Le Capitole

Another of Beirut's summer specials, the rooftop lounge bar and restaurant which transforms into a club-bar in the wee hours, Capitole sits, part-sheltered, on a ninth-floor rooftop in the heart of downtown, overlooking Martyr's Square and the spires of the blue mosque.

As ever with Beirut's roof bars, if you want a table on weekends, you will need to reserve one. A relatively dressed-up, sophisticated party crowd get down, drunk and dirty with views over the sparkling lights and tranquil sea of Beirut, while DJs churn out generic Eurodance with a little bit of Lebanese pop.

Capitole is in the same building as Buddha Bar but has a separate entrance: head up the stairs for the dedicated lift rather than taking the lift in the lobby.

There's no cocktail menu but the bartenders know quite a few international drinks, and it would be hard not to have a good time here on a warm summer weekend.