Many of the better restaurants in Cairo, frequented by locals as well as visitors, are found in the international hotels. Food in Egypt is cheap, so you will rarely have to pay more than US$35 for a three-course meal (without wine). Imported drinks are considerably more expensive than the local version. Tax and tips are added to the prices listed on the restaurant and can bump the bill up by 20-25%.
The restaurants below have been listed alphabetically and classed into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over US$40)
$$$ (US$25 to US$40)
$$ (US$15 to US$25)
$ (under US$15)
These prices include a three-course meal for one, excluding drinks and tip.
Andrea Andrea, tucked out of the way in Giza, near the pyramids, is a traditional Egyptian grill with a shady garden terrace, indoor dining room and cellar bar. A popular lunch spot for local families, tempting the tastebuds from the moment you step out of the taxi with the smell of chicken, quails and kofte sizzling over a charcoal grill and fresh baked bread from the clay oven. The meats are backed up by a wide selection of meze. Wine and beer are served but there are no desserts. Friday lunch in the gardens is an Egyptian family tradition. On late nights in winter, the restaurant transforms itself into a chic nightclub. Make sure you get the right place - many imitations have borrowed the name. Reservations essential.
59-60, Maryutiya Canal
Tel: (02) 383 1133.
Price: $$
Aqua Two large aquaria welcome you into this sleekly modern restaurant where a sushi bar complements delicious seafood, the recipes ranging from the traditional (lobster thermidor) to Pacific fusion (pan-seared salmon pagoda with foie gras and teriyaki sauce). Non-seafood and vegetarian options are also available. Homesick Americans may prefer
Steaks, with a traditional steakhouse menu from buffalo wings and Caesar salad to, of course, steak - in many guises.
Four Seasons, 1089 Corniche el Nil, Garden City, Roda Island
Tel: (02) 2791 7000.
Website:
www.fourseasons.com/caironp Price: $$$-$$$$
Khan El-Khalili Restaurant & Naguib Mahfouz Coffee Shop Set in the heart of the Khan al-Khalili market, this is an atmospheric indoor restaurant that makes an ideal place for a midday break from shopping in the 1,000 or so shops of Cairo’s great bazaar. The food is traditional Egyptian (take your time and work through a variety of meze), the service charming, the cleanliness excellent (the restaurant is run by Oberoi, who also run the Mena House Hotel) and the restaurant is blessedly air-conditioned. The coffee shop, which offers light meals and snacks, is named after Egypt’s Nobel prize-winning novelist, who set many of his works in this area. The coffee shop continues to pride itself on its clientele of local artists and intellectuals. Booking advised for dinner.
5 El Baddistan Lane, Khan al-Khalili
Tel: (02) 590 3788
or 593 2262.
Price: $$-$$$
La’Aubergine Billing itself as Cairo’s only vegetarian restaurant (although you can find vegetarian dishes anywhere serving Egyptian or Middle Eastern cuisine), this British-owned Mediterranean-style establishment has become a popular meeting place for travelers and trendy Cairenes alike. Soups, salads and pastas are the staples of a regularly changing menu and there are a few fish and meat dishes thrown in to keep carnivores happy. The atmosphere is dark and intimate at night, lit by candles, while the upstairs bar also proves popular. Reservations essential.
5 Shar’a Sayed al-Bakry, Zamalek
Tel: (02) 332 0080.
Price: $
Revolving Restaurant It is worth arriving early to admire the sunset from the cocktail lounge on the 40th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, before heading up one more floor to the Revolving Restaurant, with Cairo spread out at your feet like a tapestry of light. More suited for intimate dinners for two than large parties, as the tables are fitted round the central platform, the setting is incomparable and an inspiring French haute cuisine menu more than measures up. If you prefer staying at ground level, head down to the casual indoor and outdoor El Sakya terraces, with Japanese, Italian, Indian and seafood restaurants and tables right on the Nile’s edge.
Grand Hyatt, Corniche el Nil, Garden City, Roda Island
Tel: (02) 365 1234.
Website:
www.cairo.grand.hyatt.com Price: $$$
Nightlife:Cairo is even livelier at night than it is during the day, and the Cairenes have always known how to enjoy themselves. As the sun goes down, the people come out. Shopping, socialising and drinking coffee all need to take place before the serious business of eating, drinking, dancing and music begins. The fun goes on for as long as you can stand the pace and even though most places wind down around 0300 or 0400, you will still find some that are open 24 hours. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the days for the big nights out.
Although Egypt is a Muslim country and many Cairenes will enjoy themselves all night long by only drinking soft drinks, alcohol is not difficult to come by for those who want it. Some Muslims are more devout than others, but if you are with Egyptian friends or contacts and they decline your offer of a drink, you must be sensitive to their religious beliefs.
There are plenty of nightlife options. Most basic are the
baladi bars, often called ’cafeterias’ to disguise the fact that they are selling alcohol. They are perfectly safe, although a little rough and women on their own might feel uncomfortable in what is essentially a male domain. If you want to seek some out, try the Sharia Alfy area around the Midan Orabi.
To find out what’s on, get the
Egyptian Gazette (
Egyptian Mail on Saturdays), the English-language edition of
Al-Ahram Weekly (website:
www.ahram.org.eg/weekly), or the monthly magazine
Egypt Today (website:
www.egypttoday.com) (but double-check as monthlies are not completely up to date).
Bars: All the main hotels have their Western-style bars, just as popular with Cairenes as with the Western visitors themselves. Which drinking den is fashionable changes monthly, but there are some perennial favorites.
Harry’s Pub at the Cairo Marriott Hotel in Zamalek is always busy, with its karaoke and ladies’ nights. The 40th floor
Revolving Restaurant Lounge at the Grand Hyatt, and the
Windows on the World bar on the 36th floor of the Ramses Hilton battle it out as the place to have a sundowner with their stunning views over Cairo. Also popular, although lower, is the rooftop
Pyramids Bar and Terrace at the Nile Hilton. If looking for something special in Giza, head for the
Sultan Bar at the Mena House, a glorious palace hotel with views of the pyramids.
Clubs: In Egypt, a nightclub is a place where you sit down to watch a show while you eat and/or drink. The most popular have belly dancers and these are included in the
Culture section. Yet again, the big hotels provide the best options as there are also a good number of seedy joints aimed at parting you from your money. Only go to one if a reliable Egyptian friend recommends it.
If you’re after a Western-style nightclub, call it a ’disco’ and, again, head for the hotel chains.
Jackie’s Joint at the Nile Hilton is an upmarket favorite with a dance floor, pool tables, private karaoke rooms, and 1970s and 80s nights, while
The Place, next to the Sheraton el Gezirah, offers live music (Egyptian and international) on its top floor terrace (Nile views).
Rithmo at the Semiramis Intercontinental is an expensive but trendy spot full of beautiful young women and older men with cigars.
Windows on the World, on the 36th floor of the Ramses Hilton is another popular hangout with wonderful cocktails, good food, great views and live music (jazz and pop). Away from the hotels, the
Cairo Jazz Club, 197 26th of July Street (website:
www.cairojazzclub.com) offers a sophisticated mix of live jazz, blues, a DJ and drinks in a dimly lit, smoke-filled environment.
Africana, Pyramids Road, Giza, is something very different, a noisy, crowded, energetic if somewhat scruffy place with the music and most of the clientele coming from sub-Saharan Africa.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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