Cairo as a city has a pretty long and complex history -- it’s over 1,000 years old, after all. And while most of the metropolitan restaurants, bars and cafes in the city don’t have much of a shelf life (a ‘success story’ in Cairo is a place that’s been open for more than 10 years), there are a few places that have stood the test of time -- from 60 years to over 200 years old! Yep, that’s older than quite a few countries.
So whether you’re a visitor looking to get a drink, meal and feel for an older Cairo, or a local who wants to take a nostalgic walk down Cairo’s memory lane, these vintage spots will provide just that.
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1. Beit Zeinab Khatoon
Founded: 1486
Beit Zeinab Khatoon (which translates to ‘Zeinab Khatoon’s house’) is an old Mamluk house in the Darb Ahmar area of Old Cairo, close to Moez Street (for a full local’s guide to Moez Street, head here). It was originally built in 1486 with later additions in the Ottoman era. It’s named after its last owner, Zeinab Khatoon, the wife of prince Al-Sharif Hamza Al-Kharboutly. She’s an important figure in her own right though -- she took the risk of opening her home to wounded fighters in the Egyptian resistance against Napoleon’s French occupation in 1798.
Today Beit Zeinab Khatoon is a protected heritage site, and it has a cafe called Tekiyt Khan Khatoon in its open courtyard where you can have shisha and coffee or order from their menu while enjoying the historical architecture.
2. El Fishawy
Founded: 1773
Found in the world-famous Khan el Khalili bazaar (read our full guide to the market here) you’ll find Egypt’s most iconic ahwa (a small outdoor Egyptian cafe serving shisha), El Fishawy. Over 240 years ago a man named El Fishawy started offering coffee to his friends after evening prayers in a small alley in Khan el Khalili.
The tradition was continued by his descendants, adding shisha and other hot and cold drinks to their repertoire. It grew in popularity over the years, and is known for being a personal favorite of Nobel Laureate novelist Naguib Mahfouz, who is said to have written his Nobel-winning Cairo Trilogy in El Fishawy’s back room.
Today El Fishawy lives on much as it did in the past, pulling in large numbers of locals and tourists alike looking for a tea, shisha and the opportunity to people-watch. It’s open 24/7 and is particularly popular in Ramadan.
3. Groppi
Founded: 1891
Founded over 100 years ago, Maison Groppi was a chocolatier, patisserie and tearoom established in Downtown Cairo by Swiss native Giacomo Groppi. It quickly became the most celebrated tearoom in the Middle East, to the extent that they would give Groppi chocolate as gifts to foreign royalty and other VIPs. Groppi was also the first chocolatier in Egypt to employ women. There were originally two branches in Downtown Cairo, one in Heliopolis and one in Alexandria, all extremely popular with the Egyptian elite, celebrities, British officers and wealthy expats.
The Groppi on Talaat Harb Square (previously Soliman Pacha Square) has been undergoing renovation for the past few years now.
4. Greek Club
Founded: 1906
Located above Groppi on Talaat Harb Square in Downtown Cairo, the Greek Club when it first opened was just that: a Greeks-only club where members could gather for dinner, drinks and live music.
It opened to the public in the 1950s, when Egyptians and visitors of all nationalities could enjoy its terrace, vaulted ceilings and Greek specialties. Today it’s still popular as a Downtown bar, but sadly has lost its authentic Greek feel and menu.
5. Cafe Riche
Founded: 1908
Probably the most famous restaurant and bar in Downtown Cairo, Cafe Riche has quite a history. It’s known for being a beloved meeting place of historical revolutionaries, intellectuals and prominent figures in modern Egyptian history. A few examples: it was here where members of the Egyptian resistance planned the 1919 revolution against the British; where an assassin lay in wait to attempt (and fail) to kill the last Coptic Prime Minister, Youssef Wahba Pacha; where King Farouk first saw his second wife, Nariman Sadek; where beloved singer Umm Kalthoum performed in 1923; and where Gamal Abdel Nasser planned the 1952 revolution. Like El Fishawy, Naguib Mahfouz was a regular patron as well -- his novel Karnak Cafe is based on Cafe Riche, its customers and their stories.
Relics of these people and times in history still adorn Cafe Riche’s walls until now.
6. L’Amphitryon
Founded: 1922
One of the few vintage gems still left in the neighborhood of Korba in Heliopolis (Korba was envisioned and built by the Belgian Baron Empain), L’Amphitryon used to be a restaurant and bar popular with Heliopolis’ elite and wealthy expats. While the story behind its name and origins isn’t clear, it’s assumed it was founded by Greeks (although Germans in the area frequented it regularly and referred to it as a beer garden).
Today it’s a much shabbier version of its former self, but still has a nice street-facing outdoor section and an open terrace in the back where people go for a shisha and a beer and to partake in Egyptian mezzes and shawerma.
7. Maison Thomas
Founded: 1922
Maison Thomas is such a popular modern pizza place that most locals have no idea that it’s actually so old. Known for their thin-crust pizzas, Maison Thomas has four different branches throughout Cairo, with their Zamalek branch on 26th of July Street being their most iconic (and open 24/7!).
