Entertainment in Alexandria
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El Tugareya
Although it may not look like much to the uninitiated (it doesn’t even sport a sign), this 90-year-old institution is one of the most important ahwa s in town. It’s an informal centre of business and trade (the name roughly translates to ‘commerce’), where deals are brokered in the time-honoured tradition – over a glass of tea. The cafe is separated into multiple rooms, covering a whole block. The southern side is a male-dominated area dedicated to games and informal socialising, while along the Corniche you’re likely to be part of a rambunctious mix of writers, film-makers, students, expats, and courting couples filling the hall with a cacophony of animated conversatio…
reviewed
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Centro de Portugal
This hard-to-find expat haven is fully equipped for fun: a garden bar in a leafy patio, an inside bar with darts, foosball and pool, plus a tiny disco complete with mirrored ball. Best of all, the beverages are very cold. Drinks are purchased via an unusual card system: E£70 gets you five credits; beers are one credit, while cocktails are two. The food menu (dishes E£40 to E£55) sports Western standards, from noodles to pasta to fish, along with the house speciality – pepper steak. It’s a great place to unwind, hidden away from the hubbub of the city, and meet local expats while sucking down an icy gin and tonic. The entrance is unmarked; look for the gate on the south si…
reviewed
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Arous el Zilzila
This fantastic ahwa across from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is practically unique in Alexandria – you can sip tea and sheesha to the sound of waves rolling in, smelling sea air instead of petrol fumes. Directly on the water, it has rustic open-air tables and palm trees with cheerful coloured lights, set around a small curving beach where you can hardly hear the traffic. It’s a great place to relax in the sultry breeze, enjoying the Mediterranean vibe. To find it, look for the modern sculpture with three white needles, directly across the Corniche from the library. Walk past the sculpture towards the sea; the entrance is down the steps to the right.
reviewed
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B
Cap d’Or
The Cap d’Or, just off Sharia Saad Zaghloul, is a top spot to relax, and one of the only surviving typical Alexandrian bars. With beer flowing generously, stained-glass windows, a long marble-topped bar, plenty of ancient memorabilia decorating the walls and crackling tapes of old French chanson (type of traditional folk music) or Egyptian hits, it feels very much like an Andalusian tapas bar. Crowds come to drink cold Stella beer, snack on great seafood, or just hang out at the bar and chew the proverbial fat with fellow drinkers. Thursday and Friday nights are more ‘open-minded’ than most nights in Alexandria.
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El Rehany
This expansive and breezy Alexandrian classic is reputed to have the best sheesha in town, served with a flourish by attentive boys in smart two-toned waistcoats while waiters in black-and-white bring tea in silver urns. The decor is eclectically elegant, with lofty ceilings etched with elaborate floral patterns, tables and chairs in Islamic designs, and burgundy tablecloths. Check out the bizarre assortment of knick-knacks in the glass displays in the back.
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Greek Club
The Greek Club is a great place for a sunset drink, inside its large newly restored rooms or, even better, on the wide terrace catching the afternoon breeze. The menu has a selection of fresh fish cooked any way you like it (grilled with olive oil, oregano and lemon, baked or Egyptian style), as well as Greek classics such as moussaka (E£14) and souvlaki (E£32). An admission fee is sometimes charged.
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El Qobesi
El Qobesi has crowned itself the ‘king of mango’ but take one sip and you will bow down a loyal peon. Slivers of several ripe mangoes are cajoled nearly whole into a tall, chilled glass to make the single best mango juice we’ve ever tried. Ever. It’s open around the clock and is always bustling, often with locals parked outside for a quick in-car slurp.
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Farouk Cafe
This venerable sheesha joint doesn’t look like it’s changed an iota since it opened in 1928. It’s a charmingly ramshackle old place, with dusty bronze lanterns outside, and charmingly fusty old men arguing and playing board games at the tables. Women may not feel comfortable here.
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Ahwa Sayed Darwish
Named for the composer of Egypt’s national anthem, this tiny and highly enjoyable local, near Sharia al-Nabi Daniel, is set on a quiet and leafy side street around the corner from the Cafavy Museum. The chairs are comfortably padded, and the sheesha is clean. The clientele is exclusively men.
reviewed
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Freshat Juice Bar
This sparkling little find has 26 different juices on offer, including all the standards plus some interesting and hard-to-find traditional drinks. If you’re keen to try something new, ask the friendly owner, Ayman, to show you. All juices can be made without sugar on request.
reviewed
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El-Yunani
Near Souq Ibrahimiyya, this Greek taverna is the poor-man's version of the posher Greek Club. With baby-blue walls covered in faded 1960s Greek tourism posters and slow-turning fans, it clings to musty remnants of allure. Look for the bumble-bee striped pillars at the entrance.
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Spitfire
Just north of Sharia Saad Zaghloul, Spitfire feels almost like a Bangkok bar – sans go-go girls. It has a reputation as a sailors’ hang-out and the walls are plastered with shipping-line stickers, rock-and-roll memorabilia and photos of drunk regulars.
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Garage
The renovated garage of the Jesuit Centre is maintained by the Young Arab Theatre Fund. Garage is a breath of fresh air on the city’s cultural scene, presenting new performances by local and international youth theatre groups.
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Alexandria Opera House
The former Sayed Darwish Theatre has been refurbished and now houses the city’s modestly proportioned but splendid opera house. Most performances of opera and classical music are staged in this gorgeous auditorium.
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Green Plaza Mall Cineplex
This large cinema, part of the buzzing Green Plaza Mall complex, has six screens all showing first-run American blockbusters. A taxi out here will cost about around £E10 and take 25 minutes from the city centre.
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Renaissance San Stefano
The newest screens in town, with eight spiffy cinemas showing mostly Hollywood offerings, it's currently the 'it' spot for young Alexandrians. A taxi from the city centre will cost about around £E10.
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Cinema Metro
In central Alexandria, this beautiful old place has been very well looked after - pity the movies it screens are often so uninspired.
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Amir Cinema
A refitted grand old place now with six screens, showing almost exclusively Hollywood tripe.
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