Central Station

In a part of Beirut where every bar needs a USP to stay afloat, Central Station describes itself, somewhat obliquely, as a ‘boutique bar’. What this seems to mean in practice is a fashionable venue with classy modern designs and some smashing cocktails: somewhere to get gracefully tipsy, not embarrassingly hammered. A glistening polished bar runs down the long, thin room, which is framed by iron and glass walls that bring to mind a renovated train carriage. Cocktails are the order of the day; alongside the usual suspects, you’ll also find some more esoteric concoctions courtesy of the bar's globetrotting mixologists. There's also an appropriately posh food menu, which tends toward the sushi and halloumi end of the spectrum – if you're after burgers and beer, you're way off-piste.