Snack Abd el Aziz

You will likely spot hundreds of these bakeries around town, shelling out mana’eesh a dime a dozen to hungry passers-by, diligently waiting in line –or not so much-, chatting while they wait, inhaling the aromas of melted cheese, eager to grab their breakfast and go about their daily business. The man’ouche is a staple Lebanese breakfast and can be somewhat described as a Lebanese pizza or pie. The analogy to western breakfasts ends at semantics, however, because nothing can prepare you for the taste of a freshly baked man'ouche. Not American pancakes, not French croissants, not Mexican tacos. Filled with thyme, cheese or kishk (a mixture of fermented cracked wheat and yogurt), the Man’ouche is best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. Snack Abd el Aziz’s (named after the street it is located on) man’ouche is as good as they get. Be sure to order your cheese man’ouche freshly baked or “mashrouha”: its dough is slightly thinner, crispier with cheese oozing from the fluffy bread with every bite; then choose any filling that floats your stomach. From tomatoes, cucumbers to mint, you cannot go wrong. For those who can’t quite make up their minds, the cocktail man’ouche (half cheese half thyme) is a good option. The bakery opens at 4am for the early birds out there and keeps hard at work till around 8.30pm.