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

Zamalek is notorious for housing some of the most eclectic and unique restaurants in Cairo; however, the island’s narrow streets often reveal hidden culinary gems that spontaneously pop-up from time to time. With gourmet street food being at the forefront of the scene, restaurants are increasingly getting creative with Egypt’s national dishes.

Recently opening on Taha Hussein, the newly opened Egyptian bistro, Noon, is dedicated to cooking up some of the most common meals found in typical Egyptian homes. Spread over two floors, the bistro boasts vivid, orange vinyl wall-coverings, heavy concrete tabletops and bare wooden chairs. The ground floor also contains a few comfortable couches with decorative cushions whilst the second, non-smoking balcony, only holds a few tables and chairs and looks over the entire restaurant.

Walking in, we were greeted by the friendly staff and immediately provided with the menus once we were comfortably seated. The menu is conveniently split up into separate categories for soup, salads, appetisers, sandwiches, entrees, desserts and drinks.

To start, we opted for three loaves of fresh baladi bread (1.35LE), a bowl of keshk (7LE), and a plate of their standard foul (7LE). The bread was conveniently sliced in halves and presented on a long platter, shortly followed by the generously portioned foul and keshk. Thick and perfectly seasoned, the keshk was a warming dish, complete with crispy caramelized onions. The foul, meanwhile, came well-seasoned with fried cardamom, olive oil and a hint of lemon juice.

Besides the typical mains, Noon also provides some interesting dishes including mango beetroot (8LE), nabet soup (7LE), and chicken liver paste (15LE). We decided on a shakshouka sandwich (8LE), hawawshi eggplant (15LE) and potato and sogo’ soup (9LE). Crispy yet noticeably dry, the hawawshi was stuffed with ground beef and slices of fried eggplant. The soup also failed to impress; despite its artfully seasoned taste, its runny consistency and thick film of oil covering the surface were particularly off-putting. The highlight of the meal was the shakshouka sandwich which was incredibly flavourful due to mouth-watering additions; the eggs were skillfully baked with eggplant, bell peppers, onions and a handful of ground beef.

Finally, for dessert, we selected a plate of sweet potato with ice cream (8LE) and a bowl of pumpkin custard (7LE). Drizzled with a decadent ribbon of caramel and crunchy ground nuts, the sweet potato was light and blended surprisingly well with the scoop of vanilla ice cream. The pumpkin custard was also just as tasty, baked as a brulee. The porcelain pot arrived hot, with a scrumptious blend of custard and pureed pumpkin underneath the bubbling crust.

Entirely satisfied with our meal, Noon managed to impress with their impeccable take on classic Egyptian dishes, shining hospitality, and modern, yet comfortable atmosphere.