• Golden croissants and a chocolate pastry crowded together on a tray.

    The Bakery Shop

    The chain bakery that put fiteer and croissants on the same counter.

    CairoAll across Cairo

    BudgetBest in the morning
  • Smoothed hummus, a thread of oil and whole chickpeas

    Cairo's Syrian tables

    Our favourite

    Shawarma, fatteh and Damascene sweets: the cooking Syria brought to Egypt.

    Cairo6th of October, Nasr City, Hadayek el-Ahram

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A hand holding an ice cream cone with a pink scoop and a cream scoop, out in the street.

    Alexandria's ice cream houses

    Buffalo-milk and mastic ice cream, a Greek tradition that stayed Alexandrian.

    AlexandriaCorniche and city centre

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • Dough worked by hand, rolling pin and flour

    Alexandria's baladi fiteer

    The Egyptian layered pastry, sweet or savoury, stretched by hand in front of you.

    AlexandriaWorking-class districts, Alexandria

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A flatbread stuffed with minced meat, oven-browned and cut into wedges on a plate.

    Alexandria's hawawshi

    Baladi bread stuffed with spiced minced meat, oven-baked until crisp.

    AlexandriaBahary and working-class districts

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A shawarma spit turning in front of the grill

    Hurghada's shawarma counters

    Hurghada's late-night meal, three streets from the marina restaurants.

    HurghadaSekalla, Hurghada

    BudgetBudget
  • Grilled chicken pieces on flatbread, with parsley and grilled tomatoes.

    Aisha

    Egyptian home cooking, served on a street terrace near the souk.

    LuxorEast bank, Luxor

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Green fields and palm trees at the foot of the desert cliffs of the west bank.

    The tables of the west bank

    Terraces in the middle of the fields, between the Colossi and the Valley of the Kings.

    LuxorWest bank, Luxor

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A table laid with stews, rice, hummus and flatbreads.

    Aswan's Nubian kitchens

    Mild tagines, spiced rice and flatbreads, served in the village houses.

    AswanWest bank and islands, Aswan

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A foil tray of pasta, rice and chickpeas, topped with tomato sauce ladled over it.

    The tables of Edfu

    Off the beaten track

    Grills and koshari in a town the cruises pass through without stopping.

    AswanEdfu

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A whole roast chicken, golden and glistening, on a wooden board with a sprig of parsley.

    The tables of Bahariya

    Chicken, rice and stewed vegetables, served before or after the desert.

    The oases and the Western DesertBawiti, Bahariya Oasis

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A vaulted hall, long tables and benches on the carpets

    The tables of Dakhla

    Off the beaten track

    Oasis bread, dates and the Western Desert's stews.

    The oases and the Western DesertMut and Al-Qasr, Dakhla Oasis

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Red kilim benches lined up under an awning

    The tables of Siwa

    Dates, olives, garden vegetables: oasis cooking, largely vegetarian.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A platter of liver sandwiches in flatbread, with green chillies and lemon halves.

    El Refai

    Sayeda Zeinab's liver and sausage, served from the pan until late.

    CairoSayeda Zeinab

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Sesame-crusted loaves baking on the stone floor of a masonry oven.

    Cairo's hawawshi

    Spiced minced meat sealed in bread and put to the wood oven.

    CairoWorking-class districts, Cairo

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A ball of dough in floured hands

    Cairo's fiteer bakers

    The hand-stretched layered pastry, sweet or savoury, baked in four minutes.

    CairoAll over Cairo

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Chickens lined up on the spits of a rotisserie

    Cairo's rotisseries

    Charcoal-grilled chicken, sold whole with bread, tahini and salads.

    CairoAll over Cairo

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A thick green soup in a bowl, topped with a few golden croutons.

    Where to eat molokheya

    The national green soup, finely chopped and finished with fried garlic.

    CairoCairo

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A pastry salon with a carved ceiling and chandeliers

    Cairo's oriental pastry shops

    Konafa, basbousa, om ali: Egyptian sweets sold by weight, all night.

    CairoAll over Cairo

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • A flatbread sandwich filled with falafel balls, tomato and raw vegetables.

    Cairo's street sandwiches

    Our favourite

    Taameya, foul, potato and aubergine in baladi bread, for almost nothing.

    CairoAll over Cairo

    BudgetVegan options
  • A platter of fried fish, rice and small salads

    The corniche tables of Mansoura

    Nile fish and grills facing the river, in a student town.

    The Delta and the north coastMansoura

    BudgetNile view
  • A whole fish with lemon, served on a platter

    Rosetta's fish

    Off the beaten track

    At the Nile's mouth, river and sea fish on the same table.

    The Delta and the north coastRosetta (Rashid)

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • White fishing boats along the quay

    The eateries of Lake Burullus

    Off the beaten track

    Lagoon fish cooked by the people who just caught it.

    The Delta and the north coastBurullus, Kafr el-Sheikh

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Skewers over the coals, in the smoke

    Tanta's grills

    Kebab, kofta and pigeon in the Delta's liveliest town.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta

    BudgetWhere locals go