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

It was a massive surprise for us to learn that Olivo Pizzeria was now serving burgers! With a new ‘grill’ menu – only available at the venue’s Arkan Plaza branch – we felt that it was worth another visit. Not only that, but they have also introduced a pretty cool pizza menu, with three different crust options; firecracker, rosemary and herb, and gluten-free!

From BBQ Chicken Pizza and Antica Salad to Firebird Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and Donut Burger, the new menu had interesting choices for us to choose from. After minutes of pondering over the menu, we opted for the Truffle Burger (150 LE), the Original Fried Chicken Sandwich (130 LE), and the Buffalo Chicken Pizza (130 LE).

We started with the Truffle Burger, which, by the way, didn’t have any description on the menu. The burger was topped with caramelised onions, a balsamic vinegar kick, sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, and cheese. One thing that really excited us about this burger was the fact that it was served in an out-of-this-world, super soft, fresh, and glossy pretzel bun. The patty, on the other hand, was seasoned perfectly but the texture was more on the meatball side, not a burger. The burger was served with well-prepared fries, ketchup, and BBQ sauce, and very cool black gloves to ensure that we could enjoy the meal without getting in a mess.

As for the Original Fried Chicken Sandwich, it was unremarkable. The fried chicken had a good crust to it, but the chicken itself was a bit too dry. Moreover, the size of the chicken was quite small compared to that of the bun. Furthermore, the sandwich wasn’t served with melted cheese sauce, as promised by the menu. The funny thing is we asked the waiter for herbed mayo dip, but he said it wasn’t available, yet the fried chicken was topped with herbed mayo. 

Moving on to the pizza, it was topped with chicken bites –not pulled chicken as mentioned on the menu-, and a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese, which made it more cheesy than necessary. As for the buffalo sauce, the portion was quite small, considering it was a Buffalo Chicken Pizza. This is obviously not your typical order at Olivo, but it was quite good, and we appreciate how they’re adapting to the market without losing their identity.  

The Lotus Pancake (150 LE) was how we ended our meal, and let’s just say that it was the highlight of the day. The dessert consists of four super-fluffy pancakes stacked on top of one another with pistachios in between, and crushed lotus biscuit and ice cream on top. Additionally, the waiter poured Biscoff sauce on top of the pancakes. We fell in love with the light texture and how the sweetness of the dessert was on point. We did not appreciate, however, the chunky consistency of the Biscoff sauce.

All in all, our experience with Olivo’s new menu had its ups and downs. We’re still daydreaming about the outstanding pretzel bun and the heavenly lotus pancakes. But then again, the service wasn’t that good at the time of our visit, and the menu and the waiters were not that helpful.