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

Known to
have the best stuffed pigeon in Cairo, Farahat is one of the oldest and most
famous eating spots in El Azhar area.

The saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is very important when it comes to
eating in Farahat. The restaurant is a small shop on El Azhar Road on the
corner of El Afify alley. However, this is only the kitchen and an outdoor
sink where you can wash your hands. The seating area consists of two small
rooms further down the alley in addition to tables outside on the right side of the alley. When it’s
crowded, the restaurant’s crew members improvise and find more space to squeeze
in a table for two.

The waiters are friendly and the service is
quick for such a busy place; there are no delays in getting the food to your
table. The restaurant’s atmosphere
is busy, the music is the sounds of the street and the scenery is the bustle of
the alleyway.

The menu
is not very diverse; it is definitely not the right restaurant for a
vegetarian. Farahat does not even serve chicken; they serve grilled and stuffed
pigeon; the former for 27LE and the latter costs 29LE per pigeon. The stuffed
pigeon is filled with very tasty rice and traditional spices, arguably the
best that you’ll taste in Cairo.

Other
items on the menu are ‘neefa’, which is very tender lamb meat cooked with few spices so as not to overpower the strong taste of the meat. Oriental sausages
and ‘ouzi’ (lamb shoulder) are also available. Their kabab and kofta are not as
good as the ‘neefa’ and pigeon, but the freshness of the meat makes up for
that. However, the ‘tarb’ (grilled fatty minced meat) is delicious; the meat is
juicy, tasty and basically melts in your mouth.

Farahat
doesn’t provide side dishes but they serve your pigeon with a glass of pigeon
soup, salads, tehina and fresh baladi bread. People usually fill up on the
bread and salads by the time the food arrives. They serve cold drinks and
bottled water; so their drink menu is quite limited too.

Despite their very short
food menu, Farahat’s moderate prices and atmosphere add to the joy of
the meal. This is more of a place where you can eat authentic food and
enjoy the local atmosphere of El Hussein.