A must-stop on your way through the city, The Carton Shop serves as an extension to The Carton magazine, by offering a physical destination in Beirut for passers by to share a cup of coffee and a conversation. The magazines – published biannually in print – use food as a vehicle to recount stories of Middle Eastern culture, and the entire available archive is sold at the shop. Each edition is uniquely designed to showcase the breadth of the Middle East’s diversity and richness, while also bearing a more realistic portrayal of various aspects of the culture. Other items on display in the shop, which you can also take away with you, include The Carton’s very own, beautifully packaged Arak (a local anise-based alcoholic spirit). Everything sold at the store is produced by The Carton and is handled with the same care and precision as their mission of cultural exchange. Seeing as this experience can’t be complete without coffee, the shop is strategically located on the premises of the roastery for the Kalei Coffee Co., another gem on our Mar Mikhael list. Swing by for your dose of caffeine and culture, and be sure to say hi to the founders and our friends behind this incredible space, Jade George and Rawan Gebran.