Chez Habib

Nearly everyone in Beirut can lay claim to a favorite neighborhood bakery, or forn. But are you savvy enough to know Jal el Dib’s manakish mecca since 1988? Chez Habib is the brainchild of the namesake owner, who, originally trained as a commercial pilot in Miami, found himself back in Beirut yearning to serve people. Hence, Chez Habib was born, dishing up the crispiest golden sambousik stuffed with nabulsieh cheese in addition to a range of savory pastries. The signature zaatar pies are magically light—they don’t cause indigestion and reflux in the way that manakish usually do. I surmise it’s the lower temperature at which these babies are baked.