The Happy Prince is a pub-resto open in Mar Mikhael on Alexander Flemming Street (Right down the street from Internazionale). Even though it’s not a burger joint, I’ve been hearing a lot about its burgers so I decided to go check it out. I went the first time last Friday but the kitchen was closed (It closes between 3:30 and 7:30) and the place was empty so I left and thought I’d come back for lunch on Saturday. I got there around 2pm on Saturday and the place was packed this time but there were no more burgers (as per the manager). I thought it was pretty weird that a restaurant known for his burgers runs out of burgers so I just left again and was annoyed this time.
Yesterday, I had few errands to run in Beirut and I found myself next to the Happy Prince around 7:30 so I parked and walked in. The place was totally empty so we sat and asked for the menu. We ordered a grilled corn salad and two orders of “The Cheeseburger”, which is the only burger they serve and consists of “selected cuts of US Black Angus beef served with house made french fries”. I had a drink while waiting for the burger and asked them if they had any carrots or crackers or chip but they didn’t serve any which is pretty weird for a pub.
PS: Around 7:40 people start coming in and the place was full before 8.
The salad came after 20 minutes and it was really good. I loved how they mixed avocado with the grilled corn. Some 20 minutes later, the two burgers were finally here. As you can see below, the platter consists of small crispy fries with a slice of tomato topped with two slices of onions, a bowl of ketchup and the burger. I ordered my patty medium rare and my friend ordered it well done. The seating was comfortable but the tables were very close to each other which annoyed me. In fact at some point, they decided to add a chair to a nearby table and the guy who sat was almost sitting right next to me.
My burger was delicious. I loved the bun even though the bottom was too thin, the patty was juicy and tasty, not too salty or too greasy. It was one of the best burgers I’ve had in Lebanon. My friend’s burger was also good but the patty was too salty for some reason (I took a bite just to make sure). As far as the fries are concerned, the portion was big enough for one person and I loved them.
All in all, I loved The Happy Prince’s burger and it’s definitely on my top 3 burger places in Lebanon but I didn’t quite enjoy the experience at that place. What I mean is that I had to go three times to actually taste their burger, I couldn’t reserve in advance even though the place is relatively small, there’s a limited number of burgers everyday, the kitchen has limited opening hours, it’s hard to find a parking lot around the place and the service is kind of slow.