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

When Cairo
360 first visited Foul Mahrous in Garden City, the street kiosk received an
excellent review for its delicious foul sandwiches, and when we returned for
sohour one year later, we were happy to find the food’s quality remains great.

Located on a small side street near the Canadian Embassy,
the street is a bit brighter than usual, lines of small Ramadan lanterns are
strung across the street, and the plastic tables and chairs are set out under
the light of the street lamp in this small foul paradise.

In the
first few days of Ramadan, the crowd is a bit smaller and hosts a pretty wide
variety of patrons. On the one hand, it is a cheap foul eatery, but on the
other it is located in a rather quiet and serene part of Garden City.  However, as Ramadan wears on; expect to have
difficulty finding a seat in what is normally a packed venue.

Foul
Mahrous doesn’t change its menu at all for Ramadan, which means you shouldn’t
expect any specialties like amar el din juice or differently sized or priced
portions. On the bright side, you can order the same old items with confidence.

There are
no menus here; so listen carefully as the waiter quickly lists all your
options. You have a choice of five different types of foul – iskandary with
onions, tomatoes, peppers and tehina, foul with salsa (a tomato paste mixture),
spicy foul with shatta (chilli powder) and hot oil, foul with butter (a real
test for your digestive system), and just plain foul with nothing added but a
bit of salt. You can also order an omelette if you’re interested; you can
choose between the regular or the Spanish version. All meals are served with a
generous stack of baladi bread and you can order a variety of basic sides like white
cheese or pickles. .

In general,
you’ll pay about 6LE for each omelette or plate of foul and 15LE for a helping
of each salad option. Be prepared for the waiter to just throw you a random
rounded number at the end of your meal, though; there certainly aren’t any
receipts at Foul Mahrous.

Unless
they’re still filled, tables and chairs start getting packed up about a half
hour before the fagr prayer, meaning Foul Mahrous’ normal closing time of 4AM is
not enforced; so make sure you arrive in time to grab a table.