Best Restaurants in Cairo 2026
Cairo's food culture spans ancient traditions to contemporary Middle Eastern fine dining. Here are the best restaurants in Cairo for 2026.
Best Egyptian Street Food
Egyptian street food is the foundation of Cairo's food culture. Koshari is Egypt's national dish: a uniquely Egyptian combination of rice, macaroni, lentils, chickpeas, fried onions, and spiced tomato sauce, assembled in layers and sold from dedicated koshari restaurants at EGP 20-50. Abu Tarek on Maarouf Street in Downtown Cairo is the most famous koshari restaurant in Egypt — a multi-storey operation that has been serving koshari since 1950. Kofta (spiced minced meat grilled on skewers) and hawawshi (spiced minced meat in baladi bread, baked in a wood-fired oven) are the essential Cairo street meat dishes. Felfela restaurant on Hoda Shaarawy Street (Downtown) is Cairo's most beloved traditional Egyptian restaurant for full meals.
Best Nile View Restaurants
Dining with Nile River views is a quintessential Cairo experience. Sequoia in Zamalek (on the northern tip of Zamalek Island in the Nile) is Cairo's most celebrated outdoor restaurant — a Lebanese-Egyptian menu in a spectacular open-air setting with 270-degree Nile views; the mezze selection and grilled fish are excellent. Kalimat on the Corniche el-Nil in Maadi is a well-regarded Egyptian restaurant with excellent Nile views and a more local (less tourist-oriented) clientele than the Zamalek options. The Four Seasons at Nile Plaza (Garden City) operates a highly regarded riverfront terrace restaurant.
Best Mezze and Levantine Dining
Cairo has a strong Lebanese and Levantine restaurant culture, largely established by the large Lebanese-Egyptian community. Taboula in Garden City is Cairo's most respected Lebanese restaurant — excellent kibbeh, fattoush, and grilled lamb. Naguib Mahfouz Cafe in Khan el-Khalili (the famous bazaar) serves traditional Egyptian food in an atmospheric old-city setting popular with both tourists and Cairenes; the foul medames (slow-cooked fava beans with olive oil and lemon) and ful mudammas are excellent.
Practical Dining Tips for Cairo
Cairo food prices are very affordable by Australian standards: a full koshari meal costs EGP 30-50 (AUD 1-2); a full mezze dinner for two at a good Lebanese restaurant in Zamalek costs EGP 600-1,200 (AUD 25-50). Ramadan dining in Cairo is extraordinary — the streets fill with iftar tables at sunset and the food culture intensifies dramatically; January-March and October-November are ideal visiting months for food tourism. Tap water is not safe to drink; bottled water is cheap and universally available. Tipping (baksheesh) of 10-15% is expected at sit-down restaurants.
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