First launched in 2011, Beirut’s Downtown Uruguay Street was the venue for the country’s first F&B cluster courtesy of Venture Group’s consulting and management division. For the next five years, it was one of the trendiest nightspot destinations with over 30 pubs and restaurants. In 2016, the entire street was shut down by government for a three-year period, until now. According to some government officials, the decision came after the recovery in the tourism sector signaled renewed hope and opportunity to offer locals, and tourists, the chance to enjoy some of the capital’s most exciting F&B concepts.

The resurrection was inaugurated with a huge ceremony, organized by District Developers, under the patronage of Beirut Governor Ziad Shabib. Commenting on the affair, Hassan Dergham, Chairman of the Board of District Developers said in a phone interview to HN, “Uruguay Street constituted one of the most popular destinations for locals and foreigners alike before being shut-down. This year, however, we saw an opportunity to revisit this strategic F&B location and managed, with assistance from various entities, to successfully relaunch. The outlets that are currently open are entirely different compared with those that were previously there. The stores’ interior design has been given a quite modern facelift with plenty of attention lent to the terraces and common areas with high-end decking and mobile glass displays used to accommodate guests all-year-round. We also went one step further by centralizing the music played throughout that area so as not to have each outlet play its own tunes and in turn annoy everyone around. As a result, the entire spread will have a more harmonious feel despite being quite diverse in terms of available concepts and offerings. On opening night, not a single chair was available and I hope to see the destination regain its former shine soon.”