The best Cairo restaurants

Our Local Expert Says:

This is one of the best restaurants in Egypt for traditonal Egyptian cuisine

Description:

Abou el Sid, located on Zamalek, offers excellent, authentic Egyptian cuisine in very atmospheric surroundings. Décor is traditional Arabesque, heavy on the mashrabiyya wooden panelling, but the atmosphere is lively and down to earth. A word of warning though - the staff can be incredibly rude, and the service isn't always great.

Don't let this put you off though, because Abou el Sid is an excellent place to share a selection of mouth-watering mezzes, and offers a wide range of traditional Egyptian mains. Try the Rabbit with Molokheiya for a real taste of rural Egypt, their old-school fish Sayadeya, or opt for Egypt's national dish, Koshary (a mix of pasta, lentils, fried onions and tomato sauce). Abou el Sid also serves a range of alcohol, and Egyptian water pipes (shishas).

Abou el Sid gets very busy, so it's advisable to book in advance. If you can't get a table, L'Aubergine and La Bodega are near by, or you could try the Abou el Sid branches in Mohandiseen, Maadi or City Stars.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the most popular and famous Koshary restaurants in Cairo

Description:

Abou Tarek is one of the most famous restaurants in Cairo, if not the whole of Egypt. It's not the sort of place you go to for a lingering, four course meal, because it really serves only one thing: koshary.

Koshary is the best contender for Egypt's national dish, and it's certainly the food that Egyptians living abroad miss the most. Koshary is a carbohydrate bomb: a mixture of different types of pasta, mixed with lentils, chickpeas, fried onions and a sort of tomato salsa. You then season it to taste, with a combination of chilli sauce and a surprisingly fiery lime juice and garlic concoction. It's fast food at its best: cheap, filling, and surprisingly tasty.

While you can get koshary on pretty much any street corner in Cairo, the koshary at Abou Tarek is particularly tasty. There's a high turnover of customers, so it's always freshly made, and pleasingly moist. As befits this no-frills dish, Abou Tarek restaurant is a simple affair: long metal trestle tables, with a splash of greenery about the walls.

Service is very quick, and the staff are used to tourists and are pretty welcoming. The only choice you have to make is whether you want a small or large dish of koshary, and what the best drink is to counteract the burning throat induced by a reckless dollop of chilli sauce!

Our Local Expert Says:

Felfela is a Cairo fast food institution, and well worth the visit!

Description:

Beloved of tourists and locals alike, Felfela is a Cairo fast food institution. On the right as you head up Talaat Harb street towards the midan, Felfela is a simple, brightly coloured and brightly lit restaurant that offers a whole range of Egyptian street food classics.

You can get koshary (with or without meat), chicken or beef shawerma, different types of taamiya and felafel sandwiches, all sorts of fuul... simply name your staple!

Although it's a bit more expensive than the proper dive restaurants offering this food, Felfela is still cheap, and reassuringly hygienic.

The way it works is easy: you order and pay at the cash desk, and the staff will give you a ticket. (Felfela has menus in English, and the staff speak English too.) You take your ticket to the appropriate part of the restaurant (the staff will tell you where to go if you aren't sure), and swap it for some food!

You can either eat amongst the other customers, standing up at the waist-height counters, or take your food to go. Either way, it's delicious!

Felfela is set right amongst the action of Downtown Cairo. Afterwards, why not head to the nearby Stella Bar, Horeya, or Odeon Palace Bar, and grab yourself a local beer to wash your food down!

There is also a proper sit down version of the restaurant just around the corner on Hoda Sharaawy Street.

Our Local Expert Says:

Zizo serves the best (and spiciest) medieval sausage sandwiches in Cairo

Description:

Zizo's, situated opposite one of the north gates (Bab al Futuh) of Islamic Cairo, is one of the city's best kept secrets.

Founded by colourful owner Abdel-Aziz Mustafa Hamzah (aka Zizo) in the 60's, Zizo's specialises in spicy sogoq (beef sausage) sandwiches, Alexandria style. The sandwiches are incredibly tasty, and dirt cheap, though be warned that they have quite a kick. Zizo's is also renowned for the quality of its offal, and the brains are particularly well regarded. For dessert, grab a halawa bil eshta sandwich (halawa is a sweet made of sesame paste and sugar, and eshta is cream) for the ultimate sugar rush!

Zizo himself still runs this tiny, spit and sawdust-type restaurant, as well as making the amazing pickles that accompany his food. He's a very friendly character, that loves to welcome and chat with his guests.

Zizo's is very near Khan el Khalili, so is the perfect place to refuel after a spot of shopping, perhaps before heading to the nearby cities of the dead.

Description:

El Kebabgy is a Middle Eastern restaurant, part of the Sofitel El Gezirah. Famed for its grilled meat, the universal favorite kebab is served in a spacious open-air setting. The restaurant's views of the river Nile enhances the marinated-meat dining experience. The mixed grill, a fusion of lamb and chicken, at the El Kebabgy is one of the many finger-licking dishes. Being the home of kebabs, one can't think of a better place than the Middle-East to savor the dish.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the most popular Lebanese restaurants in Cairo

Description:

Taboula is a fancy Lebanese restaurant tucked away down a leafy side street in Garden City. Although quite large, the tables are packed together, and the restaurant can feel quite stuffy. It is nicely decorated though, and feels quite classy.

