Cairo · Zamalek
Tree Lounge
You come up for Cairo seen from the top of the tower, not for the menu.
The lounge occupies the top of Cairo Tower, on Zamalek island: the Nile underneath you, the bridges, Downtown off to one side and, on a clear day, the pyramids ranged along the western horizon. The view is the entire point of the place: it is what you come up for, and nothing else. The rest — service, menu, what you pay for it — has been getting sharply divided reviews of late. And that 4.4 rests on 423 reviews: a flattering average on a thin sample.
The extra bit
Go up in the late afternoon and stay put: the city turns over twice, once at sunset and again when the lights come on. Keep the order simple — a tea, a coffee — and save your money for dinner back down in Zamalek.
Know before you go
We may as well say it: recent reviews of the service and the value are all over the place, and the address stays in this guide for the view, not for the food. The tower's entry ticket comes on top of whatever you order, so ask at the desk whether a drink is included — it makes a real difference to what you end up paying. Take cash for the ticket as well as for the table; a card reader is not a given up there. Come sunset there can be a queue for the lift: get up there before the crowd, or expect to wait.
