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

From one successful venue to another, Dara’s Ice Cream is a living proof that hard work pays off, and that the market does appreciate quality. However, consistency is the ultimate test in the food industry, which is why we decided to put Dara’s 3rd – 4th if you count north coast – branch to the test.

Located on 26 July Street, Zamalek, you’ll easily spot the shop with the help of the giant, neon, ice cream cone sign, and its pink sun shades. This branch pretty much has the same vibe as the other outlets; from the linear design and the chalkboard menu on the wall to the iconic chocolate sink and the cookies tray next to the cashier. What’s new is that there’s a 2nd floor if you want to settle in and enjoy your ice cream, and, of course, there is a wall full of pictures of fans enjoying their ice cream.

We can all agree that picking a flavour is probably one of the hardest decisions to make. After minutes of pondering, we decided to go with a cup of Pistachio (35LE),  and Caramelised Almond (35LE), a scoop of Salted Caramel Crunch (35LE), a scoop of Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip on top of a Chocolate Chip Cookie (34LE), covered with melted Belgian Chocolate (20LE), and the newest addition to the menu, Dara’s Affogato (53LE).

We totally understand why the salted caramel crunch is everyone’s favourite. The smooth and creamy texture delivers the unique bittersweet taste of caramel, while caramel bits add that delightful crunch. All served in a freshly-made cone covered with Belgian chocolate (19LE); this choice quickly makes your day.

As for the nutty cup, we absolutely loved the bold flavour of the pistachio ice cream, with the finely-ground pistachios that didn’t affect the texture or consistency of the ice cream. Meanwhile, the caramelised almonds ice cream was pretty much the same as the salted caramel crunch, but with the almonds giving the crunchy kick this time.

Moving to the peanut butter, chocolate chip, and cookie, sadly, it had a few issues. Unlike the rest of the flavours, the consistency of the peanut butter and chocolate chip ice cream was very stiff,  and the crazy amount of the melted chocolate topping made the cookie soggy. In terms of flavour, we believe that all will be OK if they fixed the consistency of the ice cream. A Snickers’ fan would easily fall for it.

The newcomer to the menu definitely stole the show. After all, how could you go wrong with a scoop of honeycomb ice cream with crumbled honeycomb, drowned with a double espresso? Even if you’re not into coffee, you’ll love this one.

It’s safe to say that Dara’s ice cream mostly gets an “A” when it comes to consistency. Not only is it amazing, but also the staff managed to keep the fun and cheerful vibe the brand aims for.