Taboula specialises in Lebanese food, which means lots of tasty mezze and grills. The food can be a bit hit and miss: some of the mezze in particular are delicious, whereas others are merely average. The classics, such as hummus and tabouleh, are very good, but the mussels leave a lot to be desired. The Fattah dishes are particularly good. Alcohol and shisha pipes are both served at Taboula, and it is a pleasant enough space to enjoy a lingering meal, but the staff are not always that friendly.

There is a take-away and delivery service as well.

If you fancy a more cheap and cheerful Middle Eastern dining experience, check out nearby Abou Shakra.

Our Local Expert Says:

The best Indian restaurant in Cairo

Description:

The Moghul Room, in the Mena House Oberoi Hotel, is one of the best restaurants in Cairo, and definitely one of the best Indians. The open, split level dining room is classily decked out with pale green art deco style pillars, lots of cream colours and gold trimmings, and pretty glass lanterns. Soft tabla and sitar music sets the mood. The staff are friendly and attentive, without being fussy, and the service is efficient.

The Moghul Room specialises in North Indian cuisine, with a sufficient - though not overwhelming - selection of kebabs, veggie dishes, meat dishes and biryanis. The food is of excellent quality, simultaneously rich and yet delicately spiced. Unless specified on the menu, it's not that spicy-hot, although you can request a bit of added fire if you want to give your taste buds a blast.

If you sample only one dish at The Moghul Room, make it their famous, decadently rich chicken curry, the Murgh Shah Jehani. The Laal Maas (a spicy lamb curry) is also very good, and breads such as the Massala Kulcha are to die for. Top it off with a Gajar Ka Halwa - a sweet, soft carrot dessert with condensed milk, coconut and pistachio - and make sure to wash it all down with a cumin lassie or a cup of traditional massala chai.

The Moghul Room also offers good set menus for around 300 LE, both veggie and meat. And, unusually for Cairo, it's a non-smoking restaurant, so you really get to taste your food!

Our Local Expert Says:

Indigo must have the coolest interior of any bar or restaurant in Cairo

Description:

Indigo restaurant in Giza First Mall (next to the 4 Seasons Giza Hotel) offers Spanish, Indonesian and Vietnamese cuisine in a sophisticated, ultra-modern setting that combines Asian Zen-chic with Spanish warmth. Designed by Didier Gomez, Indigo oozes class from top to bottom, and feels like a cross between cocktail bar and modern art gallery.

Specialising in tapas and seafood, but with meat and veggie dishes also available, there's something for everyone. The herb mussels and the Indonesian beef rendang are absolutely to die for. Indigo also has innovative desserts such as passion fruit spaghetti and chocolate spring rolls, and a dizzying selection of imported wines and spirits. For such a posh establishment, the serving staff are incredibly friendly and down to earth.

After dinner, grab a seat at the super-swish bar and enjoy a cocktail or two. Indigo is going to blow a hole in your wallet, but it's well worth it.

Our Local Expert Says:

Some of the best Thai food in Egypt, and certainly the best value

Description:

Bua Khao is definitely worth making the trip down to Maadi for. It's a nicely decked out though unpretentious restaurant run by a Thai family, and the chefs are all Thai.

The ingredients used at Bua Khao are all imported from Thailand, so the food is as authentic - and spicy! - as it gets. The soups are particularly good, and that old staple, Pad Thai with Prawn, is divine! Wash it all down - and soothe your throat! - with an infusion of lemon juice.

The service at Bua Khao is excellent, the staff exceedingly friendly, the portions ample, and the prices more than reasonable. Sure, it's hardly authentic Egyptian cuisine, but well worth checking out if you fancy a change, or happen to be bar hopping in Maadi.

Description:

Little Swiss is a slice of cosy alpine sophistication tucked away amongst the greenery of Digla, al-Maadi. As soon as you step through the doors, you are embraced by a pungently pleasant aroma of molten cheese: the restaurant specialises in cheese fondue, Raclette, and meat table-grills. In fact, Little Swiss serves only these dishes, which is a welcome contrast to the "Jack of all trades, master of none" approach taken by many Cairo restaurants.

Raclette is a traditional Swiss dish consisting of melted Raclette cheese drizzled over baked potatoes, and served with pickles. Many people choose to accompany it with cold cuts such as air dried beef (Grison) and salami. The trick here is that you melt the cheese yourself, at the table! You are brought a Raclette machine (sort of like a mini electric barbecue) and an assortment of spatulas on which to place the cheese. Once it's bubbling merrily away, pour it over the potatoes and you're off!

The meat table-grills follow the same DIY principle: you can choose from a selection of beef fillets, chicken pieces and chicken sausages, and cook them yourself at the table. These are eaten with rice and a variety of tasty sauces. As well as being slightly surreal fun to prepare, the food at Little Swiss is excellent: everything is top notch quality, and you literally cannot get any fresher.

For dessert, you can choose between meringues and ice-cream, or chocolate fondue. The Toblerone fondue is to die for. The challenge is to work out which pieces of fruit or marshmallow allow you to scoop up the most molten nutty-nougat-chocolate goodness!