Cilantro

This popular, sparkling-clean cafe – part of a locally owned chain – does excellent Italian-style coffee and coffee drinks alongside exotic teas and fruit blends. Downstairs, order to go and grab a packaged sandwich, cake or salad from the open fridge; for table service head upstairs (smoky but with a couple of outside balcony seats). While some readers justifiably complain about the high prices and fairly indifferent service, Cilantro is beloved by locals as a bastion of peace and calm. There are other branches just about everywhere you turn: Zamalek, Heliopolis and Doqqi, to name a few. All offer free wi-fi, strong air-con and a stash of magazines and newspapers.