The Cheesecake Factory opens officially today in Verdun, Beirut right across Starbucks but the media were all invited yesterday to try out the new outlet. I got there around 7 pm and the place was already packed but we were seated quickly.

The place looks really nice from the inside and is very spacious. There’s a bar area on one side and the traditional cheesecake stand on the entrance. The staff were all very friendly and welcoming and some of them came all the way from The Cheesecake Factory Dubai to help out.

Since I’ve been already to the one in Dubai, I knew what to expect but I was curious to know if the menu is the same exact one and the dishes taste the same. The menu is identical to the one in Dubai and in the States (as confirmed by my half-American cousin), offering a LOT of choices, more than you could possibly imagine. I felt a bit dizzy looking at the menu the first time and I took me half an hour to order yesterday. The light menu (SkinnyLicious®) is also available.

We started off with few cocktails and appetizers:

Cocktails:
– Long Island Iced Tea
– Whiskey Smash
– The Ultimate Margarita
– Passion Fruit Margarita
– Pina Colada

The cocktails were huge and all good.

Appetizers:
– Avocado Eggrolls
– Fried Macaroni & Cheese
– Hot Spinach & Cheese Dip
– Factory Nachos

The Mac & Cheese is a must try. The Hot Spinach & Cheese dip is really good, Nachos are good but I didn’t like the avocado egg rolls much.

Moving on to the main dishes, we had:
– Chicken Madeira
– Chicken & Biscuits
– Cajun Chicken Littles
– Smokehouse BBQ Burger
– Herb crusted Filet of Salmon

If you are a person who loves large portions of food then you will fall in love with the place. The dishes were huge and delicious. The Chicken Madeira and the smokehouse burger were my favorite.

As for desserts, there are all kinds of stuff to choose from but you obviously have to try cheesecakes at The Cheesecake Factory so we ordered:

– Godiva Cheesecake
– Oreo Cheesecake
– Banana Pudding Cheesecake

The Oreo was ok, the Banana pudding was good but the Godiva was absolutely amazing and is a must-try! I’m sure there are other cheesecakes worth trying but you need like a year to try them all out so good luck!

All in all, The Cheesecake Factory in Beirut is everything you expect it to be and more. If you haven’t been before, you should definitely go and try it out. The food and service are excellent, the portions are huge and the prices are reasonable.

Make sure to go through the [menu] online before going to save yourself some time there 🙂

PS: There’s an underground parking place right across The Cheesecake Factory if you don’t like giving your car to the valet.