Beiruti Ghent The Real Lebanese, The House of Hospitality — Restaurant in Ghent

This was one of the worst experience in my whole life , if not the worst . I was in the mood for levant food , this restaurant pop the first in search , but i think it is descries of all levant restaurants especially Lebanese. Menu is very poor mostly appetisers, and by very poor i mean only 2 main course . Kafta and tawouk and you cant even order mix . I already knew this would be a bad experience but i thought i should give it a try , so i ordered tawouk and tabouli . I took only one bite of each , tabouleh was chopped at least 1 day ago ( i am very generous here coz actually i think waaaay more than that ). And there was max 8 pcs of tawouk , those pcs were even smaller than the normal tawouk and tasted like they were pre grilled and reheated, they were setting there in that small dish with only piece of bread , i cant describe the feeling but it really hurts to call that ( lebanese food) I took me less than 60 sec to taste and to ask for the bill , i felt like i must run away so i can print no more bad memories in my mind . Even it took me less than a minute to walk away , the waiter did not even bothered to ask what is wrong , seriously, even if i received a call from the police to tell me that my mother was hit by a bus i would stay longer than a minute, but he felt nothing wrong and just give me the check . And you have to stand by the counter to pay like in grocery. The waiter was not rude , that is a good thing in normal restaurants, but he was not welcoming , and it is very bad in a Lebanese restaurant. I am writing this while i am eating burger in a near by...

Update: The restaurant’s response to this review is even more disappointing than the experience itself. Is it procedural to ask people if they are delivery driver? Others who came in were not asked that!! Instead of taking responsibility and addressing the issue, they’ve chosen to deflect and dismiss things by hiding behind a “we’re immigrant-owned” excuse. It’s clear they didn’t actually listen to what was said, but just pushed their narrative. Tone-deaf! I had an uncomfortable experience here that I feel needs to be shared. When I walked in, a staff member immediately stopped me and asked for my order number. I told her I was here to dine in, and she replied, “I thought you were a delivery driver.” By that point, the tone was already set. It was clear the assumption was made simply because I’m brown—there was no other indication for her to think that.

I didn’t feel welcome after that, so I decided to just order a wrap to go. When it was ready, they handed it to me wrapped in paper—no bag, no napkins, no basic courtesy. The whole experience felt dismissive and cold.

While I waited, I noticed a couple next to me was given a free drink as they waited for their food. Meanwhile, I was completely ignored.

This place gives off a clear vibe that non-brown customers are treated with more care and respect. I won’t be...

My review is long overdue! I'm a Lebanese Canadian who travelled to Ghent (in the summer of 2019). The purpose of my trip was to attend Artevelde University for a two-week course due to an international learning scholarship I was given. During my stay in Ghent, I was naturally on the lookout for Middle Eastern restaurants. I came across Beiruti which was luckily in walking distance of the hostel I was staying at, and the restaurant did not disappoint! Not only was the food and atmosphere phenomenal (especially the outdoor seating area), but the hospitality is what really made this place special to me. I don't remember the owner's name or whether he's still at this establishment, but he made me feel like family and was very generous! It was like having a relative or piece of home there with me, and so it definitely made my trip feel a little less solitary. I made it a point to visit Beiruti a few times before I left Ghent just because of how appreciative I was. The owner went out of his way to introduce me to his staff and make me and my fellow classmates feel welcomed and cared for. Ghent is a beautiful city on its own, but its also lucky to have this gem of a place in its center. I highly recommend checking it out if you...