Authenticity has an address in Achrafieh. Helwayat Al-Salam, Bouzet Hanna, or Hanna Mitri – people will disagree on the name of this hidden gem; but what locals agree on is that this is the place to go to when you have the desire to indulge in some authentic Lebanese ice cream.
Authentic Lebanese Booza
The ice cream is prepared in-house with only fresh ingredients. No colorants, no milk, and no additives. A secret recipe that only the family knows allows this shop to be one of the best ice cream parlors in the country.
The late Hanna Mitri Moussa started the business in 1949 and passed it on to his son, Mitri Hanna Moussa. It is only fair for them to hold similar names as they have both offered their clientele the very exact service and product for 70 years.
Enquiring about the name of the shop and why the broken sign on top of it reads “Helwayat Al-Salam”, you will discover that the name was chosen because a football team (Salam Zgharta) that used to train nearby. Fun fact, the initial shop offered all types of sweets (Helwayat in Arabic), not just ice cream.
The Hanna Mitri selection
Limited to the below:
- Orange
- Croquant (Caramelized Crispy Almonds)
- Pate d’Abricot (Amareddine)
- Pistachio
- Milk and Musk
- Chocolate
- Strawerry
- Rose Water
- Lemon
Let me tell you none of them will fail to impress you.
Hanna Mitri or Helwayat Al-Salam offers you a quick trip to the traditional Lebanon. A compact one room shop, with plain white walls, and an old-fashioned fridge to keep the ice cream cold. It is a shop that defies modern times; proving that, from a business-standpoint, complex logos, social media campaigns, fancy shop designs, or catchy names don’t get you success – the only thing that this family business banks on is remaining loyal to its 70 year old identity and putting their love into their work. A love reciprocated by its army of ice-cream lovers.
N.B.: During the festive seasons, the shop does not serve ice cream – and instead sells Maamoul (a traditional Lebanese sweet that is made especially for Easter)
You can find this shop at the following location: https://goo.gl/maps/p44AjfBDygPfpvxbA
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