14 Best Restaurants in Egypt

The best of the fast-food cafés near Luxor Temple, Aboudi is indeed a welcome break from the chaos outside its front doors. The menu is full of basic sandwiches and grilled meats. If you need internet access, the Wi-Fi here is surprisingly quick and reliable.

The food at this part-café part-restaurant won't knock your socks off, but if you're in the area, the Nile-side view and the laid-back atmosphere are worth pulling up a chair. The menu covers the Egyptian standards and throws in some international dishes as well.

Little has changed since this stand-up espresso bar opened in 1929, as you can see from the foot-traffic patterns worn into the tile floor. The ancient roasters are visible to the right—if you're lucky they'll be roasting beans when you walk in, and the café will be filled with plumes of aromatic smoke. Lining the walls are the original stunningly painted mirrors showing a map of South America, along with population and coffee-production statistics for Brazil, now endearingly out of date. There's even an enormous Brazilian flag painted on the ceiling. And while this may be the first Brazilian Coffee Store in Alexandria, you can find other outposts around the city.

Delices Patisserie is a great place to pick up traditional Egyptian pastries or stop in for a snack, a drink, or a quick bite. If the weather is nice, skip the indoor dining room and grab a seat on the outdoor patio. The fresh juice cocktails are delicious and the location is prime for people watching.

Seek refuge from Cairo's crowded streets with bite to eat and a drink (alcoholic or not) at this café set in the gardens next to the restored Gezira Palace. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it serves everything from soups, salads, and sandwiches to pizzas and pastas.

Founded in the 1930s, this quaint coffee shop has witnessed most of Downtown’s history and was once a favorite spot for its elites and celebrities. Today, people from all walks of life come to enjoy its coffee and desserts.

Conveniently situated a street-crossing away from the Egyptian Museum, La Poire was established in 1975 as a French pastry shop but has expanded its menu to include a variety of savory quick bites and an ever-growing selection of sweet treats.

This eatery on the 11th floor of the President Hotel has several comfortable seating areas and is the perfect place to grab a quick coffee or a relaxed dinner with drinks. You can also enjoy a delicious lunch here, though reservations are a good idea.

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.

A surprisingly good find at the southern end of Luxor's East Bank hotel strip, Maxime's has a menu of burgers and fries, as well as Middle Eastern staples. The relaxing atmosphere makes it a great spot to while away an evening. You can even puff on a hookah pipe in the open-air courtyard.

In one of the few remaining 19th-century mansions in town, this relaxed restaurant decorated with old-school photos and furnishings lives up to its name. The menu runs the gamut from respectable pasta dishes to decent sandwiches.

Although this eatery is set in Zamalek’s Flamenco Hotel, its warm woods, tile work, and selection of baked goods make it feel like a family run bakery set in a small European town. It opens at 7 am, so you can enjoy breakfast and coffee while watching Cairenes on their way to work; or come later in the day for a German brezel (pretzel).

After a day of sightseeing, this atmospheric, courtyard-style café, set amid buildings that date from the 15th century just south of al-Azhar Street, is a great place to grab a tea or a coffee and a dessert. You can only get here on foot, and it's a little hard to find, but don't worry—the area is safe, and you can ask a local for directions if you get lost.

One of Alexandria's most stylish institutions and one of its oldest coffee shops is also the city's most gorgeous restaurant, with high ceilings, elaborate carved wooden chandeliers, and swirling art nouveau murals. The food is enjoyable but unspectacular; try avocado salad and gambari konfa (fried shrimp pastry) for appetizers, and main courses of fattah (lamb) or kebab samak (fish with green rice). In the adjoining café where, behind elaborately carved wooden cabinets, a series of Venetian wood-panel paintings of sensual water nymphs will take your breath away.