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

Dawar Farah is one of our go-to spots in Mohandessin when looking for a hot grilled meal. They offer simple grilled meals cooked very well, and the restaurant itself has a very homely feel. This is why we decided to give it another visit to see how well it’s keeping its shape.

We were greeted by the staff in a friendly manner and asked where we’d prefer to sit. We opted for the upper floor which was almost empty, unlike the crowded ground floor. While we did like the decoration, we were a bit annoyed with the oven, making the whole area a bit too warm.

First off, they served a bunch of salads with their special fresh bread. We especially liked their spiced tomatoes but, unfortunately, they may not suit everyone thanks to the strong garlic taste. The bread, of course, was terrific.

We started our meal with Lentil Soup (20 EGP) to help us cope with this cold weather, and were quite impressed with their take on it. Excellent price, portion, and overall execution. Next up, we ordered a whole Grilled Chicken without Bones (160 EGP), and let us tell you, we never knew grilled chicken could taste this good. It was perfectly grilled to a golden colour and tasted very fresh.

Our side dishes, Vine Leaves (20 EGP) and Rice with Liver (35 EGP) gave us mixed feelings. The vine leaves were served hot and tasted quite good, but the portion was too small. As for the rice with liver, it wasn’t hot at all, and the rice tasted very stale; it was bad enough that we couldn’t even finish it.

After the whole rice with liver experience, we wanted to finish off with a bang. So we went for the Rice Pudding (20 EGP), which is their specialty, and succeeded in countering our negative experience with the stale dish.

We enjoyed our visit to Dawar Farah, and despite that one disappointment, the rest of the food, the decoration, and the excellent service made this a very positive experience. We’ll certainly be heading there again.