The best Cairo nightlife

Our Local Expert Says:

The Cairo Jazz Club is undoubtedly one of the best music venues in Cairo

Description:

The Cairo Jazz Club does not just play jazz. Tucked away in the middle of nowhere on the border of Agouza and Mohandiseen, the Cairo Jazz club plays every type of music... along with the occasional night of jazz!

It puts a different night on each day of the week. Sometimes it will be a DJ spinning the latest hip hop and R&B, other times it will be 70's cheese. At least twice a week there are live bands, from unknown cover bands to well-established outfits such as the super-lively Wust al-Balad.

The bond that ties this eclectic policy together is coolness. Not of the acts, which - to be fair - vary greatly. No, it's the crowd at the Cairo Jazz Club that's cool. Rich young Egyptians and foreign AUC students make up most of the clientele, though the occasional expat might stumble in after work, and tourists sometimes find their way too. Despite being ultra-hip, the atmosphere is very welcoming, and as you dance the night away amongst the sweaty, heaving masses, you feel as though you could be in any city in the world.

There is no entrance fee, though there is a door policy of sorts: if the bouncers don't like the look of you, they won't let you in! If you look like you've made some... read more

Description:

After Eight is a lively bar-restaurant that plays regular host to some of Cairo's hottest live music acts. While the food is OK, people come here for the music, and most acts start around 10 pm. The music policy is varied, and includes modern and oriental Jazz, Nubian music, and even Rai (a sort of North African blend of pop and traditional music). They sometimes have a DJ, and host a regular karaoke night. After Eight can get quite crowded and smoky, and it's best to get there before the music starts if you want to eat. An over 25's policy is enforced, and couples are preferred. Reservation at After Eight is necessary.

Our Local Expert Says:

Meeting point for Cairo's wannabe artists and writers. The high ceilings and walls lined with (now cracked) mirrors still evoke the original 1930s atmosphere.

Description:

Horeya is without a doubt one of the coolest bars in Downtown Cairo. It is not, however, somewhere you come for a quiet drink in nice surroundings! It's essentially an old coffee shop that also serves Stella beer. It has high ceilings, vomit yellow walls and pillars, and a dirty grey stone floor that is littered with fag butts and bean casings the same colour as the walls.

Horeya is crammed full of Stella-sponsored tables and rickety wooden chairs, and patrolled by a handful of serving staff who almost aggressively thrust bottle after bottle of Stella at you. These bottle stay on the table, and are used to calculate your tab when you finally stagger out.

The best thing about Horeya is the clientele: you literally rub shoulders with Egyptians from all walks of life, expats, the occasional tourist, and lots of earnest students from the American University in Cairo practising their Arabic. Even if there were music, you wouldn't be able to hear it over the chaotic hubbub of conversation. Talking to random punters is compulsory!

The most bizarre part of Horeya is that in the corner, separated from the beer drinkers by an imaginary force-field, are groups of old men drinking Turkish... read more

Our Local Expert Says:

The Odeon Palace bar offers relatively cheap drinks and shisha on an outdoor terrace, 24 hours a day. What are you waiting for?

Description:

The Odeon Palace Bar is one of the most popular bars in Cairo. Situated on top of the Odeon Palace Hotel, just off Talaat Harb street, the bar is a godsend: it is open 24 hours a day!

The bar itself is actually quite pretty: beautiful mashrabia panelling and oriental style lamps are dotted around, and there are a number of cosy nooks and crannies to curl up in. Most people, however, head straight to the outdoor terrace. It doesn't offer particularly fine views, but you do get the benefits of a pleasant breeze.

The staff at the Odeon Palace bar are hit and miss, ranging from friendly and very helpful, to miserable and rude. Regardless, the service is going to be on the slow side! As well as the normal range of alcoholic drinks, the bar also serves adequate oriental food. Prices are perhaps a little on the high side, but it's well worth it.

Most importantly, the Odeon Palace Bar also serves shisha! Shisha, beer and a rooftop terrace, 24 hours a day, in the heart of Downtown Cairo: no wonder the Odeon Palace Bar is so popular with locals, expats and tourists alike! read more

Our Local Expert Says:

La Bodega is one of the classiest bar-lounge-bistros in Cairo

Description:

La Bodega is a mainstay of the Zamalek social scene. Situated at the east end of 26th July Street, La Bodega is not always immediately obvious - look out for the Balmoral sign, and head up the stairs.

The décor at La Bodega is all dark wood grandeur, with sophisticated paintings adorning the walls, and a smart copper bar. Combined with the dim lighting, this gives La Bodega an intimate and sophisticated atmosphere.

Reasonable quality Mediterranean food is served, though it's possible just to go to La Bodega to drink, and they have an extensive cocktail list. Reasonably priced set food menus are offered early in the evening. The clientèle tends to be expats and Egyptians, from around mid 20's upwards. It's an older scene than nearby L'Aubergine, and far more restrained.

