• Senzo Mall

    The city's big mall: international brands, supermarket and food court.

    HurghadaAirport road, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Clothes on wooden hangers, lined up on a rail.

    Hurghada City Center

    The seafront mall, next to the Hilton — smaller than Senzo, but on the Corniche.

    HurghadaCorniche, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Gold and silver chains hanging, each with its price tag.

    Narmer Megastore

    Souvenirs, jewellery and watches at marked prices — and nobody following you down the aisles.

    HurghadaHurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade
  • Pierced-metal lanterns with coloured glass, lit up.

    Cleopatra Bazar — Mamsha

    A fixed-price bazaar on the Mamsha promenade, where you can walk in without being grabbed.

    HurghadaMamsha, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade
  • Two beef tacos topped with avocado, red onion and lime, on a white dish.

    La Cantina

    Steaks, tacos, live music and the fire show — the liveliest table on the quay.

    HurghadaMarina, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • The ochre facades of Hurghada Marina and the sailboat masts, mirrored in the calm morning water.

    Cheguevara

    Flambé steaks and a view of the harbour masts — a safe bet on the quay.

    HurghadaMarina, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Two whole sardines and two lemon wedges, in a metal dish.

    Grill & Chill

    Fresh grilled fish at the fairest price on the marina.

    HurghadaMarina, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A brick oven, flames at the back and dough puffing up on the hearth.

    Solo Restaurant

    Wood-fired pizzas and steaks, in a pleasant setting with no showing off.

    HurghadaHurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • A grilled beef steak, sliced, with herb butter.

    Luca's Pub & Grub

    A pub that serves proper cuts of meat, including a tomahawk for two.

    HurghadaMarina, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • A wooden deck built out over the water, tables set facing the sunset.

    Caribbean Bar — Bella Vista

    A bar with its feet in the water, built for the exact hour of sunset.

    HurghadaBella Vista, Hurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Milk poured into a cappuccino, drawing a leaf in the foam.

    Caffeine Specialty Coffee

    Properly extracted specialty coffee — the one address in town that takes the subject seriously.

    HurghadaHurghada

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • A koshari and sesame taameya on an engraved brass tray.

    Naguib Mahfouz Café

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

    CairoKhan el-Khalili

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • A bookshop aisle between two wooden shelves packed with books.

    Sufi — bookshop and café

    A neighbourhood bookshop with a few tables, where you stay longer than planned.

    CairoZamalek

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • Cilantro

    The Egyptian café chain you find everywhere, and that always does the job.

    CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • Chocolate-chip cookies stacked on a wooden board.

    Beano's

    The other long-standing Cairo chain, for late breakfasts and informal meetings.

    CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • A pour-over coffee being brewed: glass carafe, scale and grinder.

    Espresso Lab

    Our favourite

    Egyptian specialty coffee, roasted in-house and served by baristas who explain.

    CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • Glazed doughnuts drizzled with chocolate, piled on a tray.

    La Poire

    The neighbourhood patisserie where Cairo families buy the Friday cake.

    CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • A cappuccino on a wooden table, next to an open book.

    Kotob Khan

    An independent bookshop and publisher, with a café where people work all afternoon.

    CairoMaadi

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning
  • A wall of shelves filled with books, standing row upon row.

    Diwan

    The bookshop that reopened Cairo's appetite for reading, with a café corner at the back.

    CairoZamalek

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Chocolate- and cream-frosted cupcakes on tiered display stands.

    Nola

    The cakes and cupcakes Cairenes bring when they are invited somewhere.

    CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Athineos

    A Belle Époque room facing the sea, with a view of the bay and of a century of Alexandria.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • An empty cafe room: a leather banquette, round tables and wooden chairs.

    Coffee Roastery

    A comfortable café overlooking Stanley bay, to work or to linger.

    AlexandriaStanley, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • The cafés of Korba

    Heliopolis's neo-Moorish arcades, their terraces and their patisseries.

    CairoHeliopolis

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • Three kofta skewers on flatbread with grilled vegetables, tomato salad and a red sauce.

    Taboula

    Levantine mezze in a vaulted cellar, close to the Corniche.

    CairoGarden City

    €€ Mid-rangeVegan options