Showing 1-13 of 13 results
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Centro Recreativo Italiano Il Cairo
In winter, Cairo's Italian social club is in a cosy, wood-panelled room; in summer, it moves out into a vast yard in the centre of the embassy compound. It's the place to savour rarities like great crisp-crust pizzas, affordable red wine and even pork products. Non-Italians pay an around £E10 cover.
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Da Mario
The Hilton's Italian restaurant is a great spot to recover after a full-on morning trawling the Egyptian Museum. Settle in for delicious pizzas, salads and home-made pastas served on the terrace or indoors. Alcohol is served.
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Didos Al Dente
A pasta joint popular with students from the nearby AUC, Didos comes pretty close to living up to its claim of making the best pasta in town. It's tiny, so be prepared to wait on the street for a table. There is another branch in Ma'adi, off Sharia el-Nasr and neither branch serves alcohol.
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Khan El Khalili
The funky 1960s Arabesque interior of this hotel restaurant is more impressive than the food. Brass tables, marble floor and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Great Pyramid star; the pan-European food (and cold Stella) is more of a supporting act.
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L'Aubergine
This stylish Western-style bistro serves up a wide range of dishes, lots of which are vegetarian. The menu includes blue cheese gnocchi, aubergine moussaka and fennel with parmesan au gratin. Its upstairs bar is popular, and often has a DJ.
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La Gourmandise
One of the city's most popular French patisseries, this ground-floor café in one of the city's glitziest malls comes complete with tuxedoed waiters, a profusion of potted palms and a grand piano. It serves good-quality Mediterranean dishes that are perfect for lunch.
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La Mezzaluna
Head down a tiny alley to find this funky bilevel space that's frequented by Cairo bohemians. The menu is roughly Italian, from conventional combos like tomato and basil to the 'Illy pasta' (beef bacon, cream, radicchio and coffee). Salads are enormous. No alcohol, but the little patio out front is a quiet place to take coffee. There's an outpost in Mohandiseen too.
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Le Bistro
Tucked away below street level, Le Bistro nonetheless tries to conjure summery France with a blue-and-white colour scheme and Gallic crooners on the stereo. The food may not quite match its European ideal, but Francophone Cairenes love it, and steak frites can make a nice change from kebab.
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Le Chantilly
This Swiss-run place features a chalet-style décor and even serves up cheese and meat fondue. Fortunately, the waiters don't yodel. There's a wide range of pastas and soups on the menu, as well as alcohol and great freshly baked bread.
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Petit Palmyra
The type of place your elderly parents would like, Petit Palmyra has a calming beige interior complete with comfortable chairs and stiffly starched serviettes. The menu serves up Egyptian-Levantine staples such as stuffed pigeon, and has a few European dishes as well. A bottle of Grand Marquise will set you back, but is probably a necessary accompaniment to the live piano music that is performed from each night.
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Seasons Restaurant
One of Cairo's most expensive restaurants, the kitchen at Seasons is known for its use of quality ingredients and its Italian-influenced food. The elegant dining room, wonderful flower arrangements, live jazz and excellent service are more Manhattan than Cairo, although the Nile views remind you where you are. The perfect spot for an all-out splurge.
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Villa d'Este
Cairo's top Italian restaurant has a formal dress code, a resident violin player and an old-fashioned feel. The food, mainly from northern Italy, is exquisite and beautifully presented - desserts are to die for.
Showing 1-13 of 13 results
