Restaurants Near and Middle East cuisine Cairo

Located in a dark alleyway between Talaat Harb Street and Kasr El Nil, Estoril is the epitome of the cool, old school bar in the city centre. You don't really go to this place to eat good food, but to immerse yourself in a city and its people, the researchers, writers and artists, young and old, who build and deconstruct the history of this beautiful country. The place is very crowded, and often very smoky. The place offers a greater choice of alcohol. A little more expensive than elsewhere, but it's worth it.

A restaurant-bar in the heart of downtown, cut off from the hustle and bustle by an inner courtyard at the end of a small passageway of the same name. A meeting place for artists, journalists and business people. Good ventilation for non-smokers. In summer, its second air-conditioned room, with its red and black tones, offers a small island of coolness. Excellent Lebanese and Egyptian mezze dishes, ideal for aperitifs and light snacks. Bigger appetites will also find quality cuisine with meat specialties, stuffed pigeon and seafood.

Restaurant in the basement, all in finely carved woodwork where you feel like you are in a palace. Good Lebanese address in Cairo where the mezze round is intoxicating (the tray on the table turns so that no guest is harmed!). Don't hesitate to take the kebbah neyah, raw minced meat mixed with olive oil and garlic. Eggplant with pomegranate ('Romanesque' in Arabic) is divine. Sprinkle it with a little arak, and finish with a chicha. In the evenings and on weekends, it is best to book if you are more than two people.

In the heart of the capital, Naguib Mahfouz is an oasis amidst the chaos of the great souk of Khan El Khalili, which is always very lively and crowded. The place includes a café section, where drinks and shishas are served, and a restaurant section where classic oriental dishes are offered. The interiors are in keeping with the special flavour of Khan El Khalili, and the spirit of the writers who frequented this café can still be felt. The service is excellent and the choice of food and drinks is above average.

The restaurant belongs to Four Season's at Nile Plaza. It offers various Lebanese and Mediterranean specialties. But also salads, hummus, lamb cooked on wood fire, without forgetting desserts. Don't miss the " Seafood Thursdays " (every Thursday) where you can choose your fish or seafood like at the fishmonger's before cooking it as you wish. Good brunch on Friday as well. For those who are willing to pay the price, this is undoubtedly one of the best gourmet restaurants in Cairo.

The Bab-El Yemen restaurant is a popular address for Cairo's Yemeni community, where you don't have to eat greasy food. All specialties are served here, accompanied by freshly baked bread cakes. Specialties include al-Mandi, zurbian, foie, bint al-sahn and all the rest of Yemen's famous cuisine. Sweet tooths are not left out, with delicious desserts, Adeni tea and sweets offered at the end of the meal. An address that will delight all lovers of this cuisine!

An institution in Khan el-Khalili, where you can eat fettir, available in any accompaniment: meat, vegetables, cheese, but also chocolate, honey or sugar. The place is just a few meters from the al-Hussan mosque, at the entrance to Khan-al-Khalili. As a result, the restaurant quickly becomes overcrowded. But it's still the best place to have lunch when you finish visiting the Khan in the morning and want to cross Gohar al-Qaed to Islamic Cairo. We recommend it!

The setting has everything to please the guests, on the terrace of the Four Season's around the swimming pool and its play of light at nightfall. With a Lebanese influence, the menu features specialities from the Bekaa plain and Zahle, whose culinary heritage has been recognized by UNESCO. Pizza bread topped with zaatar, grilled halloumi, hawarma, fried meatballs: it's a festival of flavors that are served here, sometimes to the sound of live music. Courteous and efficient service as you would expect from a hotel of this standing.

A traditional Egyptian address where one is not disappointed by the authenticity of the dishes and even less by the more than generous proportions. Grilled or fried meats, stuffed vine leaves, vegetable tagines, tahini, mixed salads, rice cakes: you will find everything that makes a traditional Egyptian meal with, as a bonus, a direct view of the Sphinx and the pyramids through the bay windows. The place is clean, the prices interesting: only the service sometimes leaves something to be desired when the season is in full swing.