Al-Daouk sweets

Al-Daouk sweets is a tiny Arabic dessert place in the Cola district of Beirut. No need to get an address or a GPS, pretty much everyone and anyone within a 500 meter radius will be able to point out the place to you. Why? Because this little joint has created one of Beirut’s most famous –and yet surprisingly still under-the-radar- desserts: al Daoukiyyeh (after the Daouk family, who else?).

This little piece of heaven is made of a generous portion of “Ashta” (clotted cream) sandwiched between two layers of pistachio puree and unsalted cashew nuts. Once you reach the place, expect a perennial crowd: workers having daoukiyyeh for breakfast, students having it in between courses, drivers picking it up for their employer’s bash across town...there is always a reason to stop and smell the pistachios.

Don’t expect fancy service, try to blend in with the regulars – though first-timers will be easily spotted- and ask for either a piece or a whole plate for your home or as a hostess gift (call for the latter in advance, it takes up to an hour to prepare). While you wait, you will probably be hypnotized by the almost automated accuracy of the staff’s manual acrobatics: from mixing to spreading to cutting, these guys are unquestionably the kings of Daoukiyyeh.