• 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
  • Whole fish grilled over charcoal, held in a grilling basket.

    Lake Timsah fish

    Bass, mullet and prawns from the lake, served beside the Suez Canal.

    The Delta and the north coastIsmailia

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Trawlers moored at dusk

    Suez's fish tables

    Off the beaten track

    Red Sea fish at its northern entrance, far from the resorts.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Tewfik, Suez

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A platter of fried seafood: whole prawns, squid and a lemon wedge.

    The tables of Ras el-Bar

    Fish and prawns at the point where the Nile meets the sea.

    The Delta and the north coastRas el-Bar, Damietta

    €€ Mid-rangeSea 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
  • Half a roast chicken served with spiced rice on a white plate.

    The tables of Zagazig

    Off the beaten track

    The farming Delta's cooking: poultry, rice, cheeses and vegetables of the day.

    The Delta and the north coastZagazig, Sharqia

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Rugs on the ground, copper coffee pots and small cups

    The Bedouin tables of Saint Catherine

    Bread baked under the sand, wood-fire tea and mountain stew.

    SinaiSaint Catherine, South Sinai

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • The tables of Nuweiba

    Grilled fish and Bedouin salads on mats, facing Arabia.

    SinaiNuweiba, South Sinai

    BudgetSea view
  • Two whole grilled fish on a pewter dish, with lemon wedges.

    The tables of Marsa Alam

    Few addresses, plenty of fish: the southern Red Sea's table.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A whole fish grilling over charcoal embers.

    The tables of Quseir

    Off the beaten track

    Fish from a real port, served on a seafront with no resort.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaQuseir

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • Two hands cut into a tomato-topped toast beside a glass of beer on a dark table.

    Amphitryon

    A Greek brasserie in Heliopolis, open since between the wars.

    CairoHeliopolis

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • Fresh okra sliced into rounds, in close-up.

    Cairo's Sudanese tables

    Off the beaten track

    Sudanese ful, agashe and kisra: a neighbouring cuisine, and yet unknown.

    CairoArba' wa Nus, Faisal, Nasr City

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A piece of lamb slow-cooked with potatoes, carrots and onions in a white dish.

    Upper Egyptian cooking in Cairo

    Clay tagines, oven meat and sorghum bread, brought from Upper Egypt.

    CairoBoulaq, Imbaba, Sayeda Zeinab

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A cane press, painted rollers and stalks at the ready

    The sugarcane juice stalls

    Cane pressed in front of you, for the price of a coin.

    CairoAll over Cairo

    BudgetVegan options
  • A large platter of yellow rice topped with kofta skewers, chicken and grilled meats, ringed with small bowls of sauces.

    The tables of Nasr City

    The district where you eat at any hour: grills, Yemeni, Syrian, fast food.

    CairoNasr City

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • The tables of Tagamoa

    Cairo's contemporary dining, concentrated in the city's east.

    CairoNew Cairo / Tagamoa

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • An open-air wooden terrace in the evening, under a curtain of fairy lights and foliage.

    The tables of Sheikh Zayed

    Greater Cairo's west and its open-air restaurant galleries.

    Sheikh Zayed & 6th OctoberSheikh Zayed and 6th of October

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • Two bowls of dates and prayer beads, set side by side

    Ramadan iftar tables

    Our favourite

    A month when the city eats at the same minute, and the streets become dining rooms.

    CairoAll over Cairo

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go