Photo : Marsupium — CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Alexandria · Saad Zaghloul
Délices
A Greek patisserie of the 1920s: you pick from the chilled cabinet, prices on the labels.
Délices is a Greek patisserie of 1920s Alexandria, on Saad Zaghloul Square a few doors from the Trianon. Most of it happens standing up at the chilled cabinet: cream cakes lined up in rows, each with its price label; you point at the one you want, then pay at the till. Alexandrians mainly carry boxes out of here, for a family visit or an occasion; the room behind the cabinet serves tea, coffee and ice cream. The decor is not the reason to come: for a period room left as it was, it is the Trianon you want, on the same square.
The extra bit
Ask for a small assorted box rather than a single slice: that is how the place is used, and you get four things to taste instead of one. Mid-afternoon is the quiet stretch, between the offices emptying and the evening orders.
Know before you go
It is a patisserie before it is a café: at busy hours the room comes second to the counter and the service keeps you waiting. The cakes are cream-filled and come straight out of the chiller; in real heat, don't leave them an hour in a bag before eating them. Bring cash, and exact change saves time at the till. Saad Zaghloul Square is noisy and hard to park on; the Raml tram has been lifted for rebuilding, with no reopening date the guide can vouch for, and you come on foot from the corniche.
