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

It’s still North Coast season, and there are so many restaurants that are hard to pass, so expect some non-Cairo-based reviews on the way! First up on the list is 3al 7atab.

Located at IOS Village, 3al 7atab follows the village’s blue and white theme in the outdoor area. Meanwhile, the indoor space is an open kitchen that shows the whole process of the pizza in the making. Since it was a little bit crowded inside at the time of our visit, we had to skip that part and waited for our food outside.

 When it comes to the menu, 3al 7atab leans towards the Italian cuisine, but it also has international options like burgers, Tunisian shakshouka, Mexican Tinga, fried chicken sandwich, and so much more. We decided to keep our choices from the Italian section, opting for Arancini Balls (71LE), 3al 7atab Pizza (186LE), and Meat Lasagna (136LE).

 Deep-fried panko-crusted risotto balls stuffed with perfectly melted buffalo mozzarella, and chunks of fresh mushroom, the arancini balls were delicious and well-executed.

As for pizza, it was heaped with giant arugula leaves, German salami, bresaola, and pecorino romano cheese, which despite being tasty on their own, their ratio to the out-of-this-world pizza crust, flawless tomato sauce, and mozzarella was off, overpowering the latter three main components that you look for while eating a pizza. We had to remove some of the toppings to enjoy the fantastic crust and the tomato sauce.

Moving to the lasagna, it had everything you’re looking for in a lasagna; From the spot-on amount of béchamel and the super flavourful meat ragu to the perfectly cooked lasagna sheets and the super stretchy layer of cheese on top; this lasagna had it all.

All in all, we had an amazing experience at 3al 7atab. We absolutely loved the food, especially the pizza crust that we could just eat it on its own. Not to mention the cosy and calm vibes.; It’s definitely worth a visit when you’re in Sahel!