This Lebanese ghost kitchen is now a sit-down spot on Geary
Parallel just got some friendly falafel-based competition
A few years after Ali Nassrallah moved from Beirut to Toronto in 2019, he opened Beirut Bodega, a Lebanese takeout joint that ran out of a King West ghost kitchen. Business was decent, but it didn’t match the Beirut dining scene of his memory. In search of seats and crowds, he closed up shop in March and evolved Beirut Bodega into a sit-down affair on a trendy west-end strip.
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The new space on Geary Avenue—loosely flanked by Famiglia Baldasarre and Mista Boiga—makes sense. “I wanted to evolve to be a place where people convene over authentic Lebanese food,” says Nassrallah. “Geary has a great energy, and it’s a prime spot for adventurous dining options.”
At dinner, the menu spins through the Lebanese mezze canon with cold and hot staples, like creamy labneh, stuffed grape leaves, batata harra (roasted potatoes in a herbaceous red pepper sauce), fried kibbeh and seared-and-squeaky halloumi. The mains are meaty and charcoal-grilled with marbled ribeye steak and mixed BBQ platters that bury grilled onions, tomatoes and serrano peppers. Each comes with a side of pita and garlicky toum powerful enough to slay an entire vampire coven.
Given the area’s creative working class, the lunch menu leans into nutritious and protein-forward bowls and not-sad-at-all desk sandwiches loaded with things like juicy marinated chicken, roasted lamb laced with pistachio or crispy, cumin-spiced sausage.
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While neighbouring Parallel has, thus far, cornered the market on falafel in the area, Nassrallah says his Lebanese version is distinctly different. Beirut Bodega’s iteration mixes chickpeas and fava beans—and while Nassrallah isn’t giving away his trade secrets, it tastes like it’s got a whack of warm spices in place of bright herbs. In other words, there’s no need for any falafel-based fighting.
Beirut Bodega can fit about 20 diners at tables inside, but the best spots are on its eight-seater streetside patio. It’s not Old World Beirut exactly, but with enough labneh and lively people watching, it’s at least momentarily transportive.
Lindsey King is a Toronto-based writer and editor whose work can be found in Toronto Life, Maclean’s, Canada’s 100 Best and more. She is interested in arts and culture, food and drink, architecture, design, and real estate stories
