Cairo · El-Manial
Tajoury Oriental
El-Manial's oriental table, on Roda Island, known to its neighbourhood long before any guidebook.
Mezze, grills, slow-cooked stews: the kitchen ranges wide, from Levantine dishes to the Egyptian table. El-Manial sits at the northern end of Roda Island, between two branches of the Nile, and Abdulaziz Al Saud is one of its main streets — dense, thoroughly lived-in, putting on no show at all. This is a neighbourhood house rather than a brochure address. The Manial Palace and its museum are in the same quarter, and pair well with lunch.
The extra bit
Get dropped at the top of the street and walk the rest: the island's streets are narrow and finding a space is a matter of luck. If there are more than four of you, ring before coming.
Know before you go
The Old Cairo of the guidebooks — the Coptic Museum, the Amr mosque — lies further south and is not walkable from here; you will need a taxi. Come with enough cash to settle the bill, as nothing says the card will go through. The name is transcribed several ways in Latin script: search for "Tajoury" and confirm the address before ordering a car.
