Cities Where Street Food is Better Than Any Michelin Restaurant

38. Beirut, Lebanon: Flavor in Every Fold

Beirut’s chaotic beauty spills into its street food—aromatic, deeply spiced, and fiercely loved. The ultimate grab-and-go bite? Manousheh—a warm flatbread baked on a domed griddle, topped with za’atar, cheese, or minced lamb. Ka’ak, a sesame-covered ring bread, is sold from wheeled carts and stuffed with halloumi or labneh. For meat lovers, shawarma stands rule: marinated meat sliced into thin shavings, packed into pita with pickles and garlic whip. On sweet days, vendors pour ashta (clotted cream) into crisp znoud el-sit pastries or serve knefeh in buns for a decadent breakfast. Beirut’s street food isn’t just delicious—it’s defiant joy in edible form.