Mayrig Restaurant

Mayrig, un coin de chez nous dans votre assiette

A young girl on a long and lonely voyage, a beautiful stone house by the sea, and a book of fiercely guarded recipes. These are just some of the elements which compose the fascinating history of Mayrig.

Tucked away at the far end of Beirut’s Gemayzeh quarter, Mayrig is a restaurant that adapts the popular classics of Armenian cuisine, while generously borrowing from Lebanese and other Mediterranean influences, in order to feast guests on a dazzling array of flavors.

Our “haven of dining perfection”, as food critics have hailed it, uses spicy ingredients and dewy-fresh harvests from the entire region, delicately hand-crafted creations, and a charming setting that still evokes Beirut’s glory days. Somehow, what you get is even more sublime than the sum of its parts…not surprising for a restaurant which still believes in serving food, and welcomes, very warm.

Watch a mini-feature film about Mayrig

History

The Story of Our Origins

Our own history begins with a young woman. At the age of 3, Manouchag fled her native Armenia and landed on the shores of Lebanon where later she started a family in a beautiful home in Ain Mreisseh.

It was not long before her hidden gift burst to life, because Manouchag was an excellent cook, the envy of the entire neighborhood! Her busy hands spun wonderful dishes every day of the year. Those dishes were spiced with love and the flavors of the Levant and overflowed with the aromas of her homeland Armenia…

The years passed. Then in 2003, Aline Kamakian and Serge Maacaron made an important discovery: their grandmother’s food was good. So good that they needed to share it with the whole world.

Just like one of Manouchag’s delicious recipes, Aline and Serge carefully reconstructed the soon-to-be restaurant one element at a time. Often working from memory with their mother’s help, they faithfully recaptured the secrets of their grandmother’s recipes. They chose an ancient stone house in Beirut’s Gemmayzeh quarter for the location. Finally came the name: an Armenian term of affection that means ‘little mother’.

‘Mayrig’ was born…

Itch

Considered as the Armenian Tabouleh. It’s made of cooked tomatoes with berghol, olive oil, fresh parsley and lemon juice.

Haigagan salad

Armenian salad with dices of cucumber, tomatoes and onions mixed with spices and fresh parsley served with olive oil and lemon juice.

Sempougov salad

Grilled eggplant salad, grilled egg-plant mixed with tomatoes onion parsley and lemon oil dressing.

Golden Book

Many celebrities have enjoyed dining at Mayrig:

Abed El Menem Ariss

Events

It was the 10th of September 2011, when, the famous singer, Frederic Francois shared the armenian meal experience with his band and friends at Mayrig.

James Blunt

27/02/2009

The guest of Mayrig couldn’t believe their eyes. On that summary night of “………………………” James Blunt was savoring the many dishes with his friends and promised to be back for a new experience with the Armenian culinary art.

Garou

07/01/2009

The International Canadian star of the hunchback of Notre Dame, during his short stay in Beirut chose Mayrig to feast at with his troop, and was more then delighted while experiencing this type of cuisine that he enjoyed and admired.

Diner of Jeddah signature contract celebration

10/11/2008

A crowd was gathered on the evening of November 10, 2008 at the invitation of the restaurant Owners not only to savor the delicious authentic dishes and desserts but also to celebrate a major event, the opening of Mayrig Restaurant in Jeddah. Many artistic and social personalities were gathered to celebrate the success of Mayrig. Wishing him an expansion in all major cities in Arab countries, and why not in the capital of the world!

Charles Aznavour

09/08/2007

The day before his most acclaimed concert in Beit El Dine Charles Aznavour made it a point to come have lunch at Mayrig where he savored the dishes that reminded him of his childhood and origins.

Press

Hurriyet Newspaper Turkey

28/11/2011

"I thought to myself if only we had continued to live together"

Al Balad

29/06/2011

"La gastronomie armenienne offre ici un visage raffine"

LAU Magazine

01/06/2011

"A cuisine that celebrated two traditions"

Atmosphere

Contact

282 Pasteur Street, Mansour Building, Ground floor, Beirut, Lebanon
Phone/ fax: 01-57 21 21
Mobile: 03-228 227
E-mail: info@mayrigbeirut.com

Jeddah Branch: 02- 261 60 60

We are recruiting. Fill the online application here

Franchise

The first and original Mayrig is in Gemmayzeh, Beirut. Its success story led to Mayrig’s next major move: a franchise opening in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with the Pente Group.

For Mayrig’s new Jeddah branch, we made sure every small detail that conveyed the charm of Mayrig Beirut was accurately reproduced to reflect our authentic atmosphere and hospitable spirit. Nothing was compromised, including the high quality of food and service, because it was essential to meet and exceed the expectations of Mayrig’s new guests.

Mayrig’s next stage is to continue expansion and share its wonderful recipes in other franchises throughout the world.

Mayrig Jeddah