If you’re Lebanese, chances are you can’t keep calm having read this headline. If you’re not, go share this news with your Lebanese friend/colleague/neighbor, see them scream in excitement and follow their lead. There’s no point in playing it cool when drool-worthy frozen delights from Bachir Ice Cream are in question.
The ice cream shop is opening stores in Dubai at not one, but TWO locations – news that has stirred up a level of excitement amongst the city’s Lebanese expats unmatched by anything before. Which is saying something considering there’s been a deluge of Beirut’s best in Dubai this last year, from popping nightspots to glamorous fine-dining restaurants.
The legendary 86-year-old ice cream parlour is now entering the fray to dazzle Dubai’s foodies with its scrummy scoops on December 15 at Galleria Mall, Al Barsha. Bachir Ice Cream’s signature flavors have seen fans willingly stick it out in long queues for hours. They swear that the wait is worth it for globs of lighter-than-air Ashta (whipped cream) ice cream crusted generously with crushed pistachios.
Or the chocolat mou – a diet-destroying sundae that’s just layer after layer of chocolate, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. On repeat.
Those are just the crème de la crème signature items from the 19 flavours that this classic Lebanese brand serves up. Fresh fruit-infused sorbets such as mango, peaches, strawberries and apricot, melon kiwi and for the more adventurous, there’s coffee, caramel, Oreo, and rose to cherry-pick from. Some of them even come with a sugar-free option, so you can enjoy that sweet life without the sugar crash.
So why does this soft serve have such a soft spot in the hearts of the Lebanese?
Bachir’s Ice Cream, or Bouza Bachir as the Lebanese fondly call it, is the neighborhood fixture that’s been part and parcel of every Lebanese national’s childhood and melts in with memories of field trips from school, Sunday afternoon treats after family lunches; it’s frosty relief synonymous with summer road trips.
This ice cream shop’s admirers are so far-flung that what started as a family-run business in the alpine town of Bikfaya way back in 1936 by brothers Maurice & Edward Bachir. The family legacy is now being continued by Edward Bachir’s grandson Alexander Bachir and the quintessential Lebanese brand is now tantalising tastebuds around the world with a Sao Paulo outlet that opened up in 2021 and a Parisian outlet that welcomed ice cream lovers in July.
Besides Dubai, the ice cream brand also has been launched in other emirates across the UAE including at Al Jada in Sharjah. As a Christmas present, keep an eye out for the launch of the second Dubai outlet at City Walk on December 25. Make sure you try out their special flavours that have been exclusively created for the UAE: Dates, Rose Loukoum (below), Lemon Mint, and Pineapple.
So go ahead and bookmark December 15 and 25 in your calendars so you’re one of the first to get a scoop of this luscious Lebanese ice cream!