The Dishes That Define BEY

Lebanese food is built on abundance. At a proper Lebanese table, there is always more than you think you need, and by the end of the meal, you realize it was exactly enough. At BEY Mediterranean Kitchen + Bar in Roswell, Chef Marc Mansour has built a menu that honors that tradition without being enslaved to it. These are the ten dishes that Atlanta diners keep ordering.

1. Hummus with Spiced Beef Shawarma

This is the dish that converts people. The hummus at BEY is made fresh, blended smooth with just enough tahini and lemon to remind you that hummus is supposed to taste like something. The spiced beef shawarma on top adds warmth and texture in a way that makes the whole thing greater than its parts. Order it first. Order more later.

2. Baba Ghanouj

The eggplant touches fire. That's the entire secret of a great baba ghanouj, and most restaurants skip it. At BEY, the smokiness is real (earned, not approximated), and the result is a dip that's simultaneously earthy and bright, cool and warm. Eat it with bread. Eat it with everything.

3. Labneh with Garlic

Labneh is strained yogurt cheese, and in the wrong hands it's just thick yogurt on a plate. In Chef Marc's kitchen, it becomes something velvety and complex, the garlic integrated rather than aggressive, the whole thing begging to be swiped through with warm pita. It sounds simple. It tastes like it took years to perfect.

4. Crispy Cauliflower with Tahini

This is the dish that surprises people who think they already know what cauliflower can do. The exterior is genuinely crispy (not pretend-roasted-and-softened, but actually shattering), and the tahini sauce underneath brings a nuttiness that makes the whole plate feel complete. It's become one of BEY's most-requested dishes among repeat visitors.

5. Sumac Fries

Sumac is a sour, earthy spice that has no real equivalent in Western cooking. On fried potatoes, it changes everything. These are not seasoned fries with a slight twist. These are a different category of dish entirely, and they disappear faster than they should at every table.

6. Chicken Taouk

Yogurt-marinated, charcoal-grilled, served with toum (the Lebanese garlic sauce that should be sold by the jar) and crispy potatoes that catch the dripping juices. The chicken taouk at BEY is the kind of main course that makes you understand why Lebanese food is about technique as much as ingredients. The marinade tenderizes, the charcoal adds depth, the toum ties it together. Order two if you're splitting with the table.

7. Za'atar Braised Short Rib

This is Chef Marc doing something that belongs entirely to BEY. Za'atar (the dried herb blend of thyme, sumac, and sesame) doesn't traditionally find its way onto a slow-braised short rib. Here it does, and the result is a dish that tastes like somewhere between Beirut and a great bistro. The meat falls apart. The sauce is rich with the herbal brightness of the za'atar. It's one of the most-talked-about dishes in the Atlanta food community.

8. Grilled Branzino

The branzino is clean and precise: the whole fish, simply grilled, seasoned with citrus and herbs, served with the kind of vegetables that support rather than compete. It's a reminder that Lebanese cooking is as comfortable with restraint as it is with abundance. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not get in the way.

9. Upside-Down Lamb Pilaf with Cardamom Rice

This is the most traditionally Lebanese dish on the menu, and it's the one that makes Lebanese expats in the Atlanta area emotional. The lamb is cooked slow. The rice is made with cardamom and cinnamon and the rendered fat from the meat. The whole construction is flipped upside-down onto the plate tableside, revealing the layers beneath. It's dramatic, it's comforting, and it tastes like someone's grandmother made it.

10. The Arak Bar Program

This isn't a single dish, but it belongs on this list. Arak (the anise-flavored spirit distilled from grapes) has been poured at Lebanese tables for centuries. At BEY, it's the foundation of a cocktail program built with real intention. The signature arak cocktail uses the spirit the way it deserves to be used: as the center of gravity for a drink that's sophisticated, aromatic, and deeply tied to the culture it comes from. It tastes like the end of a meal you don't want to end.

Come to the Table

BEY Mediterranean Kitchen + Bar is at 1035 Alpharetta Street, Suite 1100, in Roswell, Georgia, about 25 minutes from Atlanta, open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 PM. Reservations are available through OpenTable; walk-ins are always welcome at the bar.

The best way to experience the food is to order too much and share everything. That's Lebanese hospitality. That's what BEY is built for.