Hello Dear Reader,
Welcome back to the blog! I have literally been meaning to write about this for forever and a day, but life has been PRETTY crazy for Karim and I lately, and I didn’t have the mental capacity to write! Haha! Have you ever experienced that? Writer’s block? Do you like writing? I sure do, I find it therapeutic, it’s a wonder I don’t do it more often!
There is a certain fear when coming to Egypt of getting food poisoning, and it’s a completely legitimate fear! I have been sick more times than one can count, and every few months I would go to the hospital for my beloved IV drip that would quickly, and fiercely inject medicine into my veins to fight off whatever evil bacteria I had eaten. And PLEASE don’t drink anything, but filtered or bottled water. You can brush your teeth with tap water, but that’s it. I also would not recommend eating raw vegetables or greens unless it’s from one of the places I mention here, unless you’re really adventurous. Seriously, if you get sick while you’re there, don’t try to tough it out, just go to the hospital and get the IV drip so you can get the most out of your trip! It’s not worth spending 2 or 3 days holed up in bed while the sun is shining outside! There are a few places I would count on though that I never got sick!
Everyone always asks me where to eat in Cairo, and places to see, and I can say these really are some of my favorite places to eat. Outside of Cairo, and Alexandria, it’s very hard to find a really nice restaurant, they are far and few between. Karim and I are very international at heart, and absolutely adore trying food from all over the world so I tried to include a variety of international cuisines.
IF YOU WANT EGYPTIAN FOOD…
I HIGHLY recommend Zooba! This restaurant is very colorful, affordable, and makes everything with fresh ingredients. Ketchup-lovers beware, they don’t even carry Ketchup because it has preservatives. Their food is completely Egyptian, and AMAZING. They carry the kinds of things Egyptians really eat, it’s freshly made, BUT they are VERY clean there, so foreigner stomach friendly 🙂 The one in the Grand Egyptian Museum is beautiful, and there’s one in Maadi, and one in City Stars Mall. I would usually get the same thing, a spicy falafel pita with pickled eggplant (Taameya bil bitingan). YUM, and also try their House fries, they are TO DIE FOR! Also they have the tastiest, freshest Koshari I EVER had in Cairo. Koshari is a carb hear-attack consisting of pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, with a garlic and tomato sauce that will have you reeking of happiness all day long topped with fried onions. Just remember you heard it from me first, okay?
Hosny (Sit down restaurant)
There’s also a lot of grilled food in Egyptian cuisine so this one is for meat-lovers. They have various branches all over Cairo, and it’s THE place to get kofta, kebab, steak, grilled chicken. They also have delicacies like stuffed pigeon (I’m not a fan, but if you like duck you’d probably like it, Karim would always order it, and I would eat the delicious stuffing inside that had a grain called freekah with nuts and raisins).They also have quail, bread for days, and an Egyptian soup called Molokhreya that is very local.
If YOU WANT LEBANESE FOOD……
Caracas (Sit down and outdoor)
There are so many good Lebanese restaurants in Cairo, but I really loved Caracas, particularly the branch in Maadi because they have very aesthetic outdoor seating. Their food is so delicious, and fresh, you could just spend hours dining there. They have all the traditional Lebanese dips like Hummus, and Mahamarra (a heavenly dip of roasted peppers, and walnuts, INCREDIBLE) and all kinds of yummy salads. Also I should mention that my favorite drink that I would usually get at all these restaurants is the Lemon-mint drink, very fresh.
IF YOU WANT TURKISH FOOD…
Nishantesi/Bosporus
You really can’t go wrong with either of these, they are the two main restaurants for Turkish food in Cairo, and the service, presentation, aesthetic, and food is wonderful! Turkish food has many similar KINDS of foods to Egypt, but with a completely different PALETTE. They use different spices, and we always loved going there. You MUST try the “Bosporus Icli Kofte”. I don’t even know how to describe how delicious these are. It’s a fried dough ball filled with spiced meat, raisins, and pistachios. So filling, so comforting, my favorite! For dessert, I would highly recommend getting a warm slice of baklava with vanilla ice cream on top. Heavenly!
IF YOU WANT KOREAN FOOD…
Gaya is so authentic, and it’s located in the Maadi area of Cairo, perfect before going on a Nile boat ride, as it’s not far away. Gaya usually has many Koreans even eating there, AND they sell beer which is RARE in Cairo. We loved the hot pot, and bibimbap there, the kimchi fried rice was also amazing!
IF YOU WANT CHINESE FOOD…
Joy Luck has really authentic Chinese food, and is extremely affordable. It’s not so pretty on the inside, and plain, but the food is worth it! All the food has incredible flavors, and we would usually get a few plates, and go tapas style sharing all together. We loved the green beans with salt, garlic and chili, and would usually get rice with some other meat dish!
IF YOU WANT A BIG, FAT SALAD AND NOT GET SICK…
Crave is your go to! I LOOOOOOOOVE any and all Crave salads! You get the highest quality and bang for your buck AND you won’t get sick! I ate there almost every month, and it’s incredible. My favorite with an Egyptian twist is the Chicken Dukkha salad, and the stuffed mushrooms are delicious!
IF YOU WANT DELICIOUS, HUGE SUSHI ROLLS
Garnell in Almaza near Tivoli Dome is your go to! Incredible sushi and the best price for it! A wonderful place to order sushi as a group, and unbelievable flavors too! I’m drooling as I type…….
IF YOU WANT FRENCH FOOD, AND OR A SANDWICH AND SOUP…
Paul is another favorite of mine! The food is high quality, and you can get lunch or dessert and coffee. Amazing pastries and croissants and great atmosphere, especially the one in an area called Korba. There’s huge indoor seating with spacious light that is perfect for spending a morning in as well as exploring the area afterwards.
Cairo has truly so many amazing food experiences, and so many international kinds of food. I am confident from this list that you can find something you like. We have taken many friends to these places, and they did not disappoint! What’s your favorite kind of food to eat? Do you like to keep it simple, or are you adventurous enough to try camel? Yes, some people eat camel! Anyways hope you enjoyed my little foodies dream blog.
Ta ta for now!
Gamila
