The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Now that 2010 is almost over, we here at Cairo 360 have decided to bring
you our selection of the best cafés that we’ve reviewed this year. Whether you like our nominations or disagree with our choices, let us know by commenting, tweeting or Facebook liking this article; your feedback always matters!

Best-Tasting Coffee: La Wien

This café in Heliopolis offers a truly gourmet coffee experience, selling countless blends of coffee beans and strong, tasty coffees, making this
a haven for the coffee connoisseurs among us. Head there to grab a cup of
coffee in the stylish place or a kilo of grade-A beans for your coffee machine
at home. Best Thing? Their coffee
beans hail from Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil among others and are ground to your
choice of your consistency. How Much?
A pack of ground beans range around 45LE, which is quite decent compared to the
larger coffee chains in Cairo. Honourable Mentions: Café
Greco, Sugar N’Spice, Segafredo

Best Bakery & Pastry Shop: TBS

Hands-down the freshest and tastiest pastries around, The Bakery Shop
has upped the standard for baked goods in Egypt. If your mouth waters at the thought of fresh, buttery croissants or you miss the taste of real wholegrain bread; try TBS. Best Thing? Their multigrain breads are
healthy, tasty and last for days. Their cheese and zaatar croissants are
delectable, and their jam and white chocolate doughnuts are sinfully delicious.
How Much? Prices are definitely
steep for a bakery; loaves of bread cost up to 22LE, croissants up to 7LE and
doughnuts up to 7LE. Honourable Mentions:
Munch & Bagels, Nola, Crumbs, Postres, Sugar N’ Spice

Most Creative Shisha: Fratelli

If you don’t mind spending a whopping 18LE on a flavoured shisha, then
head to Fratelli, where you find rare varieties of tobacco (such as guava and vanilla)
and thick, creamy milkshakes in this cosy Mohandiseen café. Best Thing? If you’re feeling
adventurous, they tailor-blend tobacco flavours for you. Try the
banana/vanilla mix!  How Much? 18LE for
a shisha, 4LE for a plastic lay. Honourable Mentions:
Fiji’s Chiclets shisha, Pottery Café’s coconut shisha, Sequoia’s cappuccino shisha,
Almaz’s grape fakher shisha

Best Cheap Shisha: Borsa Café

Located in the bustling Downtown area of Al Borsa (Stock Exchange),
Borsa Café offers quality shisha at a very reasonable price, in addition to
valuable perks such as A/C, freshly squeezed juices and wireless internet. Best Thing? Try the ahwa’s smooth mixes of watermelon-mint, Al
Fakher lemon-mint and anything mixed with fig shisha. How Much? A shisha here costs around 8LE, while tea and coffees sell for
almost 6LE. Honourable Mentions: Beit
Zeinab El Khatoun, Ahwa Bustan

Best Date Café: Caracas

Scrumptious Lebanese cuisine and brilliant shisha; Caracas has it all.
Other than the lack of parking, this café is the perfect spot for a quiet,
romantic date. An added bonus is the shisha-friendly outdoor area, where you
can enjoy each other’s company minus the noise of Cairo traffic. Best Thing? Try the grilled halloumi,
the ice cream bomb and the guava shisha. How
Much? The minimum charge is 60LE on weekdays, 75LE on weekends. Honourable Mentions: La Gourmandise, Raspberry

Best Student-Friendly Café: L’Aroma

With free Wi-Fi, a quiet atmosphere and coffee with a powerful kick, L’Aroma
in Zamalek is the most ideal spot to finish up your papers or cram for finals.
While there are several branches of L’Aroma in Cairo, we can’t promise that any
of them will be as quiet as the Zamalek one. With a variety of caffeinated
beverages and sweets to get you rushing on a sugar-high, you won’t be leaving
this café till all your work is done. Best Thing? Free Wi-Fi and quality coffee
is a rare combination.   How Much?
Coffee costs around 12LE, sandwiches start at 19LE and a carrot cake costs
12LE. Honourable Mentions: Kunst Café, Arabica, Café Tabasco

Best Ice Cream Place: Mandarine Koueidar

Syrian chain Mandarine
Koueider has provided generations of Cairenes with the tastiest ice cream
flavours, as well as delectable oriental sweets and cakes.  Best
Thing? It takes impressive willpower to resist eating their entire stock of
berry yoghurt ice cream or their eshta ice cream. How Much? 4.50LE
for an ice cream scoop, while an ice cream cake can cost up to 120LE. Honourable Mentions: Carvel’s peanut
butter chocolate chip, Haagen Dasz’ raspberry sorbet, Rigoletto’s vanilla
copper pot

Best Local Coffee Chain: Beano’s

International coffee chains are a dime a dozen in Cairo, so it’s nice to know that a local chain like Beano’s delivers consistently good coffe. With chains all over Cairo, Beano’s drinks are impressive, and their triple layer cheesecake and delicious paninis are definitely
top contenders. Best Thing? Their
Zamalek branch is usually a quiet spot to study or work in, and their iced
coffees are the real deal. How Much?
Coffees cost around 8.50LE, frappés cost 21LE and sandwiches start at 18LE. Honourable Mentions:
Cilantro, Harris Café

Best Hangout Café: Mosaic

This café in Dokki is a perfect spot for watching a football
match with friends, thanks due to the half-dozen flat-screen televisions
positioned all over the venue. With both outdoor and indoor seating options,
Mosaic has a fun atmosphere with quality service. Best Thing? Tasty mezzas, delicious drinks and smooth shisha.  How Much? Cold drinks and appetisers average
at 12LE, and shisha starts at under 10LE. Honourable Mentions: Café De Paris, La Pietra, El Shader, Eros