Café Mex: A boost to Cairo’s emerging street scene

The gentrification of 26th of July St. in Zamalek rolls on. Though it still maintains its character, straddling Cairo’s socialist past with its mercantile future, new places continuously arrive, most of which cater to the higher end of Cairo’s clientele. Read more

Habanos Embassy Cigars Lounge

The unmistakable smell of cigar prevailed at the inauguration of the Habanos Embassy Cigars Lounge, the first one of its type opened in Cairo, Egypt.

The lounge, located at the Kempinski Nile Hotel, is reserved basically for a select group of diplomats and local and foreign businessmen and was designed to become an exclusive place for gathering and talk business. Read more

Lucille’s

Though it attracts a largely local clientèle, this American-style diner will make you forget you’re in Egypt. The cozy interior holds a dozen or so wooden booths, and the attentive and efficient staff speak clear English. The breakfast menu features large portions of classic American morning fare, from pancakes and French toast to omelets, hash browns, and biscuits with gravy. Read more

Buddha Bar

Cairo’s Buddha Bar is actually a pretty cool place. It’s a split level room, with dining room downstairs and bar upstairs, and even has a non-smoking section. The decor is semi-cheesy Buddha chic, heavy on the red, with a massive seated golden Buddha dominating the room, a huge chandelier, various hanging lanterns and different coloured spotlights, a geometrically exuberant ceiling, and black light over the bar. Read more

Windsor Hotel

This downtown fixture has changed little since it opened in the 1930s. Travel posters from the 1950s adorn the walls, and while the claim that the Schindler elevator is one of the oldest operating in the world is hard to verify, it’s certainly the oldest in Egypt to still be carrying passengers. The building was originally a khedival bathhouse and served as a British Officers Club during World War II. The heart of the hotel is undoubtedly still the lounge bar on the second floor, with its chairs cut from old barrels and a chandelier of antlers. The vintage reception desk in the lobby, with its original switchboard, however, comes a close second.

Rooms vary considerably, from high ceilinged and spacious to small and quite dank. At the best of times, the whole place is somewhat musty, but if history is your thing, it’s going to seem a small price to pay for the sense of time that the hotel conveys. Less forgiving are recent reports that visitors have felt pressured to accept guide services touted by the front desk.

19 Alfi Bei Street

Downtown Cairo

Tel:+ 20 2 591 5810 /+ 20 2 591 5277

Fax: +20 2 592 1621

Mena House Oberoi Hotel

part from the fact that it’s historically worth a visit in its own right, the Mena House is a good place to stay for those who are in Cairo to see the Pharaonic sites at Giza and up the valley toward Saqqara, Dahshur, and Memphis. Originally built as a hunting lodge next to the pyramids for the Khedive Ismail, it was converted to a hotel in the 1890s. Oberoi took it over in the 1970s and distributed a roomful of 19th-century furnishings throughout the present guest rooms.

The hotel’s location is not ideal for venturing into Islamic Cairo, but it cuts an enormous amount of hassle out of getting to Saqqara and Memphis, as well as the Giza pyramids (which can be viewed directly from the hotel). Public areas of the hotel are decorated with dark wood paneling and mashrabeya, which evoke a time of more relaxed and elegant tourism. Add to this one of the nicest outdoor pools in the city and easily Cairo’s best Indian restaurant, the Mogul Room, and the Mena House makes a pretty good home base for Egypt.

PYRAMIDS ROAD GIZA

Pyramids Road

Cairo

Tel: +20 2 377 3222 / +20 2 377 3444

Fax: +20 2 376 7777

The Greek Club

Situated just off Midan Talaat Harb in Downtown, the Greek Club is open to everyone. Non-members have to pay an entrance fee of 5 LE, and there is a cover charge of 1 LE and a minimum charge of 30 LE.

You get far more than you pay for, however, because the Greek Club is in some ways one gorgeous contradiction. Read more

Pour Vous

Pour Vous is a rooftop bar on top of the Nile Zamalek Hotel, in Zamalek. While the bar is a pretty simple affair – just an open rooftop with functional tables and chairs, and not much in the way of decoration – the views from Pour Vous are stunning. The hotel is towards the east of the island, and the rooftop looks out over the Nile. You can see the Conrad Hotel and the “twin towers” over the river, and see a large swathe of the Nile curving round to the north-east. Read more

Odeon Palace Bar

The Odeon Palace Bar is one of the most popular bars in Cairo. Situated on top of the Odeon Palace Hotel, just off Talaat Harb street, the bar is a godsend: it is open 24 hours a day!

The bar itself is actually quite pretty: beautiful mashrabia panelling and oriental style lamps are dotted around, and there are a number of cosy nooks and crannies to curl up in. Most people, however, head straight to the outdoor terrace. Read more

Blackstone Bistro

The latest addition to Cairo’’s dining culture describes itself as homemade, fresh and American. The fact that the venue claims to specialise in American cuisine brings to mind popular chains like Chili’s and TGI Fridays, neither of which are particularly celebrated for their homemade freshness. So it is this impression– reinforced by the faux-brick walled interior – which a potential patron must get over. This reviewer’s recommendation: get over it now. Read more

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