• A beef and potato stew served in its small casserole dish.

    Kazaz

    Grills and daily dishes in a Downtown room that never empties.

    CairoDowntown

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • The Giza pyramids standing above the city rooftops in the heat haze.

    Studio Misr

    A table with a direct view of the pyramids, tens of metres from the plateau.

    GizaGiza plateau

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • The edge of a great pyramid at Giza against a deep blue sky.

    9 Pyramids Lounge

    The only restaurant inside the site, with all nine pyramids in a row.

    GizaInside the Giza plateau

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • A milkshake in a tall glass, with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a pink straw.

    Lucille's

    Cairo's American burger since the 1990s, in a Maadi diner.

    CairoMaadi

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Three glasses of fruit juice — strawberry, orange, lime — on a wooden table.

    Farghaly

    Fresh juices, ice cream and fruit salads, in overflowing displays.

    AlexandriaAlexandria and Cairo

    BudgetBudget
  • 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
  • A cheeseburger and fries on a wooden board, with a small dish of ketchup.

    Mince

    The food-hall generation's burger, sourced and cooked to order.

    CairoZamalek, Maadi, New Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • 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 dish of large grilled prawns with lemon, garlic and tomatoes.

    Samakmak

    Our favourite

    Alexandria's fish table, run by a former singer who became a neighbourhood legend.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    €€€ High endWhere locals go
  • A restaurant terrace of laid tables, facing the sea.

    Zephyrion

    A Greek taverna from 1929 at the water's edge, on the Abu Qir point.

    AlexandriaAbu Qir, Alexandria

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Two whole grilled fish with lemon wedges on a metal plate.

    The Greek Club

    A terrace above Qaitbay fort, with the whole bay in front.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza on a wooden board, one slice pulled away.

    Chez Gaby

    An Alexandrian trattoria from the 1980s, checked tablecloths included.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • A large mixed grill platter — skewers, chops and chicken — with bread, salad and sauces.

    Balbaa Village

    Alexandrian grills in a big family room, open late.

    AlexandriaCairo road, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Grilled chicken pieces lined up on flatbread with charred pepper, tomato and onion.

    Hosny

    Neighbourhood kofta and kebab, served on a production line for decades.

    AlexandriaAlexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A mound of tabbouleh — parsley, tomato, onion and bulgur — on a white plate.

    Hassan Bleik

    Off the beaten track

    A Lebanese house in the centre, open at lunchtime only, as fifty years ago.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Whole red fish laid out on crushed ice.

    Fish Market

    Fish by weight with a panoramic view over the eastern bay.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Meat, pepper and onion skewers on a charcoal grill.

    Tikka Grill

    Grills and seafood facing the sea, steps from the Bibliotheca.

    AlexandriaCorniche, near the Bibliotheca

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Straw parasols and white loungers on a sandy beach facing the sea.

    Sea Gull

    Fish and grills on an Agami beach, far from the centre's crowds.

    AlexandriaAgami, west of Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • 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
  • A platter of butterflied grilled fish with prawns, calamari rings, rice and lemon slices.

    The tables of Sidi Abdel Rahman

    Fish in front of the clearest water on Egypt's Mediterranean.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSidi Abdel Rahman, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Sailboat masts silhouetted against an orange sky as the sun sets over a marina.

    The tables of Marina

    The north coast's marina and its summer terraces.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarina, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Whole fish laid out on ice

    Marsa Matruh's fish houses

    Western Mediterranean fish, sold by weight along the corniche.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarsa Matruh

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • 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