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

There’s no shortage of Italian restaurants in Cairo; there’s no going wrong in serving pizza and pasta to the famished lunch crowd that stalk the capital’s many eateries.

As one of the longest running establishments in Cairo, Maison Thomas is most famous for authentically Italian pizzas, despite its distinctly French-sounding name. Due to the success of the original branch in Zamalek, we were interested to find out how the Heliopolis branch compared.

Hidden away behind lush foliage on Marghany Street, Maison Thomas has a surprisingly large interior, decorated with their signature demure greens and wooden furnishings. Inside, the main dining area is for smoking patrons, and the booths at the back are reserved for larger parties.

With loyal customers frequenting the popular eatery, the dining floor is always busy and the waiting area is usually packed. Arriving at a rather late hour, however, we encountered no difficulties in finding a table. Soon after, our waiter brought us the large paper menus to browse through.

Pizza is the most prolific option of the categories provided, and includes almost any imaginable combination. In addition to pizza, the restaurant also serves pasta, sandwiches, quiches, main dishes, salads, and the more unique inclusions of hachis and paellas.

We decided on a Baltic salad (65LE) to start, while waiting for a regular-sized Leonardo pizza (65LE) and a regular calzone Monaco (59LE).

Arriving as a delectably zesty concoction of boiled potatoes, explosive capers, smoked salmon, sliced onions, and eggs, the Baltic salad was absolutely sublime in taste and texture. Topped with quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and fresh dill, the dressing brought out the rustic flavours of the ingredients and cut the usually overpowering aroma of the salmon and capers.

Almost immediately after, the pizza and calzone arrived. Known for its traditional take on pizza, Thomas’ thin-crust pies are some of the best in the city. Topped with an unusual combination of house-made tomato sauce, mozzarella, smoked roast beef, marinated sweet peppers, artichoke, and oregano, the pizza was a burst of complimentary textures and flavours.

The calzone was delivered as thick, folded pizza dough filled with mozzarella, eggs, mushrooms, olives, smoked roast beef, and oregano, drizzled with tomato sauce. Hot and completely cooked, cutting a slice of the calzone came with the reward of the generously layered ingredients fused by the quality cheese.

Finally, we ended our feast with an order of home-made Tiramisu (25LE). While we were rather taken aback that it was delivered as a slice of flam, the Tiramisu was a rich, decadent treat, accentuated with a lace of chocolate surrounding the velvety, espresso-infused filling.

Though we couldn’t advise venturing too far down the menu at Maison Thomas, we left incredibly satisfied in both our meal, and the knowledge that the well-known establishment has not lost its dedication to quality.