Food · Cairo · Egypt
What to eat in Cairo
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Cairo, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Wael El Sisi, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Quick answer
Start with Koshari, Ful medames and Ta'ameya. Order a bowl at a busy koshari shop, add the vinegar and chilli sauces to taste and eat at shared tables alongside office workers. Restaurant bills often include a service charge and VAT; check the bill before tipping extra.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Koshari
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 8
- Tipping
- Restaurants often add a service charge, but leaving another 5–10% for the waiter is…
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Street food · Vegetarian
1.Koshari
Egypt's national comfort food layers rice, brown lentils, macaroni and chickpeas under a spiced tomato sauce, topped with crispy fried onions, a garlicky vinegar dressing (da'a) and chilli sauce.
Where: Koshari restaurants across the city; Abou Tarek on Champollion Street Downtown is the best known.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
2.Ful medames
Fava beans stewed slowly overnight, mashed with oil, cumin and lemon and eaten with baladi flatbread; the default Cairo breakfast.
Where: Street carts and ful shops in every neighbourhood, busiest early in the morning.
Street food · Vegetarian
3.Ta'ameya
Egyptian falafel made with fava beans rather than chickpeas, which makes it green and herby inside; usually stuffed into baladi bread with salad and tahini.
Where: Ful and ta'ameya shops and breakfast carts all over the city.
Dish
4.Molokhia
A garlicky green stew of finely chopped jute leaves finished with fried garlic and coriander, served with rice or bread and often with chicken or rabbit.
Where: Traditional Egyptian restaurants Downtown and in Zamalek, and home-style eateries.
Dish
5.Stuffed pigeon (Hamam mahshi)
Small pigeons stuffed with spiced freekeh (green wheat) or rice, then roasted or grilled until crisp; a Cairo favourite for special occasions.
Where: Egyptian grill houses and traditional restaurants.
Bakery · Vegetarian
6.Feteer meshaltet
Flaky, buttery layered pastry baked in a hot oven, eaten sweet with honey, cream or sugar, or savoury with cheese and meat.
Where: Feteer shops (fatatri) across the city, many open late.
Street food
7.Hawawshi
Baladi bread stuffed with minced meat spiced with onion, pepper and chilli, then baked until the bread is crisp.
Where: Street-food shops Downtown and in local neighbourhoods.
Dish
8.Fattah
Layers of crisp bread and rice soaked in a garlic-vinegar tomato sauce and topped with tender lamb or beef; traditionally served at Eid.
Where: Traditional Egyptian restaurants and kebab houses.
Dessert · Vegetarian
9.Om Ali
A warm pudding of pastry baked in sweetened milk with nuts, raisins and coconut, Egypt's best-known dessert.
Where: Egyptian restaurants and dessert shops across the city.
Dessert · Vegetarian
10.Basbousa and konafa
Basbousa is a syrup-soaked semolina cake; konafa layers shredded pastry with nuts or cream. Both are especially popular during Ramadan.
Where: Sweet shops in every neighbourhood, where queues form before sunset during Ramadan.
Drink · Vegetarian
11.Sugarcane juice (Asab)
Fresh sugarcane crushed to order into a pale green, frothy juice, an inexpensive and refreshing drink on a hot day.
Where: Juice shops with stalks of sugarcane stacked by the door, on most busy streets.
Drink · Vegetarian
12.Karkadeh and coffeehouse tea
Karkadeh is a deep-red hibiscus infusion served hot or iced, while the ahwa, Cairo's street coffeehouse, serves sweet black tea, Turkish-style coffee and shisha to customers playing backgammon and dominoes.
Where: Coffeehouses on almost every street, with well-known old ones around Khan el-Khalili and Downtown.
Food experiences
Koshari lunch Downtown
Order a bowl at a busy koshari shop, add the vinegar and chilli sauces to taste and eat at shared tables alongside office workers.
Evening in an ahwa
Sit at a pavement coffeehouse with tea, shisha and a backgammon board; the cafés around Khan el-Khalili and Downtown stay busy late into the night.
Ramadan iftar
During Ramadan the city breaks its fast together at sunset; restaurants serve set iftar menus, and the streets fill with crowds until late.
Nile dinner cruise
Dinner cruises sail from the Corniche with buffets, live music and dance or tanoura shows; choose a reputable operator with recent reviews.
Quick bites and street food
- Koshari — Koshari restaurants across the city; Abou Tarek on Champollion Street Downtown is the best known.
- Ful medames — Street carts and ful shops in every neighbourhood, busiest early in the morning.
- Ta'ameya — Ful and ta'ameya shops and breakfast carts all over the city.
- Feteer meshaltet — Feteer shops (fatatri) across the city, many open late.
- Hawawshi — Street-food shops Downtown and in local neighbourhoods.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 8 are usually vegetarian: Koshari, Ful medames, Ta'ameya, Feteer meshaltet, Om Ali, Basbousa and konafa, Sugarcane juice and Karkadeh and coffeehouse tea. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Restaurant bills often include a service charge and VAT; check the bill before tipping extra.
- Alcohol is served in hotels, some restaurants and licensed bars, mainly in Zamalek, Downtown and Garden City.
- Drink bottled water, choose freshly cooked food and peel fruit, especially in your first days.
- Lunch is often eaten mid-afternoon and dinner late, from about 9pm.
- During Ramadan many restaurants close by day and reopen for iftar at sunset; hotel restaurants usually stay open.
Tipping
Restaurants often add a service charge, but leaving another 5–10% for the waiter is customary. Small tips are expected by guards who open a tomb or show you a view, toilet attendants, porters and drivers; guides usually expect a larger tip at the end of a tour.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Salam alaikum | Hello (peace be upon you) |
| Shukran | Thank you |
| La, shukran | No, thank you |
| Bikam? | How much? |
| Min fadlak / min fadlik | Please (to a man / to a woman) |
| Yalla | Let's go / come on |
| Ma'a salama | Goodbye |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Cairo famous for?
Koshari, Ful medames, Ta'ameya and Molokhia. Egypt's national comfort food layers rice, brown lentils, macaroni and chickpeas under a spiced tomato sauce, topped with crispy fried onions, a garlicky vinegar dressing (da'a) and chilli sauce.
+Is Cairo good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Koshari, Ful medames and Ta'ameya.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Cairo?
Restaurants often add a service charge, but leaving another 5–10% for the waiter is customary. Small tips are expected by guards who open a tomb or show you a view, toilet attendants, porters and drivers; guides usually expect a larger tip at the end of a tour.