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

Last year we paid Cowbell’s Zamalek branch a visit and it was a hit-and-miss experience. The branch closed a few months later, but it didn’t take the restaurant long to make a return with a new bigger branch in Mohandiseen and improved juicy burgers.

Located at Dr. Mahrouki Street off Aswan square, this branch, unlike the previous one, is spacious and has a linear design. You’ll find yellow couches on the left, traditional tables and chairs on the right, and the service counter at the end. Even though the restaurant was far from crowded, the service was very bad at the time of our visit and tainted the otherwise cosy experience.

Starting with the appetiser, we asked for the Chili Cheese Wedges, but it wasn’t available. We instead went with the Buffalo Chicken Wings. Five minutes later, the waiter came to inform us that the chicken wings aren’t available – we understand the trouble of imported products – but they suggested that we can order the Chicken Strips (24LE) with buffalo sauce on it which didn’t seem like a bad idea. Moments later, the waiter came with plain chicken strips, but broke the news to us that it wouldn’t be possible to add buffalo sauce on it.

We moved on and we accepted our fate. The four chicken strips had a crispy crust, but one that tasted very bland and lacked seasoning and spices. The chicken itself was a bit dry, while the dip was just an unremarkable mix of mustard and mayonnaise.

Moving to the burgers, we opted for the Thick Cowbell Burger (69LE) and the Stuffed Jalapeno Bacon N’ Cheese Burger (65LE) with 19LE extra for a milkshake. The patty of the Thick Cowbell Burger was topped with onion rings, very chewy beef bacon, pickled cucumber a generous amount of cheddar cheese sauce, sautéed mushrooms, tomato and lettuce, all served in a fresh, soft and puffy bun. The burger had a spot-on patty-to-bun ration and the toppings were fresh. As for the patty itself, it was unfortunately very bland in flavour, but was very juicy and had a great texture to it.

Moving to the Stuffed Jalapeno Bacon N’ Cheese burger, the patty was stuffed with melted cheese sauce mixed with Jalapeno for a pleasant heat and bacon for a wonderful smoky flavour which enhanced the bland patty and created a burger that we’d highly recommend. All burgers are served with perfectly cooked and seasoned French fries.

We saved the Popcorn Milkshake (20LE) and the Chocolate Cookies Milkshake (20LE) for dessert. We were super excited to try the popcorn the most but it was just popcorn syrup – but who doesn’t like that very particular artificial deliciousness? The chocolate cookies shake was also made with syrup, but had a very bitter flavour. However, the shakes had a very smooth consistency and they were both enjoyably creamy.

Overall, we have mixed feelings about our visit. When comparing our previous visit to the old branch with this one, you can certainly tell that there’s been an improvement in the burgers – but slow service and the appetiser incident took the shine off of the experience.