There are so many restaurants in Cairo with international influences that you could easily visit for a week and not sample any traditional Egyptian food, but you’d really be missing out.
If you are out and about exploring in Cairo and want a quick, cheap and filling meal then Egyptian fast food is the way to go.
Cheap, simple dishes that are popular are ‘koshary’ (with its layers of rice, macaroni, pasta and lentils this is a carb-overload, but very filling and served with a little tomato sauce and with lemon and spicey sauce on the side) and ‘shawerma’ (marinated kebab meat served in a wrap or roll). You should also try falafel (‘tameya’), stuffed vegetables (‘mashi’) and 'fuul' (fava beans) which are often served in round flat bread ('aish baladi').
Arzak and Gad are both chains of Egyptian fast food restaurants. There are branches of both all over Cairo and they serve Egyptian fast food (and 'traditional' fast food of burgers and fries if you're feeling less adventurous).
Most restaurants will have a counter where you place your order, pay and are given a receipt. Take this receipt over to the serving counter to pick up your food. Some branches will also have a second 'back' room with table service, AC and bathrooms.

www.arzakegypt.com/home.asp
Maadi Grand Mall, 12 Road 257, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
+20 2 5195282
Google map: bit.ly/v7Qcdo

Gad restaurants: bit.ly/ttEkNY

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There are so many restaurants in Cairo with international influences that you could easily visit for a week and not sample any traditional Egyptian food, but you’d really be missing out.
Starters that you should look out for include dips like babaganough (aubergine) and tahina (sesame) which will come with the round Egyptian flatbread known as ‘aish baladi’ (in many places this will arrive steaming to your table as it is probably cooked on site). You should also try falafel (‘tameya’) and stuffed vegetables (‘mashi’).
A classic main you might try is ‘molokheya’, which is a broth made with greens that is often served with a meat and rice. Many places will serve a range of grills including ‘shish tawook’ (chicken), ‘shish kebab’ (lamb) and ‘kofta’ (minced meat on a skewer).
Cheap, simple dishes that are popular are ‘koshary’ (with its layers of rice, macaroni, pasta and lentils this is a carb-overload, but very filling and served with a little tomato sauce and with lemon and spicey sauce on the side) and ‘shawerma’ (marinated kebab meat served in a wrap or roll).

For dessert you might try ‘om ali’ which is pudding rice, bread and raisins in sweetened milk.

If you're visiting the Khan El Khalili you'll be hounded to visit one of the many cafes on the main square, but venture in and you'll find the Khan El Khalili Restaurant (and Naguib Mahfouz Cafe). This is an excellent restaurant with attentive service and good food. A real haven from the hustle and hassle outside. They accept credit cards (a rarity in Egypt), and in the cafe area musicians play traditional music.

Khan El Khalili Restaurant and Naguib Mahfouz Cafe
5 Sekket al-Badistan
+20 2590 3788
To find the restaurant, stand in the main square of the Khan El Khalili (Midan Hussein) and face the row of cafes. Take the narrow street to the right of the cafes which goes slightly downhill (not the street that goes beside the mosque). Keep going past all the stall holders who will try hard to get you to buy from them. The street will widen slightly and you will see a metal detector in front of a door on your right (this is more obvious then the restaurant sign next to it!) and then you will know you are in the right place.
Google map: bit.ly/rXvhFQ

* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip

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Abou El Sid serves traditional Egyptian food and all their restaurants (there are branches all over Cairo) are decked out to fit the theme. Abou El Sid serves alcohol and shisha.

www.abouelsid.com
157, 26th July Street, Zamalek
Google map: bit.ly/sVzIvC

* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her homepage is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip

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Part cocktail bar, part restaurant, La Bodega has
since its opening eight years ago, become part of the Cairo social scene. Especially popular with the ex-pat community. it's is a great place for people watching.

A new menu is being prepared for the opening of
the revamped Aperitif Bar.

157, 26th July Street, Zamalek , Cairo
tel 2735 0543

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Great restaurant for Egyptian food: trendy, beautiful setting and tasty food. Also ideal for after-dinner relaxing, drinking & smoking shisha.

On 26th of July av., Zamalek quarter.

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This cafe in Mohandeseen area has very good Egyptian food. The atmosphere is warm and decor upbeat and attractive.

You MUST meet the owner, Mahmoud. He is very colourful and has a great sense of humour. He makes you feel like a long lost brother. Enjoy!

#40 Kahn Younes Demesk St. which is off Shebab St. 1 block from Radio Shack

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I have stayed there twice. The service is superb - friendly or unobtrusive where appropriate. The main parts of the hotel are overlooked by the pyramids and are evocative of an earlier, more leisurely time. The Indian restaurant is also superb. You can stay with at the Mena House Oberoi with Voyages Jules Verne.

Mena House Oberoi, Pyramid's Road, Giza.
Telephone: +20 2 377 3222 or 377 3444.
www.oberoimenahouse.com

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This is the real Egyptian deal - stuffed pigeon. Eat it at Farhaat in Khan el-Khalili market.

Khan el-Khalili market is just north of the Citadel in central Cairo.

