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A koshari and sesame taameya on an engraved brass tray.

Photo : Fred Cherrygarden — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Licence Wikimedia Commons

Cairo · Khan el-Khalili

Naguib Mahfouz Café

The air-conditioned stop in the heart of the souk, when the bazaar becomes too much for the legs.

€€ Mid-range

Woodwork, mashrabiyas and gloved service in the middle of Khan el-Khalili: it is a tourist address and makes no secret of it. It still has its use — a quiet tea, clean toilets and cool air halfway through a day in the souk, which is priceless around 3 pm in August.

The extra bit

Have tea or coffee only: the food menu costs two to three times what the neighbourhood houses charge.

Know before you go

The entrance is in an inner lane of the souk and poorly signposted: ask for "qahwet Naguib Mahfouz", everyone knows it.

Directions

Khan el-Khalili lane, near al-Hussein mosque, Cairo

Directions

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