ChI Eats 
Restaurants – where to lunch, where to dine

  •  Abou el Sid, in Zamalek (and its sister outlets in Mohandesseen, Maadi and
  City Stars mall) – enter via its massive carved door in a small side street off
  26th July St (opposite Vodaphone) for great Egyptian food, orientalist décor,
  the long bar, buzzy atmo provided by a mixed Egyptian-foreign clientele, and
  paintings by Chant Avedissian, the Armenian-Egyptian pop artist.  Service
  leaves something to be desired though, (probably because they are too
  successful to care).  Reservations are a must. Tel 735 9640 www.deyafa.net

  •  Japanese sushi in the Marriott in Zamalek

  •  Maison Thomas, for the best pizza in Cairo

  •  Le Pacha houseboat, moored near the Opera in Dokki (across the Nile from
  the Ramses Hilton).  Italian, French, Lebanese and Greek cuisine, in separate
  restaurants

Le Pacha   www.egy.com/landmarks/96-06-15.shtml

  •  Carlo’s on the Nile for great mezze, beer and shisha on the roof of the Le
  Pacha boat, in the evenings!

  •  Among the five star hotels, the two Four Seasons in Garden City and in
  Giza, probably have the best restaurants.  Try the Thai, and the Italian.  The
  Four Seasons in Giza has a fantastic fish buffet twice a week, which is a
  must-do.

  •  For another good Thai, try the Intercontinental Semiramis, near
  Shepherds Hotel

  •  For Japanese food, the Sheraton or the Marriott are probably the best

  •  The best kebabs in Cairo can be found in Kababgi restaurant, in the Gezira
  Sheraton Hotel Cairo, located bang in the middle of the Nile.  The best
  oriental kebab and kufta in town, with a Nile view!

  •  Chariot, in Mohandesseen for its steaks, and its owner (Omar Sharif!)

  •  The Zamalek restaurants on 26th July St – Aubergine, Cilantro, Bodega
  (for its first-floor lounge, bar and restaurant) next to Maison Thomas and
  Drinkies, the booze outlet.

  •  The Fish Market, on a houseboat in Giza for the best bread in town, and
  very good mezze, as well as the fish!  Select your own fish, and have it
  cooked whatever style you prefer!

  •  Filfilla (downtown) used to be the great hangout for Egyptian food. It has
  expanded hugely into adjacent buildings, but the food is frankly not what it
  was.  That doesn’t stop it from being always full, though tourists (ie not
  Insiders) are mainly responsible. Handy if you are in the neighbourhood,
  though.

  •  Mashrabiyyeh restaurant for wonderful old-style Oriental food (think heavy
  on the digestion, but divine on the palate!)  In Giza.  It does home deliveries
  too.

  •  The Swiss Restaurant in Giza, owned by the movie star Hasseine Fahmy,
  with outlets in Heliopolis and downtown, too.

  •  Le Grillon restaurant on Kasr El Nil street, downtown, for great steaks,
  mezze, and a lovely garden and bar outside.  Serves alcohol.

On that subject - some restaurants serve alcohol, others do not – it depends on their access to getting a licence, and the religious inclinations of the owner.

 

UPDATE: January 2010

Cafes

All you ChI ladies out there – if you are tired of being harassed as you move around Cairo, check out the first-ever all-women’s café, ‘Alawtek Ya Fifi, near Attaba Square.  It’s the only one of its kind, which opened up as a reaction to the male-dominated traditional cafes that have been around since the 1952 revolution.

Its colourful and determined owner, Fardous “Fifi” Hassouna is ecstatic at the success of a project she had been working tirelessly on for years. As she colourfully put it, “I would like to congratulate all Egyptian women, but let me tell you, it wasn’t like a hair in dough.”

Aside from the fact that it is socially unacceptable for men to have a cup of tea at ‘Alawtek Ya Fifi, there are other aspects that make it even more unique in the Cairo café context -  Fifi and her staff clean the ahwa continuously to ensure the highest level of hygiene. Added to that, there are framed portraits of some of the most influential women in Egyptian history: Om Kolthoum, Leila Morad, and Fifi Abdo – a life-long idol and inspiration for Fifi and her sister/right-arm Foffa.

Along with the usual backgammon, dominos and shisha, customers can enjoy larger TV screens with the latest from the soap-opera world and access to a land-line where they can make cheap calls. It is prohibited to talk about football, and there is a Turkish bathroom that shockingly has running water and continuous supply of toilet-paper.