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

Egyptians’ love of food is infectious. For visitors and tourists, a kaleidoscopic tour of Egypt’s best foods comes part and parcel of the Egyptian experience. But in an eclectic city like Cairo, the term ‘Oriental cuisine’ encompasses much more.

Lebanese cuisine has maintained an undying popularity over the years and even local food has been reinvented. There’s no Cairo 360 Editor’s Choice Award category more competitive than this one with so many vying to be the best, but these restaurants are truly a mark above the rest.

Abou El Sid (Authentic Egyptian Award)

Nostalgic, and a little bit kitschy, few restaurants in Cairo encapsulate the Oriental dining experience like Abou El Sid. With several branches across the city, the food is exceptional and the atmosphere inimitable, making it a great place for gatherings.

Cairo Kitchen (Authentic Egyptian Award)

Simple, clean, precise; not words that you’d normally associate with Egyptian cuisine, but Cairo Kitchen has managed to shape it into just that with a menu that covers all the classics. Reasonably priced, wholesome and filling don’t be surprised to see the restaurant expand into even more branches.

Zooba (Authentic Egyptian Award)

Since opening its first branch in Zamalek, Zooba has charmed its way into Cairene hearts and stomachs with a creative menu that infuses little inovative twists on quintessential Egyptian street food – everything from kohsary, to foul sandwiches.

Ayadina (Oriental Cuisine Award)

Having bravely opened during Ramadan in 2013, Ayadina has proven that you can never have too many Lebanese restaurants in the city. Since then, the restaurant has emerged as one of the best in the city in impressive fashion.

El Kebabgy (Oriental Cuisine Award)

Another restaurant that provides a quintessential Oriental dining experience, the Socitel Cairo El Gezirah’s El Kebabgy stands as the hotel’s most frequented restaurant, thanks mainly to its outstanding mezzas and mixed grill and its Nile-side location.

Taboula (Oriental Cuisine Award)

Few restaurants in Cairo have cultivated a legendary status like Taboula has. A trailblazer in modern oriental dining in this city, the Lebanese restaurant’s first branch in Garden City rightly remains one of the most popular spots in the capital.

Tamara Lebanese Bistro (Oriental Cuisine Award)

Combining all the classic cuisine of Lebanon with its equally famous sense of cheekiness, Tamara Lebanese Bistro is another that, despite its rapid increase in popularity, has maintained excellent standards as a place suitable for a coffee and shish, or a full-blown meal.

Zeitouna Lebanese Bistro (Oriental Cuisine Award)

Located in the Nile  City Towers, Zeitouna Lebanese Bistro has brought an intangible bistro feel to Lebanese cuisine; simple, uncomplicated and with a distinct palate of home-cooking flavours – their shish tawook is a particular highlight.

For more on the Cairo 360 Editor’s Choice Awards 2014, click here.