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$$$$ | Giza |
If you’re not already spending a night or two at the Marriott Mena House, start your Giza day trip an hour earlier, and treat yourself to a high-end Pyramids-view breakfast at this restaurant within it. Options in the expansive buffet spread, served from 6 am to 11 am, include international items, and there are both indoor and shaded outdoor seating areas.
6 Pyramids Road, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Relaxing atmosphere and pyramid panoramas
- Breakfast buffet with international choices like cured and smoked fish
- Attentive, efficient staff
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$$$$ | Islamic Cairo North |
On the rooftop terrace of Le Riad Hotel de Charme, Zeeyara serves modernized Egyptian dishes, including a remarkable assortment of hot and cold mezzes and soups and specialties such as boneless stuffed pigeon or lamb with rice, mixed nuts, peas, and cinnamon—a must-try even if you're not a fan of lamb. Desserts are also delicious, and the mocktails are worth a try.
114 al-Muizz St., Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Phenomenal views
- Sophisticated menu
- Cordial, well-trained staff
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Heliopolis |
Although the decor is pure Arabian, the cuisine is authentic Lebanese. Fresh bread makes a nice accompaniment to the delicious soups, stews, grilled meats, and hot or cold mezzes.
136 El-Orouba, El-Nozha, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Plenty of vegetarian options
- Exceptionally friendly service
- Bread baked in an open oven
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$$$$ | Mirage City |
Here, you can feast on Egyptian-style seafood, priced by weight and cooked to perfection, without having to visit the coast. The ordering process is streamlined: make your selection from the display, choose how you'd like it prepared (fried, baked, grilled, simmered in a clay tagine), head to a table, and wait for it to arrive. The butterfly shrimp and fish roe batarekh (tagine) with cream are both highly recommended. Prepare to get messy—most Egyptians eat their seafood by hand.
S. Teseen St., New Cairo, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Fresh fish brought in daily
- Creamy fish roe tagine
- Very busy at dinnertime
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$$$$ | |
Overlooking Qarun Lake, this restaurant in the Lazib Inn Resort & Spa has a cozy, eclectic lounge and serves Egyptian and international cuisine, all prepared with fresh-from-the-garden ingredients. Consider trying one of the Fayyumi dishes; the pigeon is especially noteworthy.
Youssef El Sedeeq Center, Tunis Village, Faiyum, Egypt
Known For
- Fresh and organic ingredients
- Local cuisine
- Scenic views
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | Mirage City |
Popular with locals and busy on weekends, this family-style restaurant specializes in Egyptian barbecue with the country's traditional staple dishes served on the side. The decor is a little kitschy, but the food is delicious, portions are generous, and the staff is friendly.
N Teseen St., New Cairo, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Aromatic, charcoal-grilled beef or lamb
- Perfectly baked okra tajine with beef cubes
- Gaudy black, gold, and red-velvet decor
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$$$$ | Zamalek |
Although it's not a fine-dining restaurant, the locally beloved Five Bells has been around for decades and blends a nostalgically proper feel with an easygoing, casual atmosphere. You can sit indoors, where there's a bar, but most people enjoy their Egyptian or international dishes outdoors, under a sizable tent with a central fountain that's surrounded by five bells. The doors open at noon, but it's busier at dinner, when reservations are a good idea.
13 Ismail Mohammed St., off Abu Al Feda St., Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
10-0113–2181-reservations
Known For
- Live piano music
- Remarkable assortment of mezze served with delicious crispy bread
- A great place to enjoy a glass of wine
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$$$$ | Old Cairo |
At this haty (grill room), you can order your tender, juicy meat selection with a chopped salad and a choice of dip (tahina, garlic paste, hummus, baba ganoush) for the side of fresh aish baladi (Egyptian flatbread). Abu Ashraf also serves muyyet salata (salad water), a vinegar shot that many Egyptians enjoy before a hearty meal to whet their appetites. You're sure to chuckle at the restaurant’s quirky and gaudy decor, with portraits of the owner on the wall and, most nights, the man himself behind the register.
Al Fostat St., first neighborhood, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Fresh ingredents
- Quirky decor
- Clean bathrooms
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$$$$ | Zamalek |
It’s hard to decide what's best here—the mouthwatering Egyptian food, the Nile views, the Khedive-style interior, or the excellent service. Indeed, La Tarbouche is one of the restaurants that Cairenes most often recommend to visitors.
Saray El Gezirah St., El-Khalig, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Fall-off-the-bone meat tagines
- Tranquil oud music
- Delicious Egyptian baked rice with pigeon
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Children under 10 not allowed after 8 pm
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$$$$ | |
The backdrop for the gourmet, Bedouin-inspired dishes at the restaurant in the Remal El Rayan eco-lodge are sand dunes and Qarun Lake. All together it makes for quite a remarkable experience.
Wadi El Rayyan Rd, Al Fayyum Desert, Faiyum, Egypt
Known For
- Rich, authentic dining experience
- Mandi-style beef, chicken, and duck with rice and spices
- Scenic views
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$$$$ | Zamalek |
If you, like many members of the expat community, find yourself craving a warm bowl of ramen or some fresh sushi, head to this small, casual restaurant. The Japanese chefs prefer using only authentic ingredients, some of which can be hard to come by in Cairo, so menu offerings tend to change.
21 Mohammed Mazhar St., Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Authentic ingredients and preparations
- Limited hours and seating
- One of the only places in Cairo that serves ramen
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Mirage City |
The sleek, Art Deco–style interior has beautiful mosaic floors and walls adorned with photographs of actors from the 1960s golden age of Egyptian cinema. The food is likewise classic Egyptian; the rice and pigeon tagine and the spicy potatoes with sausage are good bets.
N Teseen St., New Cairo, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Baladi bread freshly baked in a brick oven
- Crispy cheese and pastrami phyllo pastry sticks
- Indoor and outdoor seating
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$$$$ | Mirage City |
Although it offers delicious seafood, soups, salads, and pastas, Mo Bistro specializes in meat dishes. From juicy, tender flank steaks to slow-cooked beef shanks to bone marrow, everything is expertly seasoned and prepared. Reservations are a good idea on the weekends.
Salah El Din Abdel Karim St., New Cairo, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Flavor and quality in every bite
- Generous, shareable portions
- Complimentary basket of fresh bread served with delicious dips
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$$$$ | Garden City |
The ultra-contemporary and fashionable Italian restaurant at the Semiramis InterContinental puts a modern twist on traditional trattoria fare using authentic Italian ingredients. Signature dishes include crispy fried calamari and carpaccio with rocket salad and Parmesan cheese.
Corniche al-Nil, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Magnificent NIle views
- A fine yet relaxed setting
- Tempting cocktails and mocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Heliopolis |
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.
18 Baghdad St., El-Montaza, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Known For
- Stellar views of El-Korba
- Casual, intimate setting
- Italian salad bar on weekends
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