It's best to book ahead if you want to eat, and put on your glad rags - the doormen will give you a good once over before letting you in, and aren't that impressed if you are large group of men only. La Bodega is well situated for some Zamalek bar hopping, and is just a few minutes walk away from Deals and Aboul Sid. read more

Our Local Expert Says:

Deals is a good, unpretentious watering hole in the heart of Zamalek with very reasonable prices

Description:

Deals is a mainstay of the Zamalek drinking scene. It's a cramped, slightly dim bar just off the main 26th July street in Zamalek, and is popular with both expats and upper class Egyptians. It's friendly and quite lively, and if you go there alone, you can quickly find yourself drawn in to conversations with the nearest group of drinkers. The staff at Deals are friendly, the service is quite efficient, and drinks prices tend to be reasonable. Be careful if you drink the imported spirits, though, since the cost of these quickly mounts up. Deals also offers bar snacks and simple meals, as well as a selection of Chinese food. Deals stays open quite late - last orders tend to be about 1.30 am.

Our Local Expert Says:

Cairo Opera House is one of Cairo's premier venues for a whole range of arts and culture

Description:

Opened in 1988, the Opera House complex is a stunning jewel of postmodernist architecture incorporating Islamic and Pharaonic motifs. There are two opera halls, one of which is strictly jacket-and-tie while the other is a little more laid back. The complex also offers an open-air theatre and an amphitheatre for summer performances. There is always something going on here, usually more than one event per night, so it is advisable to call ahead or check local newspapers for a schedule. International music, ballet and opera troupes perform here throughout the year and tickets cost a fraction of what one would pay to see the same performance elsewhere.

Our Local Expert Says:

Al-Sawy Cultural Centre has all sorts of music and exhibitions going on all the time

Description:

Al-Sawy Cultural Centre, at the west end of 26th July Street in Zamalek, is a gem. This progressive and modern cultural centre has a number of halls and exhibition areas given over to cultural activities.

Each month there are different art exhibitions, from traditional Arabic calligraphy to watercolour landscapes. They also host photography exhibitions and craft fairs, and run a number of courses. Fancy learning a bit of yoga, or how to play the tabla? Al-Sawy Cultural Centre is the place to ask, since even if they don't offer the course themselves, they'll know a place that does.

Al-Sawy Cultural centre also has live music each week, from local heavy metal to classical oud, and sometimes performers from abroad. The centre is open to non-members, and many exhibitions are free. You have to pay for the music and the courses, though prices are very low, and discounted for members.

Al-Sawy Cultural Centre also has a pleasant garden area, and a simple café with free Wi-Fi. Unusually for Cairo, the whole of the premises is non-smoking!

Our Local Expert Says:

Authentic Egyptian and North African folk music in shabby-chic surroundings

Description:

Makan is a small venue just south of Downtown Cairo, in an area known as Mounira. It is part of the Egyptian Centre for Culture and Art (ECCA), that aims to record, preserve and present traditional African music in Egypt, making it available to a wider audience.

Makan is famous for its Zar performances every Wednesday. Zar was traditionally a healing ceremony, in which the participants use powerful, arrhythmic drumming and chanting to exorcise demons and drive out disease. Women play an important role in this process.

The Mazaher ensemble that perform at Makan are some of the last remaining Zar practitioners in Egypt, and their style is drawn from different forms of Zar music. They are consummate performers, and the atmosphere is a curious mix of the intimate, the light-hearted, and the intense.

As well as the Mazaher ensemble, Makan holds a night every Tuesday called Nass Makan (or "People of Makan"). This is a fascinating blend of folk music, including gypsy music from the Egyptian delta, musical styles inspired by the Zar, and Sudanese singers and musicians.

Whatever you think of the authenticity of performing a "healing ritual", Makan is definitely a memorable night... read more

Our Local Expert Says:

Landmark cafe in the heart of the Khan AL Khalili bazaar, once the haunt of Noble-prize-winner Naguib Mafouz.

Description:

Located in the heart of Khan al-Khalili, al-Fishawi is Egypt's most famous, and most exciting coffee shop. Al-Fishawi has been open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for hundreds of years, and used to be a favourite haunt of artists and writers such as Nobel prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz.

The so-called "cafe of mirrors" extends along the side of one of Khan al-Khalili's narrow alleyways, and has a gorgeous, carved wood (mashrabia) interior. These days, the sheer volume of people visiting al-Fishawi means rickety wooden tables and chairs spill out in to the alley itself, with the effervescent waiters fighting a constant battle to squeeze the extra bodies in somewhere. The atmosphere is chaotic, with a heady mix of tourists, locals, shop-keepers and trinket-sellers variously drinking, shouting, and pushing their way through the throng.

Al-Fishawi serves the standard range of sodas, juices and hot drinks, as well as various flavours of shisha (water pipe). It's a great place to take a break from shopping in Khan al-Khalili - though don't expect it to be relaxing!