Rocket Society

The Lebanese Rocket Society was a university club that worked to join the space race in 1960s Beirut. Although its space exploration journey was short lived, its legacy lives on at this neighbourhood wine bar by Joseph and Nat Abboud (who also run nearby Rumi).

The day’s menu is dominated by sondwishe (flatbread sandwiches) named after the four Lebanese rockets launched between 1962 and 1963. They might come stuffed with batata (fried potatoes), toum and pickles; minced lamb kafta; or shredded chicken with bastourma (or pastirma). The evening menu heroes the on-site charcoal grill, with barbeque lamb drizzled with carob molasses, and sweetbread skewers alongside charry house-made flatbread. You’ll also find fun snacks like an HSP croquette.

The wine list features around 50 bottles from Australia, Lebanon, Morocco and Europe, including by-the-glass options made with indigenous Lebanese grapes. Cocktails lean classic but tie into the aerial theme with takes on the Paper Plane and the Aviation. Non-alcs include the Life on Mars, with orange, lime and basil, and a sparkling yerba maté from Supermate.

The historic university society isn’t just honoured through the drinks menu. The interiors feature black-and-white photos of the original Rocket Society, as well as mid-century-inspired red leather seating and chequerboard tiles. There are also pieces the Abbouds have gathered along the way. Wooden speakers from Berlin, made by a friend’s father in 1972, sit in the corner playing vinyl. And a communal table from the original Rumi spans the length of the bar.