After all the rumors (that proved to be wrong later) about the possibility of a bank replacing Ahwet El Ezez in Gemmayze, it turned out it’s actually a 4th branch for Leila that will be replacing the old cafe.
Leila already has 3 branches in ABC Achrafieh, ABC Dbayeh, and Verdun. This new branch will be called “Ahwet Leila” to probably maintain the feel of its predecessor…
2010 is parting in a few days and it seems like it is taking away one of Gemmayze’s landmarks with it!
According to this article from The Daily Star, Ahwet El Ezez will soon shut its doors after losing a legal battle with the building owners regarding the continuation of pre-civil war rents.
The premises will now return to the building owners, who have been embroiled in legal disputes with the café for years over the continuation of pre-Civil War rents.
What will become of it now remains unknown. Building owners have assured conservationists that the site will not be demolished but speculation is rife over what will become of one of central Beirut’s last traditional cafés, with rumors circulating it will be turned into a new snazzy bar, maybe even a Starbucks or a bank branch.
Do you think it is time for us to finally accept that those small pieces of Beirut’s heritage are not meant to last forever or at least survive the real estate boom in the city?
I went to é Café at Eddé Yard Jbeil upon the recommendation of a friend back in March for the first time, and have fallen in love with their food ever since!
Passing by the old souk of Jbeil, there’s no way you can miss é Café and the barbecue placed outside their kitchen. The place consists of a beautiful outdoor area and a cozy interior space, offering 2 small french and italian menus, in a very nice ambiance. However, you wont need to check on their items because you will know what to order the minute you start watching the chef grilling mouth watering pieces of entrecote!
The entrecote will be grilled to your taste (I recommend medium well) right in front of you. Once done, the chef will place it on a bed of grilled onions and potatoes, accompanied with a sauce containing butter and some other things but tastes good anyway, and a bowl or rocca salad with balsamic vinegar, all tasting very good!
When done, your experience will seriously be incomplete if you don’t order their Gauffre au chocolat! Ignore any other topping mentioned in the menu, and go straight for the dark chocolate, it just tastes like heaven!
The staff at é Café is very friendly, and it’s impressive that their service was very timely each time I went there. If you plan to visit the place, then I recommend you go there on a Saturday night during summertime as the old souk is now packed with outdoor pubs and bars, and gets crowded with people on Saturdays creating a nice atmosphere.
Ba3ed fi faseid aktar min heik?
