Photography_Tanya Traboulsi

All publicity is good publicity, or so the old maxim goes, but what are the war-weary Lebanese making of a restaurant where waiters wear military uniform, the shelves are lined with bullets, and the sound of gunfire accompanies every meal?

Buns and Guns, a conflictthemed fast-food restaurant, has sharply divided Beiruti opinion since opening over in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb, a few months ago. Many people have expressed their distaste at seeing Lebanon’s difficult recent history – defined by sectarian violence, civil war, Israeli bombings and political assassinations – turned into a laughing matter for the sake of profitability. But 27-year-old owner Yousef Ibrahim has an army of supporters, too. When questioned, lots of customers say they find the concept amusing.

The opening sparked an explosion of media coverage, with organisations as varied as the BBC, Time magazine and Hezbollah-backed news channel Al-Manar all paying visits, while customers are finding the signature dishes, which include ‘the grenade’, ‘the Kalashnikov’ and ‘the 155mm howitzer burger’, surprisingly delicious for a restaurant renowned for its bad taste. Buns and Guns gets top marks for recycling, too: Ibrahim found many of the spent bullets and shells that festoon the restaurant’s counters and tables in the local neighbourhood.

Behind the sandbags that separate Buns and Guns from the street, Ibrahim’s high-risk strategy is working. It can get busy on weekend nights, but remember, in spite of the restaurant’s flavour for armed aggression, resorting to violence to secure a table is frowned upon.