The Beirut is essentially a known quantity to most Toledoans. But hiding in plain sight on its menu for the 40-plus years it has been open is an Italian section that many may not recognize as the gem it is.

“We have always had spaghetti, and pizzas, lasagna — we just don’t push it as hard as our other stuff because that’s what we are known for,” said co-owner Labib Hajjar.

VIDEO: Plates & People loops the Mediterranean for Lebanese style spaghetti and garlic bread

Indeed hummus and grape leaves fly around The Beirut.

But the families of Hajjar and other owner Riad Abou-Arraj are equally as proud of their Italian fare. The Beirut’s spaghetti and special pita garlic bread may not fall in line as “true” Italian, nor Italian-American — there are carrots left in the sauce and perhaps the lilt of cinnamon and allspice. But in the way songs change as they pass from culture to culture, this classic dish has its own Lebanese variation that is distinct to the tongue while remaining instantly familiar.

“I grew up eating spaghetti,” Labib said smiling from behind his bowl that he had just prepared.

The pita garlic bread — crunchy, buttery, dense with spice — pairs as perfectly as it should to the sauce. Rich in whole ingredients and fresh vegetables with a just hint of spicy heat to warm your lips and sweetness to amuse your palette, Beirut spaghetti is hardy and bursting with a homemade appeal that is difficult to find in any restaurant for any dish.

But this is especially so for spaghetti. Many of us consider our own cupboards the true home of the dish. Although The Beirut’s may not taste like your own family’s, it tastes like family.

(Plus there’s a vegetarian version that’s just as heartwarming.)

For more information, visit The Beirut.

Contact Phillip Kaplan at pkaplan@theblade.com, and follow on Twitter @filkap; Andy Morrison may be contacted at amorrison@theblade.com

First Published May 7, 2018, 2:00 p.m.