Food · Egypt
What to eat in Egypt
Egypt's food, destination by destination.
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. 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.
Key facts
- Dishes in this guide
- 11
- Destinations
- 4
Dishes to try in Egypt
Try in Cairo · Vegetarian
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.
Try in Cairo · Vegetarian
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.
Try in Cairo · Vegetarian
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.
Try in Luxor · Vegetarian
Aish shamsi
Upper Egypt's 'sun bread', a thick, round sourdough left to rise in the sun before baking. It is the traditional bread of Luxor and the villages around it.
Where: West Bank villages and local bakeries; some guesthouses serve it at breakfast.
Try in Luxor
Hamam mahshi
Pigeon stuffed with spiced rice or freekeh and roasted or grilled; a traditional Egyptian dish for a special meal.
Where: Egyptian restaurants on both banks; sometimes needs ordering in advance.
Try in Luxor
Tagen
Meat or vegetables slow-cooked with tomato and spices in a clay pot; in Luxor, West Bank restaurants often serve lamb or okra tagens.
Where: Family restaurants and guesthouses on the West Bank.
Try in Sharm El Sheikh
Grilled Red Sea fish
Fresh fish such as grouper, sea bream or red snapper, chosen from a display, weighed and grilled or fried, served with rice, salads, tahini and bread.
Where: Fish restaurants in the Old Market, where you pick the fish and pay by weight.
Try in Sharm El Sheikh
Sayadeya
A fisherman's dish of fish baked with rice cooked in a dark, caramelised-onion and spice broth, popular along Egypt's coasts.
Where: Seafood restaurants in the Old Market and Naama Bay.
Try in Sharm El Sheikh · Vegetarian
Bedouin tea
Sweet black tea brewed over a fire with wild desert herbs such as sage, served in small glasses as a gesture of welcome.
Where: Bedouin camps on desert trips and in Dahab and St Catherine.
Try in Hurghada · Vegetarian
Mahshi
Vegetables such as vine leaves, peppers, courgettes and aubergines stuffed with herbed rice and cooked in tomato sauce.
Where: Egyptian restaurants serving home-style food.
Try in Hurghada · Vegetarian
Basbousa
A dense semolina cake soaked in sugar syrup, often topped with almonds or coconut.
Where: Pastry shops in El Dahar and dessert buffets in resorts.
Food scene by destination
| Destination | Food experience | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Cairo | Koshari lunch Downtown | Restaurant bills often include a service charge and VAT; check the bill before tipping extra. |
| Luxor | West Bank family lunch | Drink bottled water and be cautious with raw salads at very cheap stalls if you have a sensitive stomach. |
| Sharm El Sheikh | Pick-your-fish dinner in the Old Market | Confirm the price per kilo and the weight before fish is cooked. |
| Hurghada | Fish dinner in El Dahar | Confirm the price per kilo and the weight before fish is cooked. |
Food experiences
- Cairo — 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.
- Luxor — West Bank family lunch: Village restaurants and guesthouses on the West Bank serve home-style meals of tagens, rice, salads and sun bread under shady trees after a morning at the tombs.
- Sharm El Sheikh — Pick-your-fish dinner in the Old Market: Choose fish and seafood from the ice display, agree the price by weight, and eat it grilled with salads and rice at an outdoor table.
- Hurghada — Fish dinner in El Dahar: Choose your fish from the ice, agree a price by weight, and eat at a simple local restaurant where Egyptian families dine.
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Egypt famous for?
Koshari, Ful medames, Ta'ameya, Aish shamsi and Hamam mahshi.