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Cairo's restaurant scene has really developed over the last decade, breaking out of the five-star hotels and onto the streets. Eating out is now a regular form of entertainment, affordable to the growing upper and middle classes in Egypt. Naturally, Egyptian food remains the local favorite, and Cairo is the place to find the best of the country's specialties. Restaurants compete mainly on quality of ingredients rather than refinement of preparations. However, the range of cuisine options has expanded dramatically to include Indian, Thai, French, Italian, and even Japanese.
Local beers (including Stella Premium, Luxor, and Sakara) are common, and you can usually find a range of drinkable, if unremarkable, local wines (the top-rate Grand Marquis label, then the passable Omar Khayyam, Sheherazade, and Obelisque, and a much less wonderful Rubis).
Egyptians eat late: lunch from 1 to 3 and dinner often starting at 9 or 10. Most restaurants are open daily for both lunch and dinner. Dress is generally smart casual. Local beers and wines are served in many restaurants, but expensive imported alcohol is limited to top-end establishments. Although fancier places levy a 12% service charge, it is customary to leave a tip in inverse relation to the size of the bill, ranging from, say, 8% at expensive places to 12% to 14% at cheaper places.
This Heliopolis landmark, in business for over five decades, often has a line of people waiting to order Egyptian-style beef shawarma, made with a deliciously aromatic marinade and served in a pita or on soft white fino bread or fluffy bread rolls. Although there’s a small top-floor seating area, this is more of a grab-and-go restaurant.
Known for the blue-mosaic niche wall on its facade, this small but beloved branch of Mandarine Koueider is divided into two sections: one side sells Middle Eastern desserts generously stuffed with nuts, and the other sells ice cream in flavors like pistachio, raspberry, or mandarin. The malban bil eshta (Turkish delight filled with cream custard that's flavored with mastic) is a must-try.
Known for its relaxed vibe, Zööba offers Egyptian street food featuring modern twists (and slightly higher prices), all of it made with locally sourced ingredients. Be sure to try the ful (fava-bean stew) and ta’amiya (falafel) with pickled lemons, though the koshary (macaroni casserole) is also divine.
Flakey layers of fiteer pastry generously stuffed with your choice of sweet or savory fillings is what Abo Sherif is known for, and every order is made fresh on the spot—you can even watch the dough being flipped, stuffed, and placed in a brick oven. It’s customary to take your fiteer to the café across the street and enjoy it with black tea served with fresh mint leaves.
Although the decor is pure Arabian, the cuisine is authentic Lebanese. Fresh bread makes a nice accompaniment to the delicious soups, stews, grilled meats, and hot or cold mezzes.
Favored by locals, Le Chantilly is the perfect place to unwind with a cup of coffee and fresh pastries, seated indoors at a wooden table covered with a checkered tablecloth or in the charming outdoor area.
The outdoor seating area of this restaurant in one of El-Korba's historical buildings offers stellar views of the promenade below and is an especially nice place to dine on breezy spring evenings. Mouthwatering dishes on the Italian menu include burrata pizza, gnocchi, and fresh bruschetta. Although the restaurant accepts walk-ins, reservations are preferred.
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