Cairo
Marked with a tiny red neon sign, this spit‘n’sawdust–style place gets good reviews from Downtown foreign residents, who find it a more cheerful and…
Must-see nightlife in Egypt
Dahab
Dahab’s sports bar has a big-screen TV so fans won’t miss their favourite team play, plus there's a breezy rooftop terrace that's perfect for sunset…
Dahab
Just the best little juice shack in Dahab. Get your sugarcane fix, or sup on a freshly squeezed juice or shake in the cubby-hole seating area, bedecked in…
Cairo
This bar, on the rooftop of the King Hotel, comes with the bonus of Pyramid views. It's a casual and relaxed place to hang out with a beer and shisha…
Suez Canal
A fabulous shaded verandah cafe where the town's old-timers gossip, drink coffee and watch the world go by while smoking a shisha.
Siwa Oasis
Abdu's packs out nightly with local men smoking shisha, downing tea and slapping backgammon pieces with triumphant vigour.
Bahariya Oasis
This bar is as much a surprise as the hotel's own hot spring. Cold, cold beers!
Cairo
This bar-club, set in the old Arabesque restaurant, hosts local bands on weekday nights while Thursday and Friday nights are DJ sets with electronica, R&B…
Luxor
This friendly outdoor cafe-restaurant, in front of Medinat Habu, is the best place to stop after wandering through Ramses III’s magnificent temple. Sip a…
Cairo
An ahwa dedicated to Kawkab Al Sharq, the ‘Star of the Orient’, a title for the famous Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. Look for the huge busts of the singer…
Hurghada
This is our favourite pit stop in Hurghada for a juice, shai (tea) or shisha. El Mashrabia is slap on Sigala's main road, with shady outdoor seating and a…
Luxor
A pleasant, popular outdoor cafe, right on the Nile, in front of the Winter Palace Hotel. The former Metropolitan is now part of the Egyptian coffee chain…
Luxor
Pleasant ahwa (coffeehouse) right in the heart of the souq, on a large terrace with welcoming mist machines, where you can recover from shopping and…
Luxor
If you want an evening with the people of Luxor city, you could head for the new Sultan Cafe. From the owner of neighbouring Maxime Restaurant, this huge…
Siwa Oasis
Desperate for a beer? This small island 12km northwest of Siwa Town and connected by a causeway is one of the few places selling the amber nectar (for a…
Cairo
That’s Egyptian for ‘Jamaica’. Often crowded, and noisy, this little dive-bar has a loyal band of old timer regulars who are welcoming to the odd…
Hurghada
The centre of Hurghada nightlife is this popular Dutch-run bar, which has enough live music, pool table and game action to keep even the dive instructors…
Sharm El Sheikh
This ahwa (coffeehouse) is a proper local haunt with blokes puffing away on shisha and supping tea inside all day long. The pavement seating outside,…
Luxor
One of the oldest cafe-restaurants on the west bank, come to this friendly, laid-back place to relax after temple viewings. In addition to the usual…
Northern Nile Valley
Moored on the west bank of the Nile, close to the bridge, this Nile-boat-turned-cafe looks tired, but still attracts crowds on a warm evening. There is a…
Cairo
Nominally a restaurant, this bizarre faux patio is all about beer, shisha and gossip about politics and the arts scene. The illusion of outdoors is…
Luxor
Facing the Theban hillside and with a sign that says 'NO GALAG' (no problem or pressure), this is the place to come sip a cold beer while watching belly…
Hurghada
Get your cocktails at the ready for Hurghada’s top bling-fest. Little Buddha has been the centre of resort-strip nightlife for years, so this is the place…
Cairo
It's a Cairene tradition to sit on a rickety chair at this century-old cafe and read the paper over a flaky, buttery pastry. We wish the coffee was better…
Alexandria
Opposite Midan Ramla, this place lives and breathes nostalgia. The cafe part still has its original 1940s fittings – and pastries that taste like they’ve…
Cairo
Cafe, craft shop, book shop and gallery on the ground floor of a villa on a quiet square in Garden City. A good place for a quiet afternoon coffee whilst…
Cairo
One of the oldest of Downtown's baladi (local) bars, Cap d'Or has friendly staff who are used to seeing foreigners, and you get free mezze with your beer…
Hurghada
This relaxed pub dishes up live music every Sunday and Wednesday and plays an eclectic mash of rock, blues and soul at other times. An easy-going vibe,…
Red Sea Coast
The only place to party in Safaga, dispensing cold beers and cocktails, simple food and big cheer. On a good night there's a mix of locals, dive…
Cairo
The tiny Zamalek outlet of Egypt's own coffee chain serves up its full menu of hot and cold coffees, and numerous teas and juices. There's no toilet…
Hurghada
The outdoor seating here is prime yacht-watching territory, and the cafe serves up a surprisingly decent cappuccino, good shisha and decently priced…
Sharm El Sheikh
The hub of Sharm’s nightlife. Watch for advertising around town to find out about upcoming events. Women gain free entry into the club before midnight.
Siwa Oasis
Right in town, Zeytouna is a favourite evening haunt for local men drinking tea and coffee. Its tables often spill out onto the town square.
Cairo
Walk through the restaurant to the 1st-floor bar. The beer is not always icy, but the atmosphere is fun, if slightly sleazy.
Sharm El Sheikh
A cosy pub where divers congregate for an early evening drink or bar meal. Happy hour is from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
