Speaker profile

Mario Jr. Haddad
Passion Projects

Mario Jr. Haddad is behind some of the most successful F&B concepts in Lebanon.

Raised in a family in the cinema industry, and today at the helm of a legacy over a hundred years old, that spans the entire Arab world, Mario Jr. has blended his flair for storytelling with his love for culinary art to create restaurants which are synonymous with quality.

The professionally trained chef and restaurateur is an avid traveler and passionate gastronome and this is reflected in the concepts he has created and that offer unique guest experiences.

His first foray as a restauranteur was with Le Sushi Bar back in 1997 and which is still going stronger than ever. Not only was he credited with introducing Sushi to the war-torn country but he remains the reference when it comes to benchmarking.

In a career that has spanned nearly 25 years, he has created and operated numerous concepts some of which have successfully travelled outside their borders, namely with the Lebanese phenomenon Al Falamanki and the uber chic pizzeria Mariolino.

Today Mario owns and manages several other concepts such as Don, an Asian street food eatery, Kyūka, a stylish sushi boutique, and Mario e Mario, an authentic Italian trattoria where he is often found plying his trade in the open kitchen to the delight of the many satisfied guests.