Al-Liwan, a Damascene House in the Old City

A courtyard kept for four generations, now set with tables.

Behind a studded walnut door on a lane off Al-Qaymariyya, the noise of the old city falls away and the courtyard opens.

Jasmine climbs the stone. A thin sheet of water slips over the marble of the fountain. The lamps are lit at dusk, and the long tables fill the way a family table once did, without anyone counting the plates.

We cook the canon of Damascus the way the house has always cooked it. Unhurried mezze, charcoal that never quite cools through a long lunch, and the slow dishes that ask for an afternoon. You are not shown to a restaurant. You are received into a home, given a seat near the water, and trusted to stay late.

The house of Al-Liwan
Old Damascus, since 1962

Damascus, plated the way the city has always cooked it. Slowly, and with nothing to prove.

Mezze

المقبلات

Hummus Beiruti32,000Whipped chickpea and tahini, warm olive oil, a green thread of parsley and chili.

Mutabbal34,000Charcoal-smoked aubergine folded through tahini, finished with pomegranate.

Tabbouleh36,000Hand-cut parsley and mint, bulgur, vine tomato, a great deal of lemon.

Muhammara38,000Roasted red pepper and walnut, pomegranate molasses, a little fire.

Makdous42,000Baby aubergines cured with walnut and chili under good olive oil.

Shanklish40,000Aged thyme cheese broken over tomato, onion, and olive oil.

From the Charcoal

من الفحم

Shish Taouk110,000Chicken marinated overnight in garlic and lemon, grilled hard, with toum.

Lahm Mishwi145,000Skewers of lamb shoulder over the coals, onion, sumac, charred tomato.

Kebab Karaz House165,000Minced lamb kebab simmered in sour cherry, pine nut, bread to catch it. The dish we are known for.

Riyash185,000Lamb cutlets, salt and fire, nothing else needed.

Mashawi Al-Liwan320,000The mixed grill for two. Taouk, kebab, lamb, and cutlets on one board.

From the House

الأطباق

Fattet Hummus95,000Chickpeas and crisp bread under warm yoghurt, browned ghee, pine nuts.

Shakriyeh155,000Lamb cooked gently in its warm yoghurt sauce, served over buttered rice.

Kibbeh bil Saniyeh160,000Bulgur and lamb baked in the tray, a layer of spiced filling at its heart.

Sheikh al-Mahshi170,000Aubergine stuffed with lamb and pine nut, fallen apart in tomato.

Freekeh wa Lahm210,000Roasted green wheat with a slow lamb shank, almonds, a long afternoon.

Sweets

الحلويات

Halawet el-Jibn Damascene52,000Soft sweet cheese rolled around clotted cream, syrup, and ground pistachio.

Baklawa48,000Thin filo, Aleppo pistachio, honey poured at the table.

Booza Shami45,000Stretched Damascus ice cream pounded with mastic, rolled in pistachio.

Mhalabiyeh38,000Cool milk pudding scented with rose water and orange blossom.

Qahwa wa Tamr28,000Cardamom coffee from the brass dallah, with a few good dates.

An evening at Al-Liwan

Reserve a table

Mezze laid across the table — The mezze table

A board of charcoal grills — From the charcoal

A plate of hummus with olive oil — Hummus Beiruti

Brass coffee pots on a shelf — The brass dallah

The warm dining room of Al-Liwan — The room at dusk

In the old city, off Al-Qaymariyya

Address

Hara Al-Qaymariyya, off Straight Street
Old Damascus, Syria

Hours

Tuesday to Sunday, lunch1:00 - 4:00

Tuesday to Sunday, dinner7:00 - 12:00

MondayClosed

Reservations

+963 11 542 7780
hello@al-liwan-demo.com

Reserve

Keep a place by the fountain

Tables are held for two hours. For parties larger than eight, or to take the whole courtyard for an evening, call the house and ask for the host.

AL-LIWAN