A Guide to the Best Restaurants in Cairo, Egypt
Downtown Cairo (also known as wust el balad by locals) is rich of history, hostels, stores, traffic, interesting stories, and legendary baladi dive bars, but one thing it isn’t known for is its eateries. Sure, there are all of the typical fast food franchises, but most people don’t travel to Downtown looking for a good restaurant; other areas, including as Zamalek, Maadi, Heliopolis, Sheikh Zayed, and New Cairo, are much more established eating destinations.
That is not to say that Downtown Cairo is a lost gastronomic cause! On the contrary. There are numerous little hole-in-the-walls and food carts selling a variety of tasty and authentic food (you should look into doing a food tour, more information here in our article on experiential gifts in Cairo).
Felfela
One of the most iconic Egyptian cuisine restaurants in Downtown Cairo since 1959, Felfela was known for years as a place to get fuul, taameya and other Egyptian classics while having a beer. It became a regular lunch spot with families on weekends and opened several other branches throughout the city.
It’s now a popular spot for tourists and nostalgic locals, and this dimly-lit and eclectically-decorated restaurant provides a window into the past through stories enthusiastically told by the waiters.
Om Dahab
If you love little hole-in-the-wall spots that only locals know about, then make sure to try Om Dahab, a little food cart with a makeshift kitchen in an almost hidden passageway. The spot itself is shabby and consists of a few plastic tables and chairs in the alleyway, but what makes this place so popular is Dahab, the heart, brain (and cook!) of the whole operation.
Dahab herself cooks each sandwich and plate, from 3 pm to 11 pm every day except for Friday. Her dishes are all simple, tasty, cheap, and prepared with love. She makes kofta, fried chicken and liver sandwiches, as well as larger plates: molokheya, stuffed vegetables, macaroni with liver, and grilled chicken.
El Ku5 (pronounced El Kukh)
If CaiRoma is all about Italian aesthetics, then El Ku5 is a million percent about the vintage, nostalgic, kitschy Egyptian aesthetic. Every spot in this beautifully decorated restaurant is a mini homage to Egyptian folklore and tradition across the country, as well as Egyptian pop culture of yesteryear. They have various seating areas, and even a gorgeous balcony overlooking Downtown Cairo’s la belle epoque architecture. Every detail is given an immense amount of thought and meaning, including the music.
Their menu is immense, with all the Egyptian favorites you would expect as well as a good amount of international dishes. They also serve breakfast and morning is the best time to visit El Ku5, with the sun streaming in from the balcony and open windows (they open at 10:30 am). A word to the wise though: this place is almost always full!
Fasahet Somaya
This place has been a local hidden gem for over ten years now. It’s a little restaurant run by an Egyptian woman named Somaya, who serves up some of the best homemade Egyptian food you can have in Cairo (unless you’re eating at someone’s grandmother’s house).
The twist about Fasahet Somaya though is that it’s only open from 5 pm – 7 pm, it’s first come first serve and there’s no menu. Every day Somaya decides what dishes she’ll make, and that’s what will be served (she posts the daily menu on her FB page in Arabic). Closed on Saturdays.
CaiRoma
This is the place to head to in Downtown if you’re looking for ambience and Insta vibes. As the name suggests, CaiRoma attempts to recreate the little outdoor restaurants of Rome in an alley of Downtown Cairo, and they succeed aesthetically. Their menu is made up of a wide selection of pastas, pizza, risotto and gnocchi, and while in our humble opinion the food is not totally comparable to Rome’s, the overall experience makes up for it. They’re open daily from 3 pm to midnight.
