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

Let’s face it: while Christmas may not be as
big of a festive season in Cairo as in other cosmopolitan hubs like New York
and London; that doesn’t mean that you have to skimp out on any Christmas celebrations
or dining experiences in the city.

The good news is that a proper Christmas
dinner with turkey and all the fixings is far from impossible in several of
Cairo’s top restaurants and hotels.

On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the
Four Seasons First Residence will
provide a Christmas event for the entire family. For 400LE, you can partake in all
activities, a hearty Christmas buffet accompanied by a jazz band, while the
younger family members can enjoy face painting and photography sessions with
Santa Clause. The buffet starts at 12PM and lasts till 6PM; make it a family
outing since your date might get ticked off by the amount of happy children
running around.

Want the Christmas spirit and a
breathtaking view too? Make sure to head to Ramses Hilton’s Citadel Grill or Windows on the World, where chef
Dimitrios will prepare a traditional Christmas menu on December 24th. Dinner features
live entertainment and an appearance by Santa himself. As for Christmas Day,
you can enjoy a lunch buffet at the Hilton
Terrace Café or hit the Citadel
Grill for another crack at that traditional menu.

La Bodega is also doing it again this year, serving an all-out French menu
featuring mouth-watering dishes such as asparagus salad, turkey stuffed with
cranberries and adorned with chestnuts and a traditional French dessert. This
French gourmet experience costs 230LE per person excluding taxes and service.

A quieter Christmas dinner will lead you to
the pub Don Quichotte in Zamalek,
where they will serve a Christmas Eve dinner for 300LE (excluding bouchon).
Turkey is on the menu of course, but the rest of the food is hardly traditional;
they will provide their excellent oriental mezzas instead of your regular side
of yams!

The Fairmont Nile City is going all out
this season with set menus at their French restaurant Saigon Bleu (425LE) and Napa Grill (325LE) on December 24th. On Christmas Day, you can enjoy a brunch buffet for 198LE at Napa Grill featuring a traditional turkey menu, followed by a dinner for 238LE.

You can enjoy a four-course Christmas Eve
meal at the Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo’s restaurant Blue, featuring traditional Christmas food and European cuisine for
210LE. Or you can head to Floor 10
instead and enjoy a set menu of their delectable French cuisine for 310LE. On
Christmas day, Blue will serve a traditional festive brunch buffet (190LE), or you
can opt for a shot at Floor 10 ’s set menu for 295LE.

If you’re in Maadi; head over to Blackstone Bistro for their
enormous Christmas brunch buffet complete with regular and fried turkey, lamb
and yams. The buffet will have a full breakfast and dessert station, just in
case turkey isn’t the only thing on your mind. The buffet starts early on Christmas
day, complete with a live jazz band; so expect to pay around 300LE.

Daring enough to try a little
unorthodox approach to Christmas food? You should try Max’s Restaurant
in New Maadi for turkey with a side of salmon and broccoli soup all day long on
December 24th and 25th.

If you’d like to cut back on the munching
this Christmas, head to the Cairo Jazz Club for a drink and one of
their phenomenal appetisers. If you still want to indulge in holiday food, then
you can try their Christmas set menu, while enjoying the smooth jazz and swing sounds
of the Riff Band.
This is a charity event, where all proceeds will go to the SOS Children’s Village
organisation.

Nasr City and Heliopolis residents needn’t worry
about a tiresome commute for a turkey dinner. The JW Marriott will serve an outstanding traditional buffet on
Christmas day for just 190LE.

The Meridian
Heliopolis will also host a dinner buffet on Christmas Day at their French
restaurant St. Germaine. The buffet
starts at 7PM and promises a festive candlelit meal for 160LE.

For those of you living in 6th of October City or Haram,
don’t fret: The Mena House Oberoi is
planning a Christmas event, but their plans aren’t final yet; so give them
a call to find out what’s going on.

With so many different holiday dining options in
Cairo; make sure that your turkey isn’t the only thing stuffed on Christmas Day.