Beirut Cafe Satisfies a Nine-Year Craving
Sandwiched between a convenience store and a gas station in Murray, the Lebanese restaurant our columnist had given up on finding.
Since I moved to Utah from Michigan nearly 10 years ago, I had been pining for Lebanese cuisine. I grew up in the Detroit metro area, which has the highest concentration of Lebanese people in the United States. Utah ranks 43rd.
After nine years here, I began to doubt I'd find the Lebanese food I craved. Every time I got a recommendation, I would arrive to find lackluster marinated chicken with dry pita and tahini.
I had all but given up on the search until I wandered into Beirut Cafe. In the most unlikely of spots, sandwiched between a convenience store and a gas station, I found a restaurant that reminded me of home. I knew I was in the right place as soon as I walked in the door.
Beirut Cafe does it right — from the charcoal grill specifically designed for kabob and kafta to the spits roasting beef and chicken shawarma. The fattoush has just the right amount of lemon and sumac, the shawarma is perfectly crisp, and the pickled turnips and house pickles are exactly what you want them to be. The hummus and baba ghanouj are the best in the valley, but what puts the final touches on the meal is the freshly made pita.
Throw away your fork, order an extra pita and use the pillowy bread to eat the meal.
This is the Lebanese restaurant I'd been waiting to discover. In a culinary landscape that generally far exceeds the Midwest in Western Asian cuisine, this hidden gem satisfied a nine-year craving.
The Details
Beirut Cafe, 1326 E. 5600 South, Murray. (801) 679-1688.