Drinking Alcohol in Egypt
Is Egypt a Dry Country?
Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol, or at least it describes it as an “abomination of Satan’s Handiwork” along with gambling.
With 90% of the country’s population being followers of the prophet Mohammed, it is perhaps no surprise that alcohol is not as readily available as it is in Europe.
However, do not suppose that a trip to Egypt need be a dry and sober one. Alcohol is by no means illegal.
All the major hotel chains (Hiltons, Sheratons, etc) have fully stocked bars. Cairo and Alexandria have a number of pubs and clubs, ranging from ultra sleazy to very trendy and European (Cairo only).
In tourist resorts such as those by the Red Sea, Luxor and Aswan, there are a great number of cafés and restaurants selling at the very least Egypt’s most popular locally produced lager; Stella (not to be confused with the Belgium brew of similar name) and Saqqara.
The key is to not assume that a place sells alcohol. If it does, it will usually be clearly written on the menu, or communicated through stickers and posters of the products mentioned above.
Do not be fooled by the presence of non-alcoholic beer on display in fridges. If in doubt feel free to ask, you will not offend anyone.
The only time that you will find drinking alcohol in Egypt to be truly problematic is during Ramadan. Even though some bars and restaurants (usually those owned by Christians) are happy to serve liquor, the major breweries shut down.
If you absolutely can’t go the duration of your vacation without an evening tipple (or indeed a tipple at any other time of the day), it’s best to avoid this period.
