If there's a more laid-back, welcoming place to work, study or just relax in all of Beirut, we have yet to find it. As soon as you step foot in Cuentista you feel like you're hanging out in a friend's apartment, as the affable owner Ghassan (or just Gary if you haven't mastered that tricky Arabic 'gh' sound yet) essentially transformed his former office into a café, work-space and literary arts centre. Taking its name from the Spanish word for storyteller, there are monthly events and guests are encouraged to share their stories on the walls. While there's definitely an artsy, Bohemian atmosphere here, Cuentista refreshingly manages to be cool without being the least bit pretentious, a rare feat indeed. Rounding things out is an inexpensive menu of sandwiches, light snacks and drinks, so you don't have to leave if hunger sets in. Find it on the first floor of the bright red building at the far east end of Gemmayze.
