Not that you're coming to Cairo for pizza, but if you do, then you should make a trip to the southern suburb of Maadi and find La Rosa. Their pizza is the best Italian thin-crust and their steak is cooked to perfection (and at 60LE it is half the price you'd pay in the UK). Excellent service and you can bring your own alcohol.

La Rosa
19, Road 231
Maadi, Cairo
Google map: bit.ly/w8C6oN
02-25167337
Take the metro to El Maadi and then take a taxi (ask for 'Degla, shareeya miteen w'wahed w'talateen' / Degla Road 206) or make the 15-20 minute walk if you have a map of Maadi.

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If you fancy eating a burger in Cairo, then there is only one place to go; Lucille's.
Lucille's is in the southern suburb of Maadi and has the best burgers in Cairo (or the world if you are to believe Time magazine
www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1639839,00.html). The burgers taste amazing, with the chilli burger being a meal and a half.

To drink, try their homemade ice tea, which is served with syrup on the side so you can make it as sweet as you like. On weekends (Friday and Saturday) a proper breakfast of pancakes and biscuits is served all day alongside their burger and southwest menu.

www.lucillesrestaurants.com
Lucille's, 40, Road 9, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
+20 (0)2 23592778
Google map: bit.ly/A9vUkY

Take the Metro to El Maadi and then walk south along Road 9 and you will find Lucille's on your right after about 10 minutes.

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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.
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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You'll easily spy the Revolving Restaurant if you are in downtown Cairo and look up - it's the tall building on the Nile which looks like a UFO has landed on top of it. It's not nearly as futuristic once you've made the ear-popping lift journey up to the 44th floor, but it is just very sleek.
If you really want to splash out then you can have dinner in the restaurant, but a more affordable way to enjoy the view of central Cairo is by having a drink in the bar on the floor below the restaurant. They have a minimum charge, but two or three drinks will usually meet it.
The best time to go is just before sunset as you'll see the sun going down behind the pyramids, and the city lights coming alive.

1089 Corniche El Nil, P.O. Box 63 Maglis El Shaab, Garden City 11519, Cairo, Egypt
+ 20 (2) 2791-7000
Google map: bit.ly/u89og6

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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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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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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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