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

The quest for the best pizza in Cairo has
become an obsession for this reviewer. In most restaurants and cafés around the
city, you’ll invariably find a small, repellent pizza section on their menu, which invariably disappoints. Located in
Haram on Faisal Street, Pizza Master is worth a visit, especially with their 2
for 1 policy, which brilliantly applies to everything on the menu.

The shop is made of two floors, with the
first being a small counter for ordering takeout, and a small waiting area.
Taking the stairs to the top floor leads you to the actual restaurant area. The
space is large and rarely crammed. The salad station is located in the middle
of the space, and for 16LE you will get a decent-sized bowl to fill up to the
heavens as you please; but only once. The selection is wide; you have the
choice of everything from basics like cucumbers to the
slightly more exotic kidney beans and pickled runner
beans, in addition to a range of dressings and sauces.

The menu is split into six pizza sections;
beef, chicken, seafood, cheese lovers, hot and spicy and last but not least, margherita.
The plain margherita costs 40LE for a large size, 32LE for a medium, and 18LE
for small. The pizza is customisable with toppings for between 7LE and 12LE,
depending on its size.

This reviewer recommends any pizza under
the cheese lovers section; the self proclaimed ‘delicious triple blend of
cheese’ is indeed delicious as the review of the Nasr City branch decrees.
The calorific combination of what we think is mozzarella, cheddar and roumi cheese
is rich, creamy and sharp, especially on a deep-pan base.

The hot and spicy menu is no nonsense, and
there is no modesty when it comes to the use of chillies. Among the combinations that stand out, the
spicy shrimp and spicy tuna pizzas set you back 46LE and 41LE respectively for
a medium size.  

If pizza dishes have chronically
disappointed across Cairo, then the shocking quality of garlic bread has driven
this reviewer to despair. Thankfully, Pizza Master has got it exactly right;
the bread is fresh, and the garlic and butter are plenty. The plain garlic
bread costs 5.50LE for three pieces, while the cheese and pepperoni versions
cost 8.50LE and 9.50LE respectively. Soft drinks are available for 6LE, as well
as freshly made juices (9LE), which change according to season.

Pizza Maser’s strategy seems to be to pile
on the ingredients. This works great with some pizzas, such as the cheese
lovers’ choices, but the hot and spicy pizzas may be too much for some.
Ingredients are fresh and flavoursome, but the dough still lacks, and sometimes
less is more. The quest continues.