Top 10 Italian Restaurants:

Venezia

Location right outside the Hilton metropolitan hotel, venezia offers a wide range of culinary delights from all the Italian regions, in a kitsch and delightful setting decorated with gondolas, bridges and Venetian façades.

For more information or reservations contact Venezia at +9611496666

Al forno

An authentic Italian cuisine experience located at Zaitunay Bay, Minet El Hosn Beirut

Al Forno the very well-known restaurant for its rustic homemade pastas and pizzas across the UAE, Kuwait & Bahrain has finally opened its doors on March 2015.

Al Forno caters to a diverse cluster of customers ranging from locals to expats with a wide array of menu selections including traditional delicacies such as soups, salads, appetizers, risottos and pastas.

Al Forno, the house of Pastas & Pizzas!

For more information or reservations contact Al forno at +9611370617-8

Toto cucina Italiana

Located in Mar Mikhael, Beirut the Toto team have a simple, emotive and adaptable ethos that drives us forward: the desire to be genuinely different; to be empowered with emotional values yet simple and aspirational and to be adaptable to future product innovations.

TOTÒ wishes to create a dining experience for their customers, by developing and making Italian creations. In true Italian spirit they seek to optimize hospitality for all of their customers, while offering a genuine menu.

They will be opening soon in Dbayeh.

For more information or reservations please contact Toto cucina italiana at +961-1-566991 or check out their website http://totocucina.com/contact.php

Popolo

Located along the renowned Beirut boardwalk, on the shores of the finest beaches, Popolo opened this summer, bringing a new concept of Italian cuisine to the Lebanese capital, with an awe-inspiring seated terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Boasting a raucous family-style, revisionist red-sauce look, Popolo is the brainchild of ADDMIND, the management group behind renowned concepts like White, Iris and Caprice among others.

"I have been to places around the world where not only the food was the ultimate experience, but the surroundings, the aromas, the decors, the service and mostly the view. This was my focus when I pictured Popolo, an Italian kitchen designed to blend unique European historic features with authentic Italian pizzas, giving a location such as Popolo's, an identity of its own." Tony Habre, CEO of ADDMIND.

The food is the product of a tradition of rustic eating rather than just rarefied high cooking; the majority of dishes are based on meat, poultry and fish, with fresh produce of which the majority is imported from Italy.
The team behind Popolo includes key innovators in the hospitality industry, who embody the Italian spirit and culture, present daily during lunch time and through your long nights for early or late dinners, to take Italian food enthusiasts on a journey inside Popolo's unique cuisine.

For more information or reservations please contact Popolo at +9611366222

Margherita

Whether for a quick meal or relaxed evening, "Margherita pizzeria del quartiere dal 1959" delivers the authentic taste of Naples with simplicity and elegance. Margherita pizzeria del quartiere dal 1959 first opened in Lebanon in July 2008 in one of the most traditional streets in Lebanon's capital, Gemmayzeh. Following its huge success, the first franchised branch opened in Lebanon in November 2011 in Sin El Fil, in the Metn region, and the second one in October 2012 in the ABC Mall, in Achrafieh. The third franchised branch opened in February 2013 in Dbayeh, Blueberry Square. Many more branches have opened since then.

For more information or reservations please contact Margharita at +961-1- 571 572 or view their website http://www.pizzeriamargherita.com/en/

Peninsula

The Peninsula is a resort with headquarter located at Dbayeh highway. Having a wonderful set of gardens and "terraces" over viewing the sea, The Peninsula restaurant is specialized in Italian cuisine, with a unique taste in events planning for birthdays and weddings.

In addition, The Peninsula is set for all types of business conferences and, meetings in its lounge area.

The Peninsula first priority is to serve the best Italian taste in a magical environment.

The Peninsula aim is to export its unique spirit, taste and gardens to flourish in different locations and cultures.

Not only is there a branch in dbayeh but also in Gemmayzeh.

The peninsula Gemmayzeh, Located in Gemmayzeh, the heart of Beirut, in the middle of the chaos, The Peninsula is the unique place where to find a cozy ambience combined with authentic recipes made with the utmost care, making sure every bite holds the true essence of Italy in it.
Taste the finest Italian cuisine, a delicious combination of dedication and fresh ingredients. Our rich menu only includes authentic recipes made with the utmost care, making sure every bite holds the true essence of Italy in it.

For more information or reservations contact peninsula at

+9611576057 for the gemmayzeh branch

+9614540240 for the dbayeh branch

Or visit their website ww.thepeninsula.com.lb/

Napoletana

Restaurant La Napoletana is your authentic little Italian restaurant serving traditional thin crust Pizza's. Napoletana offers more than 70 dishes including pastas, gourmet pizzas, appetizers, salads and desserts.
Italian pizzeria that offers the Italian spirit of food, quality and a nice place to meet.
They have a terrace on Hamra's main street, which is a little noisy but really nice to sit and enjoy lunch or just coffee with one of their good desserts.

For more information or reservations contact napoletana at +9611345444 or visit their website www.napoletana.com/

La posta

Made for the Italian lovers; just drive to Trabaud Street in Achrafieh, where "La Posta" has its doors wide open all week through starting from noon (12 am) till its last customer.

As you reach "La Posta" and walk up the enchanted stairs, leading you to the restaurants entrance, a remarkable sight of an old villa, with a touch of eccentric Lebanese architecture, you find yourself in a beautiful big garden engulfing a fountain on your left, filled with lots of tables ready to seat you no matter if you're just two or up to twenty.

For more information or reservation please contact La posta at +9611209909 or check out their website http://www.laposta-beirut.com/

Pomodoro

Pomodoro is a typical neighborhood Italian restaurant.
Serving fresh and flavorsome creations from the traditional Italian cuisine, Pomodoro offers a relaxed dining experience embedded in a vintage and genuine Italian ambience. 
Selecting only the finest ingredients, Pomodoro serves the best of what Italy has to offer from traditional pizza to signature pasta and risotto in addition to colorful seaside dishes. 
Whether you are there for lunch or dinner; Pomodoro Pizzeria is your sole ticket to the roots of Italian cooking and culture.

For more information or reservations contact Pomodoro at +9611379799

Caprese

Caprese offers a delicious and appetizing variety of traditional Italian dishes and innovative pizzas as well as a large selection of Italian, local and international wine. Few weeks ago, Caprese organized the opening of its new Sushi bar at the venue in Verdun which featured different kinds of delicious and mouthwatering sushi.

For more information or reservations please contact Caprese at +961-70-380000 or check out their website http://www.capreserestaurant.com/

By C. Maalouf