The best authentic Lebanese street food in London

In their one year of working order, BEYRoots have catered for numerous parties and weddings, as well as putting smiles on the faces of Londoners in office buildings and markets across the capital. They’ve also spread the Lebanese love at food and music festivals, like the Brighton Food Festival and Lost Village. BEYRoots is owned and run by Tariq Al Khaldi, who brings Lebanese food to the people of Britain in his outstanding Citroen HY van, which is named Imad, after his late father. Tariq went from slogging away as an architectural engineer, to loving life with Lebanese wraps in just a matter of months. He’s a pretty inspirational foodie entrepreneur, so we just had to speak to him to find out more…

“Our values are authenticity, taste and value for money.”

BEYRoots make delicious wraps and colourful salad bowls, inspired by authentic Lebanese cuisine. They serve wholesome food that is a fusion of celebration, heritage and family memories from Lebanon.

“Being half Lebanese and half English we would spend our summers on holiday in Lebanon, spending most of our time in and around Beirut as well as taking several trips to Syria. My family was all centralised around Lebanon and I would always visit my cousins and my dad’s siblings (my dad was the youngest of 9). I loved every minute of it and really embraced Lebanese culture.”

Inspired by overwhelming love for his country, the recipes of his childhood and his beloved father, Tariq created BEYRoots in April 2017.

“My father passed away really suddenly from a heart attack in December 2015, he was only 60. It was really unexpected for us as he was fit and healthy. We both shared a passion for cars and classic vehicles and he would always talk about getting a Classic Citroen H van and driving around London selling falafel. In his opinion, no one in London did falafel the way it’s done in Lebanon and I was inclined to agree with him. When he passed away I knew it was now or never and I decided to quit my job and follow his dream with a bit of mine mixed in.”

He’d had enough of the corporate life and longed to forge his own path…

“I used to be an architectural engineer, working for engineering consultancies on all sorts of construction projects from Mandarin Oriental to Crossrail. It got to a point where I was starting to lose passion for what I was doing and I was spending more and more time in Lebanon and with my Lebanese friends because I really missed my dad.”

Tariq was nervous to take the plunge into creating his own street food business and there were a few unexpected bumps in the road…

“It was a worrying few first steps with a lot of hiccups on the way. I bought the van in April 2017 and on June 21st, a week before our first session, I was knocked off my motorbike and my leg was hit by an oncoming car, resulting in a compound fracture in my left tibia and fibula. Recovery was long, hard and painful, but I put my mind to it and managed to do a trial serving session on 31st August which went well. I then dove in with both feet, serving 3-5 times a week.”

Lebanese culture plays a huge part in Tariq’s life…

“I go back to Lebanon at least twice a year to visit friends and family. I also play rugby for the Lebanese National Rugby Team and have played for them for the last 4 years.”

BEYRoots got its name from the airport code for Beirut Airport, mixed with the word ‘roots’. Tariq thought that seeing the name itself sounded like Beirut, customers would be quickly able to recognise what kind of food they served. The team is made up of Tariq’s close friend Matt, who he played rugby with at university. Tariq set up the business and the van himself, but after seeing its success, Matt is going to use his savings to invest in the next van!

We asked Tariq what the highlight of the BEYRoots experience had been so far…

“The returning customers who are loyal to our tastes and bring friends back with them to try our food has to be the highlight. We’ve been gradually getting busier and busier and the response to our food has been insane!”

BEYRoots can be booked for any kind of event and they’ll take on anything, big or small…

“We love smaller parties and lunchtime services, however, we’ve also been booked to serve at big food and music festivals so I think we’re pretty versatile.”

The BEYRoots menu is all about freshness of produce and authenticity of flavour…

“Our menu consists of the food I want to be eating and in my opinion it’s the best parts of Lebanese street eats all in one place. For the carnivores, the Shish Taouk is your juicy chicken fix. For the health conscious, falafel and hummus salad bowls provide you with a tasty gourmet feed without the guilt. And finally, the cheese fans get their hit of the best cheese you can get… halloumi! All our wraps and bowls are served with fresh salad and garnishings true to Lebanese form - delicious and fresh.”

So, what is it about Lebanese cooking that BEYRoots have hit right on the head?

“It’s about satisfaction. It’s not about fancy small gourmet cuisine. It’s rough around the edges, hard hitting flavours that leave you wanting more and more without the guilt that burgers or pies give you.”

Tariq told us what it is about Lebanon and Lebanese culture that is so dear to his heart…

“Everything boils down to providing people with an inviting experience. Lebanese culture is all about making people feel welcomed. Lebanon is a country that people don’t know a huge amount about. It’s beautiful there - you can ski in the morning, get a tan at the beach in the afternoon and then have one of the best nights out of your life! You’ll eat some of the best food you’ll ever have there. You’ll see the ruins of ancient civilisations in Baalbeck and walk around the oldest inhabited city in the world at Byblos. You can drive to the Bekaa Valley to taste some of the world’s best wines in Ksara and Kefraya. It’s not a warzone anymore and I’m ready to portray it in the way that it deserves to be portrayed.”

Thank you so much to Tariq for speaking to us about his life, his culture and his wonderful street food business. You can book BEYRoots on Togather today for your wedding, birthday party, office lunch and more!