Fasters and nonfasters alike have heard of iftar, the meal taken by Muslims at sundown during the holy month ofRamadan to break the fast. Here in Lebanon, when the sun sets at around 8 p.m., families and friends will flood to the restaurants across the country offering lavish iftar meals. What is less commonly known for nonfasters however, is suhoor, the predawn meal. Suhoor is arguably the more important of the two, as it is the meal that will sustain you through the long, hot and humid daylight hours without food or water. While iftar meals are offered across the city, at various venues and prices, finding a restaurant willing to stay open late enough for suhoor is much harder. As it is the last meal before the fast, it is normally eaten as close to dawn as possible, meaning those who want to do suhoor right will be seeking out food around 3 a.m. It is also extremely important that you eat the best kinds of food to help you last the 16-odd hours without food or water ahead. Complex carbohydrates, water, fruits, vegetables and protein are key. With the hour it is eaten and the necessity of eating right, it is hardly surprising then that suhoor is more of a home activity than a group outing. Nonetheless there are still a few options available for those who want to venture out in the cooler hours. At the higher end of things there are the Ramadan Nights at thePhoenicia Hotel in Downtown. The Amethyste restaurant will be offering suhoor throughout the holy month, with three options available for couples. The first will give you the option of hot/cold mezze, along with a dessert for LL75,000. If you want to enjoy a nargileh with your meal – bearing in mind that fasting means not smoking as well – then the couples’ price for the above with shisha becomes LL95,000. Or you could eat a la carte, with the option of buying a nargileh for LL18,000. Amethyste will be open for the suhoor meal from 12:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., which marks it as one of the best options for those who want to eat as late as possible. Also offering a suhoor meal throughout Ramadan is the Sunsoul restaurant at the Coral Beach Hotel and Resort in Jnah. With an a la carte menu of Lebanese fare and Ramadan juices available, it will be serving food from 10 p.m. with no set closing time. For a more chilled atmosphere, try the suhoor formula at Kahwet Leila in Gemmayzeh, offering up traditional Lebanese mezze from 11 p.m. to 12-1 a.m. Another favorite with a full iftar menu for LL55,000 is Falamanki on Abdel-Wahab al-Inglizi street, which is open 24/7 making it a great option for suhoor. Its iftar menu has open (nonalcoholic) drinks along with mezze, a lamb or fish sayadiyeh for main, and desserts and fruits to close. If you want to try a taste of the traditional, also open 24/7 is Kahwet Azmi a newly opened but traditionally themed cafe/restaurant in Downtown, just off Uruguay street. Azmi will be offering both iftar and suhoor meals, and will have a man offering liquorice syrup as a reminder of the vendors who used to sell it inBeirut years past. For less formal suhoor meal, there are some favorite haunts of Lebanese night owls that are open late enough to do the trick. Barbar in Hamra runs to the small hours with shawarma, falafel, main dishes and fruit juices all available. Leil Nhar, which offers a variety of Lebanese and Western dishes, is open 24 hours at its location in Ashrafieh. Zaatar w Zeit has branches across the city with the kinds of food you would expect to enjoy at suhoor. For those willing to forgo the traditional altogether, there is always burger and fries at Smoking Bun, the Mar Mikhael hole in the wall that stays open until 3 a.m. And If you are looking for something more than just a meal, there is also Masrah Ramadan this Sunday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the MusicHall Waterfront. An oriental night with the Chehade Brothers will have music and suhoor and the money goes to charity. the daily star
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