Dining in Egypt
What is it like and what is the cost of eating out in Egypt?
Forget the antiquities or the adventure, it’s well worth visiting Egypt for the food alone. From the Gulf of Aqaba to the Western desert, from Alexandria to Aswan, Egypt’s restaurants are authentic, diverse, atmospheric and value for money.
Typical Egyptian food caters for all, with plenty of options for vegans and vegetarians, fish lovers, carnivores, or all of the above. And with approximately 10 Egyptian pounds to the British pound, you’ll find you can get a lot of staples for you sterling, many dishes for your dollar, and much rice for your rouble.
Wherever you go, you can look forward to dining in Egypt, for example:
ALEXANDRIA
The ancient Mediterranean centre of learning and culture has numerous high quality seafood restaurants along its coastline. Classic colonial hotels serve up five star treats within their elegant but faded walls and the cornice embraces a seemingly endless strip of Shisha cafes, each one providing simple Egyptian snacks to accompany the scented pipe smoke.
CAIRO
The high end restaurants in Africa’s largest city are bettered only by the low end local fares that can be found on any street corner in the downtown district. Foul, falafel, and kosheri are cheap and delicious if your stomach is feeling strong, and for the less adventurous Zamalek has any number of western style eateries. The bazaar area’s main square is lined with shoarma joints (a kebab by any other name), and even boasts the Egyptian Pancake House as an unlikely alternative.
ASWAN
Eating in Aswan is more about the scenery than the sausages, although it’s not short of quality restaurants. Day or evening, the place to dine is on one of the many boat-restaurants which flank the mighty river. To stay out of the sun or simply watch it set, the boats serve up typical Egyptian food, pizza, pasta, burgers, soups, sandwiches and more. For cheaper more authentic diners try the market area.
DAHAB
Lured in by the Balearic beats and shiny seafood on ice, you can’t help but find yourself at one of Dahab’s many beach front chill out cafes. Dahab's restaurants are very much the day and night life, where visitors wake up to pancakes, tan themselves to milkshakes and fresh juices, and party after dinner with beers and shisha. If you’re motivated enough to walk into town, more tasty snacks await you there.
LUXOR
Where else can you eat you choice of local or foreign grub while looking out at 3000 year old temples up lit by soft lighting. Luxor’s restaurants are diverse enough to cater for the most and the least adventurous diners, and offer both spectacular views over their choice of temples, markets, or the River Nile.
The Cost of Eating Out in Egypt
The cost of eating out in Egypt is comparatively low for anyone spending sterling, dollars or euros. Although prices vary greatly, please see below as a very general guideline:
| Item | Approx Cost in € | Approx Cost in $ |
| Coffee | 1.00 | 1.40 |
| Soft Drink | 1.00 | 1.40 |
| Water 1L | 1.00 | 1.40 |
| Beer | 2.20 | 3.10 |
| 2 Course Meal | 6.60 | 9.50 |
| 3 Course Meal | 8.90 | 12.70 |
| Bottle of Wine | 13.30 | 19.00 |
