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: $$$-$$$$
Khan El-Khalili Restaurant & Naguib Mahfouz Coffee Shop
Set in the heart of the Khan al-Khalili market, this is an atmospheric indoor restaurant that makes an ideal place for a midday break from shopping in the 1,000 or so shops of Cairo's great bazaar. The food is traditional Egyptian (take your time and work through a variety of meze), the service charming, the cleanliness excellent (the restaurant is run by Oberoi, who also run the Mena House Hotel) and the restaurant is blessedly air-conditioned. The coffee shop, which offers light meals and snacks, is named after Egypt's Nobel prize-winning novelist, who set many of his works in this area. The coffee shop continues to pride itself on its clientele of local artists and intellectuals. Booking advised for dinner.
5 El Baddistan Lane, Khan al-Khalili
Tel: (02) 590 3788 or 593 2262.
Price: $$-$$$
La'Aubergine
Billing itself as Cairo's only vegetarian restaurant (although you can find vegetarian dishes anywhere serving Egyptian or Middle Eastern cuisine), this British-owned Mediterranean-style establishment has become a popular meeting place for travellers and trendy Cairenes alike. Soups, salads and pastas are the staples of a regularly changing menu and there are a few fish and meat dishes thrown in to keep carnivores happy. The atmosphere is dark and intimate at night, lit by candles, while the upstairs bar also proves popular. Reservations essential.
5 Shar'a Sayed al-Bakry, Zamalek
Tel: (02) 332 0080.
Price: $
Revolving Restaurant
It is worth arriving early to admire the sunset from the cocktail lounge on the 40th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, before heading up one more floor to the Revolving Restaurant, with Cairo spread out at your feet like a tapestry of light. More suited for intimate dinners for two than large parties, as the tables are fitted round the central platform, the setting is incomparable and an inspiring French haute cuisine menu more than measures up. If you prefer staying at ground level, head down to the casual indoor and outdoor El Sakya terraces, with Japanese, Italian, Indian and seafood restaurants and tables right on the Nile's edge.
Grand Hyatt, Corniche el Nil, Garden City, Roda Island
Tel: (02) 365 1234.
Website: www.cairo.grand.hyatt.com
Price: $$$
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: $$$-$$$$
Khan El-Khalili Restaurant & Naguib Mahfouz Coffee Shop
Set in the heart of the Khan al-Khalili market, this is an atmospheric indoor restaurant that makes an ideal place for a midday break from shopping in the 1,000 or so shops of Cairo's great bazaar. The food is traditional Egyptian (take your time and work through a variety of meze), the service charming, the cleanliness excellent (the restaurant is run by Oberoi, who also run the Mena House Hotel) and the restaurant is blessedly air-conditioned. The coffee shop, which offers light meals and snacks, is named after Egypt's Nobel prize-winning novelist, who set many of his works in this area. The coffee shop continues to pride itself on its clientele of local artists and intellectuals. Booking advised for dinner.
5 El Baddistan Lane, Khan al-Khalili
Tel: (02) 590 3788 or 593 2262.
Price: $$-$$$
La'Aubergine
Billing itself as Cairo's only vegetarian restaurant (although you can find vegetarian dishes anywhere serving Egyptian or Middle Eastern cuisine), this British-owned Mediterranean-style establishment has become a popular meeting place for travellers and trendy Cairenes alike. Soups, salads and pastas are the staples of a regularly changing menu and there are a few fish and meat dishes thrown in to keep carnivores happy. The atmosphere is dark and intimate at night, lit by candles, while the upstairs bar also proves popular. Reservations essential.
5 Shar'a Sayed al-Bakry, Zamalek
Tel: (02) 332 0080.
Price: $
Revolving Restaurant
It is worth arriving early to admire the sunset from the cocktail lounge on the 40th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, before heading up one more floor to the Revolving Restaurant, with Cairo spread out at your feet like a tapestry of light. More suited for intimate dinners for two than large parties, as the tables are fitted round the central platform, the setting is incomparable and an inspiring French haute cuisine menu more than measures up. If you prefer staying at ground level, head down to the casual indoor and outdoor El Sakya terraces, with Japanese, Italian, Indian and seafood restaurants and tables right on the Nile's edge.
Grand Hyatt, Corniche el Nil, Garden City, Roda Island
Tel: (02) 365 1234.
Website: www.cairo.grand.hyatt.com
Price: $$$
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