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

There’s no shortage of gourmet burger restaurants in Cairo, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t welcome any new additions with open arms – there’s just something about the simple but rich notion of big, fat, juicy burger, which we found by the bucket load at Maadi’s newest burger joint, Fat Cow.

Located on Road 9, Fat Cow as a venue is what you might call petit, but combines a sleek wood finish with a touch of kitschy flair – particularly the quirky cow mural on the ceiling. Fat Cow’s menu is concise, boasting just eight types of burgers, including a peculiar shrimp burger. The real fun, however, is in the Build Your Own Burger option, which we dived headfirst into.

Our first masterful creation was made of an angus beef patty (40LE), provolone cheese (7LE), a fried egg (12LE) and dill pickles (2LE). Not to toot our own horn, but our Frankenstein handiwork transpired to be nothing short of phenomenal – which, in fairness, is owed to the kitchen. The American burger bun was soft and rich, while also light and fluffy, though the real highlight was the patty itself. Cooked perfectly to retain the flavours and juices of the meat, it tasted noticeably fresh and was clearly of high quality. The same can be said of the ingredients, especially the dill pickles which aren’t as readily available in many burger restaurants in Cairo. What struck us as we were served our food was the packaging that each burger comes in. It’s essentially a box that opens up into a disposable tray – a small but ingenious touch.

Not content with just the one DIY burger, we went for a second angus beef burger – yes, it’s that good – but this time with Swiss cheese (7LE), mushrooms (12LE) and, wait for it, steak sauce. No burger-base feast would be complete without fries, though Fat Cow’s servings are rather small when it comes to the simple sliced-and-fried potato side. Granted, the restaurant’s thick-cut fries were cooked perfectly, but one would expect more than the five fries – there were literally just five of them – even if a portion costs a measly 12LE.

Issues with fries aside, it’s difficult to fault the main event of the show – the burgers themselves – at Fat Cow based on our visit. Whether it does enough to separate itself from the Cairo burger crowd is really a matter of opinion, though if there is one thing that could irk Cairenes, it’s the prices. With our DIY meal, we ended up paying 61LE for the burger alone; add an extra 12LE for fries and another 12LE for a basic soft-drink and the total sum is a whopping 85LE. Worth it? Depends on what you do for a living.