A roller coaster ride

ENAR

When Lebanon’s Civil War ended in 1990, Hamra was at a standstill in terms of nightlife, with almost no pubs or restaurants in operation on Makdessi, the street just north of the main road. In 2005, the roller coaster ride began its slow ascent with the opening of De Prague, a cross between a pub and a coffee shop, located next to HSBC bank. It was followed two years later by Le Rouge, a French restaurant. But it was with the opening of Danny’s in 2009, a pub on what is now called the Alleyway, the narrow street connecting Makdessi to Hamra’s main road, and the neighboring outlets shortly after, that the street really took off. In less than two years, 32 pubs or restaurants had opened on Makdessi Street and its immediate vicinities, excluding Hamra’s main road, and it was considered a top destination for nightlife. “What made Hamra so successful