Where to eat LEBANON 🇱🇧 Bern: Mont Liban

Mont Liban

Moserstrasse 33, Bern

Published February 18, 2025 · by Amanda Rivkin Häsler

What we ordered: For two people, we ordered the 1,001 nights meze for two people which included a full spread of meze. It came with multiple kinds of meat and spinach flavored pastries, falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and other delicacies, lentil soup, and three kinds of kebab: ground beef, beef and chicken. We also had an order of kibbeh that arrived with the meze. To drink, we ordered one bottle of Lebanese white wine and a 50cl bottle of sparkling water.

Cost: 165 CHF / €175 / $183

Mont Liban is the quintessential neighborhood Lebanese spot in a country that is not like Chicago or Brooklyn, where such things are ordinary. The low-light date spot has replica Byzantine mosaics and neon candle lights by way of decor. It is not the most elaborate but simple can be best when the food and service are what must speak to the customer.

The service is super friendly and relaxed. On a chilly Friday night, it was packed and not difficult to see why this place is a popular favorite among the locals in the Bernese district of Breitenrain. We went the week of the cease-fire after nearly two months of war with Israel to feel just a little bit of that peace. While it is unclear how much connection the owners maintain to their native land, much of the wait staff appear to be Mediterranean though not necessarily Lebanese but a hodgepodge of nationalities and backgrounds from mare nostrum, which is sort of as it should be for a country that is a crossroads and diverse as all hell.

We had been once before to Mont Liban for my birthday a few years back and immediately wondered why we had waited so long to go back. Probably because we go to different international restaurants almost every week, a habit we began not long after our first visit to Mont Liban that many months ago. It is truly our loss but it will be worked into our repertoire of regular spots. 

The specialty of Mont Liban is clearly and unequivocally the meze spread, at which they are masters. While you can break it down and order individual meze, why not splurge on the spread according to the number of guests? It is very economical given Switzerland’s tendency to overprice absolutely everything and it is gorgeous to have an assortment of delicious small dishes spread before you.

As far as style goes, what is more stylish than variety, sizeable but not oversized portions, a balance of flavors, fried and baked delicacies, dips, lentil soup and then the finisher, light kebabs that themselves are not overstuffed either? Lebanon is a country of great diversity, style and some serious sophistication. It is not however gulf state posh, where the effort is geared toward decadence. In Lebanon, the hospitality is the indulgence. So too at Mont Liban.

As far as our favorites go, the kibbeh and baba ganoush were wonderful and the minced meat kebab was quite delicate and done well. The only area where some improvement could boost the overall experience is the wine list, which consists of house wines exclusively. Maybe there is a list we were not presented with, but Lebanon is a land rich in wines. Perhaps it is due to difficulty of importation to Switzerland, but this was the only place on the menu where the best of the land was not fully showcased.

How to get to Lebanon from Switzerland:

By car, it is approximately a 40-hours drive through Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria and finally, Lebanon. The coastal stretch south of Turkey’s Antep is the most perilous, as Syria’s security situation is not fully stable in the wake of Assad’s departure from office on December 9, 2024. Additionally, the Alawite strongholds of Latakia and Tartus, where the Russians maintain a diminished military presence, are under pressure from the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus.

There are no routes possible by train.

Currently, there are no nonstop flights to Beirut from Zürich but there are possibilities by way of Air France, Middle East Airlines, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines or some combination of these carriers. The quickest routing options at present are via Paris, with a possibility of a total travel time of just under seven hours including layover.

From Geneva, Middle East Airlines offers a direct flight at just under four hours. Air France, Pegasus and Turkish airlines also offers possibilities with stopover in Paris or Istanbul.

How many Lebanese are in Switzerland: Fewer than 3,000

Distance between Bern and Beirut: 3,763 km

Distance from Mont Liban to Beirut: 3,773 km

Learn how to make Lebanon's national dish, baked kibbeh, and about its origins.

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