Beirut · booza

Hanna Mitri

It is the single most consistently cited booza address in Lebanese press across a decade of coverage, the shop most often used domestically as the reference point for what 'real' Levantine ice cream is, and its survival through both the 2020 port explosion and the broader economic collapse is independently documented and dated rather than assumed.

What we know

Pounded booza technique using salep and mastic, unchanged in recipe according to Le Commerce du Levant (2019), which calls it 'un petit Berthillon libanais' — a little Lebanese Berthillon
One-room shop in the Saint-Nicolas quarter of Achrafieh, described by Le Commerce du Levant (2020) as 'inchangée depuis 1949' (unchanged since 1949)
Original premises destroyed in the 4 August 2020 Beirut port explosion; family relocated and kept making the same recipes, per Made in Liban (2026)
International press attention cited by name — New York Times, Le Figaro, and (per Le Commerce du Levant 2019 specifically) Paris Match, the Guardian and Newsweek
Seasonal flavor selection driven by available fruit, roughly ten flavors at a time, per Le Commerce du Levant (2019)
Singled out by name in a published, attributed recommendation from Lebanese jewellery designer Selim Mouzannar (see recommendation)

Status: open
Address: Saint-Nicolas, Achrafieh, Beirut
Maker: Mitri (Hanna) Moussa, son of founder Hanna Mitri Moussa, trained by his father from a young age
Opened: 1949
Last checked: 2026-08-21

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