Le Petit Gris — Restaurant in Saifi

I went for dinner last night after trying to get a booking for 3 weeks. Theres a lot of buzz around this restaurant right now. The interior and general vibe is cosy in a secluded street, its a nice laid back atmosphere. The service was good, the waiters were attentive even with a full house, and the food came promptly with no delays. I tried the warm goat cheese salad- this dish has room for improvement. Something about the dressing and mix of fresh greens left a bitter taste in the mouth. Also theres too much goat cheese to bread ratio. I also tried the bottarga pizza and i loved this; the shavings of bottarga went so well with the cheese and sundried tomato. Tried the octopus linguini, and despite the octopus being fresh, i felt it was lacking salt and garlic and flavor while also being a little bit more watery than id like. Our mains were basically faultless. I loved the stroganoff even though it had more cream than i like, it was still tasty. If i were to add anything it would be a slight spice of smoked paprika or cayenne pepper to break through the richness of the cream. The burger was awesome, the cheese the bun the sauce all of it- especially the fries. Crispy and no smell of oil. The escalope was also good. A good portion that doesn’t go to waste like a lot of other restaurants. Also was crispy and not over oiled . The pavlova was excellent. The meringue was crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside! Altogether i enjoyed this spot even though i found it a little more expensive than most other restaurants. I would come back, the ingredients were fresh and service was good. Small point for improvement but a good...

We booked at this restaurant after several of our friends recommended it. Overall, it is an extremely overpriced place with very average food.

For the record, we ordered:

The burrata (it wasn’t that fresh and not as creamy as it should be) Shrimp in olive oil and basil (this was good, but not worth the price) Risotto cepes (I’ll admit this was the one dish we absolutely loved, it was perfect) Beef stroganoff (The beef tasted gamey) 2 glasses of local white wine 1 limoncello

We paid $133 (FRESH and excluding tips)! This is an absolute ripoff and completely unjustified. There are many upscale restaurants in Beirut with better food that do not charge as much (Cocteau, People, etc.). Definitely not worth all the hype!

That said, I will do justice to the waiters who were great, extremely professional and...

We visited Le Petit Gris for a date night on a Wednesday. The ambiance was classy and cozy, and that street in Gemmayze was quiet. The service was excellent.

We ordered the Canard, which was superbly cooked—crispy on the outside with a layer of fat and tender meat in the middle, served with a balanced sauce, mashed potatoes, and spiced vegetables. The portion was generous and filling, which is a rarity in "fine dining" restaurants in Lebanon that often serve small portions despite high prices.

We also tried another chicken dish (forgot the name) with thin, large steaks, fresh fries, and a tasty sauce, which we enjoyed. Our meal included two glasses of wine, and for dessert, we had the pain perdu, which was acceptable but not outstanding.

We paid around 100$

I recommend This place for...