Crave
Danielle Issa

Here’s Where You Can Find The Best Secret Off-Menu Pizza in Lebanon

My husband and I have a favorite pizza hotspot in Beirut. Here, the pies are crafted with love, passion and a gourmet touch. They boast fresh toppings, delicious flavor combinations, and constant reinvention… and some of them, you won’t even find on the menu.

Plant yourself on the barstool in front of TSC Signature’s Hassan Akkary, and watch as the top-notch piazzalo crafts a breathtaking Seafood Cocktail number that comes chock-full of fruits de mer (calamari, baby shrimp and mussels) marinated in olive oil and swimming on a bed of rich tomato sauce and grated mozzarella.

He shuffles the pie into the oven for a minute or two, and when it emerges, he layers atop fresh smoked salmon, a bouquet of rocket leaves and crumbed goat cheese with a handful of capers to boot. It is exquisite.



More recently he’s developed a unique pizza that draws its sauce from both tomato and pesto. Hassan blankets it with heaps of mozzarella, lightly-fried slices of eggplant, white onion ringlets, and cherry tomatoes. As if that weren’t enough, he adorns it with crumbled feta, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary and a dash of truffle oil after it has finished baking.

A veritable work of art, the pizza will have you wrestling with your inner demons as to whether you should wolf it down immediately or sit and admire it in all its glory.

So here’s a pro-tip for the ages, Beirut fam: the next time you head over to TSC, allow Hassan (he’s there on almost any given afternoon after 3:00 p.m.) to treat you to one of his specialties. Don’t even reach for the menu; his best creations are not in print, they’re blueprints etched loosely in the chef’s mind.

Buon appetito!

TSC Signature
Beirut Souks
Downtown
Tel.: +9611986444
Tel.: +9611993170