• The ahwas of Sayeda Zeinab

    The popular cafés around the mosque, where Cairo gathers after evening prayer.

    CairoSayeda Zeinab

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • 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
  • Rows of puff-pastry cream horns.

    Tseppas

    A patisserie of Greek origin, in Cairo since the beginning of the last century.

    CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • The Nile at dusk, the Cairo Tower and a lit-up boat

    The cafés of the Giza corniche

    Plastic chairs facing the river, a tea, and the best view-for-money in Greater Cairo.

    GizaNile corniche, Giza

    BudgetNile view
  • Unfired clay pots drying on a workshop bench.

    The cafés of Tunis village

    Terraces above Lake Qarun, in the potters' village.

    FayoumTunis village, Lake Qarun

    BudgetBest in the morning
  • Roasted coffee beans spilling out of a burlap sack.

    Sofianopoulo Coffee Store

    A Greek roaster in Alexandria where you drink your coffee standing, in front of the sacks of beans.

    AlexandriaAttarine, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • A shot of espresso runs from the machine into a small white cup at the counter.

    Brazilian Coffee Store

    A 1929 counter where coffee is drunk standing, in three minutes, as in Naples.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • 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
  • Tables and chairs on a deck, right at the water

    The Corniche cafés

    Tea facing the Mediterranean, on chairs set between pavement and sea wall.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    BudgetSea view
  • 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
  • A steaming glass of black tea on its saucer, backlit.

    The Winter Palace terrace

    Tea on the 1907 terrace above the Nile, between the palms and the west bank.

    LuxorEast bank, Luxor

    €€€ High endHistoric venue
  • A white-sailed felucca on the Nile, in front of granite rocks and a tall sand dune.

    The Old Cataract terrace

    Egypt's most famous tea, facing the white sails and the rocks of the first cataract.

    AswanCorniche, Aswan

    €€€ High endHistoric venue
  • An alley lit by lanterns, tables set out for the evening

    The cafés of Luxor souk

    Ahwas between the stalls, where the traders themselves go for tea.

    LuxorEast bank, Luxor

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • The cafés of the Aswan corniche

    Tea beside the calmest stretch of the Nile in Egypt, with feluccas gliding past.

    AswanCorniche, Aswan

    BudgetNile view
  • Cushions and low benches under hanging fabrics

    The cafés of Assalah

    Our favourite

    Cushions set at the water's edge, where a whole day passes without you noticing.

    SinaiAssalah, Dahab

    BudgetSea view
  • The cafés of Abu Tig Marina

    El Gouna's marina and its promenade of terraces, from morning coffee to the last drink.

    HurghadaEl Gouna

    €€€ High endSea view
  • The cafés of the Old Market

    Sharm's old quarter: bazaars, ahwas and grills, far from the Naama Bay hotels.

    Sharm el-SheikhSharm el-Sheikh

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • The cafés of Siwa square

    Morning tea under the palms, at the foot of the Shali fortress.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • The cafés of Bawiti

    The compulsory stop before the White Desert: tea, fuel and last supplies.

    The oases and the Western DesertBawiti, Bahariya Oasis

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A steaming glass of hot tea standing on a wooden table.

    The cafés of Mut

    Evening in Dakhla: a few tables on the square, tea, and a silence the city never has.

    The oases and the Western DesertMut, Dakhla Oasis

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A glass of mango and peach juice with mint, on a wooden terrace table.

    The corniche cafés of Marsa Matruh

    A mango juice facing the most turquoise lagoon on the north coast.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarsa Matruh

    BudgetSea view
  • A sheltered table, alone in the desert

    The rest stops of Wadi Natrun

    The roadside cafés between Cairo and Alexandria, an institution of Egyptian travel.

    The Delta and the north coastWadi Natrun

    BudgetBudget
  • Sequoia

    A vast terrace at the tip of the island, where shisha is smoked with your feet above the Nile.

    CairoNorthern tip of Zamalek

    €€€ High endNile view
  • A row of chrome beer taps on a pub counter in the evening.

    The Tap

    The Cairo pub where matches are watched, with a beer list that is wide for the country.

    CairoMaadi and other districts

    €€€ High endAlcohol served