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Situated in a boring and slightly scruffy building, this place is a real find. The three-star Longchamps Hotel is on one of the upper floors and, with two large terraces, is one of the most relaxing places in Cairo. Its decor could be described as a mix of elegant, Bohemian and ethnic. But what most people find surprising is the food. Menus are simple but dishes are invariably delicious to the point of being memorable. If you are looking for somewhere inexpensive, quiet, clean and pleasant to stay in Cairo, this is it.

Hotel Longchamps, 21 Ismail Mohamed Street, Zamalek. 3409644
Tel : 00 20 2 735 2311/12.
www.hotellongchamps.com

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This is the place to eat out in style. Rossini is a sophisticated Italian seafood restaurant in Heliopolis with a piano bar upstairs and a garden at the back. It has great food, excellent cocktails (which are difficult to find in Cairo outside five-star hotels) and top service.

Rossini, 66 Omar Ibn el-Khattab Street.
Tel : +20 2 291 8282

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Sangria is a cool restaurant and bar built around an old tree on the banks of the Nile. Enjoy a view of Zamalek from the open terrace, which during winter months is well heated. The cuisine is mostly South-East Asian and the crowd tends to be mainly young and wealthy, judging by the posh cars in the restaurant carpark. It's a great place for a beer.

Sangria, Corniche El Nile.
Tel : +20 2 579 6512
On the opposite side of the road from the Conrad Hilton towards the Arkadia Shopping Centre.

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Once the home and garden of a wealthy Swiss businessman, the Swiss Club was donated to the Swiss community of Egypt. Today, however, it is open to all for a small fee, although it tends to be an expat hangout. If the bustle of Cairo becomes too much to bear you can bring your family to this green oasis and enjoy reasonably priced good food and a relaxing atmosphere. Other activities include barbecues, car boot sales and bazaars.

The Swiss Club, Villa Pax, El Gihad Street (off Sudan Street), Kit Kat Square.
Tel : +20 2 314 2811
www.swiss-club-cairo.com

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The clue is in the name - it's a smoky jazz club! Sometimes playing jazz (not often), but usually with a band (of sorts) making music. It gets really packed on the weekends so don't even bother trying to order food even if you do manage to get yourselves a table, but it's quiet during the week and the food is worth it. To make sure that you can actually get in, it's usually best to phone beforehand, they can be a bit picky on the door.

Also, most taxi drivers won't know what you're talking about if you ask them to take you there so make sure you know how to get there yourself or take someone with you that does! All said and done, usually a sterling night out of debauchery and fabulousness.

197, 26th July Street, Agouza, Cairo.
Tel: 02 345 9939

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Mohandessin is an area close to Zamalek but on the east bank of the Nile. In general it's a good place to explore, with various cultural centres and cafes. But most importantly, it has the restaurant Cedars, near Lebanon Place - you should absolutely eat there. It's fantastic Lebanese food, the best I've ever had, and probably on a par with some places in Beirut. It's a great big restaurant (be sure to eat on the terrace) and I remember eating so much that I really couldn't move for a couple hours. Truly, it's the best Middle Eastern cuisine I've ever had, and that's saying something.

42 Geziret Al Arab Street, Mohandiseen
Tel: 347 2537

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Near the American University Cairo (AUC) dorms, there is a great cafe with an outdoor terrace called Cafe de Paris. It's popular with the Zamalek crowd, open late, does good shisha and food. A great, relaxed place to spend an evening.

18 Yosef al-Gindi Street, Bustan Center

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Abou El Sid is a restaurant close to the Marriot Hotel in Zamalek, popular with the young and hip, middle class, and expats. Try and book a table, sicne it is always busy.

They do an amazing stuffed pigeon! When you want to treat yourself, go to this place. Pricey for Egyptian standard, but the food is a cut above the rest and much more authentic than in tourist restaurants like the Naguib Mahfouz in the Khan el Khalili market.

Abou El Sid, 157, 26th of July St, Zamalek (+73 59 640)

For cheap and good takeways, try the area around Midan Talat Harb!

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The Greek Club and Andreas are two nice restaurants and watering holes in Cairo. The Greek Club, in Midan Talat Harb, is a laid-back place where you drink Stella beer and eat steak and chips with locals.

Andreas is a bit classier at the northern tip of Zamalek, where you sit under tent-like canopies next to the Nile eating mainly Lebanese fare, smoke sheesha, etc.

Greek Club is above the Groppis sweet shop on Midan Talat Harb and Andreas is at the northern tip of Zamalek island.

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It's an Egyptian drink made with milk, sugar, rosewater and pistachios. Lovely with a shisha tufaah.

Best place to drink it is Fishawi shisha cafe in the Khan el Khalili market.

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Oriental atmosphere, with a good range of Egyptian dishes. Go early or book ahead, because it can get full. The hubble-bubble pipes have their own menu, including capuccino flavour.

157, 26th July Street, Zamalek (but actually off the main road in a side street behind Maison Thomas); +20 2 735 9640

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Wholesome home-cooking style, popular with Egyptians and tourists alike. Knick-knacks around the walls and ceiling provide lots of visual interest, but avoid tables near the caged birds. Waiter! There’s a feather in my soup.

15 Hoda Sharawi Street, downtown Cairo; Tel: +20 2 392 2833

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