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

Local restaurants in Cairo often have trouble keeping things simple, choosing to wow potential customers with all manner of gimmicks, rather than concentrate its energies in the kitchen. Tucked away in Dokki, just a few blocks past AMIDEAST’s building on Mohy El Din Abou Ezz Street, Pastaweesy caught our attention with its bright lights and loud colours. The demonic looking moustachioed man, who serves as Pastaweesy’s mascot, also piqued our interest. We decided to see whether the inside was as interesting as the outside.

Upon stepping out of Cairo’s heat into Pastaweesy’s well conditioned interior, we were immediately impressed with the décor, which paid notice to the tiniest details.  Though the restaurant itself is small, the decorating makes a big impact. From the huge mustache on the back wall to the tiny one serving as the door handle, everything is coordinated. 

The seating consists of comfortable booth-style benches fronting large white tables and chairs. There’s also a long bar with stools looking out over the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows that front the eatery.  Even the lighting makes an impact; several frying pans hang from the ceiling to serve as lamp covers.

The food was just as good as the décor. We decided to keep it simple and ordered crispy bread with tehina (5LE), as a side, and pasta with red sauce (12.50LE) for the main meal. 

The food came out very quickly, and was piping hot when it reached our table. The crispy bread was especially good; it was nice and warm to the touch, while the tehina provided a nice contrast, with just a touch of spice to make it perfect. The pasta didn’t disappoint either; we had the choice of macaroni and spaghetti – we decided to go with the more traditional spaghetti – and the noodles were cooked just right.  The tomato sauce was well seasoned with thyme and basil, with some chopped onions and garlic thrown in for good measure; it tasted delicious as a result. We also got a kick out of the pasta’s serving dish, which was a silver sauce pan; a nice match for the frying pans decorating the ceiling.