebanon since we don’t have street market like European country, it is something new where people can have good time and discover new things. A huge podium in the middle with singer, music was great and a lot of teen age people were watching standing. After making the full tour, we decide to taste since we came for “Souk el Akel” to eat. Waiting in a queue for 10 minutes to get something was not the issue due to the mass of people there, but when you see the price of the items proposed you think twice before ordering, a simple hamburger for 13000 Lebanese pound, a single smashed potato with cheese and poor garniture for 12000 Lebanese pound, a standard red wine bottle for 40000 Lebanese pound etc. … I think here it become much exaggerating, for what you pay for, and eat standing, you can hit any restaurant around, get a correct table and been served in a right way. Than we understand why all the restaurant were fully booked.
For me and for the bunch of friends we did this event, we will never make it another time, and we will advise all our friends not even to think about such a horrible adventure.
In another way for the interested people they like it, if they don’t care about their security in such a critical situation and to be ripped in that way to eat sandwiches, we can tell them good luck and enjoy.