"Where To Eat Pizza" Is Finally Out, and Beirut's Included!

April 01, 2016

Nearly a year ago, I was approached by London-based food writer Daniel Young to collaborate on an exciting book project. Young, who manages Young and Foodish, had singled me out as a reference on the Beirut dining scene and chosen me to be regional expert for the best pizza places in our neck of the woods. The mission? To publish an insider’s international guide on where to eat pizza.

574 pages of pizza glory!

Pizza has universal renown and recognition. No matter where you go, no matter how far flung you find yourself from the comfort of your own culture, pizza will always draw a smile of familiarity to your face.

Young describes it as the world’s "fastest slow food." The dough requires at least a day to develop, but the crust can be baked in under a minute. Thick or thin, round or square, crisp or yielding, stone-baked or pan-baked, traditional or outside-the-box, minimalist or loaded, nourishing or junky, we are brought together in communion over a pie of piping hot pizza.

Photo credit: http://anticachampaign.com/

My task as a regional expert was to appoint additional pizza informants, from food critics, to chefs, restaurateurs, bloggers and pizza lovers, who could chime in with their picks of the Lebanese lot. Close to a dozen participated, including Anthony Rahayel of NoGarlicNoOnions.com, Bethany Kehdy of Dirty Kitchen Secrets, Nadim Safieddine of Nad’s Reviews, and Badeeh Abla of BeirutRestaurants.com.

I collaborated on the guidebook in the capacity of regional expert

Beirut’s five finest emerged – Margherita, Tavolina, Tótó, Pzza.co, and TSC Signature. Here is a sneak peak of what our cognoscenti had to say about them:

“The most consistent and delicious pizza in town by far. The freshest ingredients with the best dough and the most flavorful toppings!”

“The pizza dough is balanced (not too fluffy or too crispy) and the sauce is perfect (just the right amount)…It is the perfect chic and glamorous pizza in Beirut.”

“Plant yourself on the bar-stool, and let the expert pizzaiolo treat you to one of his specialties. Don’t even reach for the menu or bother leafing through its offerings—his creations are not in print, their blueprints are only etched loosely in his mind.”

What makes "Where To Eat Pizza" so irresistible is its extensive coverage: 1,705 selections in 48 countries curated by 121 regional experts and 956 pizza informants. The book is organized by continent and country and is dotted with in-depth insights by Young, including the story of pizza and its elements, Japan’s Neapolitan pizza obsession, the pizza truck movement, and oodles more.

This is the tome, as Wallpaper Magazine put it, that “everyone ought to read and…own.” Trust me, if you're a gourmet, you'll want it on your shelf.

To learn more or to order, look here.