8. Cheristo
Founded: 1930
One wouldn't expect Cairo's oldest seafood restaurant to necessarily be at the foot of the Pyramids, but there you are. Cheristo, located across from the Marriott Mena House, has spectacular pyramid views to enjoy from their second story outdoor terrace (in colder months, try to nab a table by the window instead).
A firm family favorite for Friday lunch, Cheristo has officially made it for almost 100 years, and have recently opened another branch in Sheikh Zayed, in Cairo's western suburb of 6th October City.
9. El Horreya
Founded: 1936
Built over the remains of Ahmed Orabi, an Egyptian officer who led a mutiny in 1879 against the Anglo-French loyalist Khedive Tewfik, El Horreya is one of the most famous cafes and bars in Downtown Cairo.
It has a distinct ‘cafeteria’-ish look, with bright lights, high ceilings and scattered tables. It’s open from the afternoon until 2 am, and was popular throughout the years with artists, poets, intellectuals, foreigners and expats and students from the nearby American University (their new campus is now in New Cairo). People go there for an affordable beer, to play chess or backgammon or just to chat.
10. Le Grillon
Founded: 1941
Originally a restaurant and beer garden, Le Grillon was famous for being the spot where Cairo’s well-heeled would gather for drinks and a meal before and after Umm Kalthoum’s performances in the nearby Qasr el Nil Theatre (and even during the intermission).
In the 50s, Le Grillon was popular with all the biggest names in Egyptian cinema: Roshdy Abaza, Sabah, Amina Rizk, Samia Gamal, Nadia Lotfy and more. This vintage restaurant has even witnessed some unforgettable scenes that had nothing to do with the movies, like when Fareed el Atrash had a heart attack there and the waitstaff had to rush him to the hospital, or how Abdelwahab was so specific about how his fruit was washed that he had the waiters bring him a pitcher of water to the table so he could wash the fruit himself.
Today it’s more shabby than chic, and we wouldn’t recommend eating there. But it’s still a good spot to go for a drink and a shisha in their closed terrace, and is a popular spot for those baladi bar hopping in Downtown Cairo.
11. Abou Shakra
Founded: 1947
Abou Shakra, the Egyptian cuisine restaurant known especially for their grills, first opened on the banks of the Nile in Downtown Cairo over 70 years ago. Equally popular with both Egyptians and foreigners, Abou Shakra started to implement the idea of tent celebrations and ‘Oriental Nights’ for foreigners both on the Nile and at the Pyramids way before the concept was as widespread and popular as it is now.. They also claim to be the first restaurant in Cairo to offer home delivery via motorbike.
They opened their second branch in 1989, and since then have snowballing in size -- Abou Shakra is now a huge national and regional chain of restaurants.
12. Andrea Mariouteya
Founded: 1958
Founded over 60 years ago, Andrea Mariouteya has been in the same family since its very beginning. This Egyptian restaurant was historically on the Mariouyeta canal, a Nile offshoot near the Pyramids. Besides the grills and Egyptian cuisine, Andrea Mariouteya was also a place you could enjoy a beer and shisha with your meal.
While it maintains the Mariouteya in its name, Andrea has a new home on the hill of New Giza, with great city views.
13. Felfela
Founded: 1959
One of the most iconic Egyptian cuisine restaurants in Downtown Cairo, Felfela was known for years as a place to get fuul, taameya and other Egyptian classics while having a beer. It became a regular lunch spot with families on weekends and opened several other branches throughout the city.
It’s now a popular spot for tourists and nostalgic locals, and this dimly-lit and eclectically-decorated restaurant provides a window into the past through stories enthusiastically told by the waiters.
14. Estoril
Founded: 1959
Built by a Greek couple in a passageway between two buildings in Downtown Cairo, this restaurant and bar was named after the town of Estoril in Portugal, where the couple had their honeymoon. Similar to other vintage resto-bars in Downtown, Estoril was a popular meeting place for political activists, writers, artists and intellectuals. One wall is dedicated to local art while the other is full of memorabilia and clippings of articles and other old press about Estoril in its heyday.
Estoril’s menu now is not much to write home about, but it remains a popular spot to have a beer and chat with the bartender about years past.
15. Abou Haidar
Founded: 1968
Over 50 years ago a Syrian man named Mohamed Rabah Sherif (nicknamed Abou Haidar) opened a small street stall in Roxy serving Syrian shawerma. Its popularity in the neighborhood is legendary, and when he passed away, his four children took over and did their best to keep the food stall true to their father's vision.
Unlike most 'restaurants' (and almost unheard of in Egypt), Abou Haidar refused and continues to refuse to offer home delivery. For the past 50+ years, the only way to get Abou Haidar shawerma sandwiches is to go pick them up yourself (although some unaffiliated food delivery apps offer the option of their delivery fleet picking it up for you). Abou Haidar also refuses to open another branch besides their original one - gotta admire them sticking to their guns!
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Khresto el Haram should be on this list