Coffee Houses, Cairo

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I stopped off at Coffee Shop Aboumazen for a drink while paying a visit to the Khan al-Khalili bazaar during a trip to Cairo in November 2007.

This colourful, local café (its façade decorated with brightly coloured cloths and tiles) is located next to the al Husayn Mosque, close to the entrance to Khan al-Khalili.

These are the kinds of local places that I enjoy visiting on my travels. I was looking for somewhere to enjoy a mint tea amongst locals and this place took my eye. I also took the eye of the waiter, as he beckoned me in with a wave. The dark interior contained a number of local men smoking hookah pipes and sipping coffee.

I chose to take a seat outdoors in the sunshine, sitting on one of the handful of cushioned wooden benches. The advantage of sitting outdoors was the ability to watch the world go by; locals going about their daily business, tourists getting out of taxis en route to test their bartering skills in the Khan al-Khalili. The disadvantages of sitting outside were the lack of shade from the hot sunshine and the persistent flies that bothered me (and my drink) for much of my stay at the café.

Favorite Dish: Without seeing a price list, I ordered a glass of mint tea. The waiter brought it out to me and we had a conversation, in broken English, about Egyptian footballers playing in England (namely Hossam Ghaly of Spurs, and Middlesbrough striker Mido).

Batting away the flies from my glass, I attempted to drink my mint tea. The glass had no handle, and attempting to pick it up, I realised that it was too hot to do so. Eventually, it had cooled enough to be able to drink it. This was a proper glass of mint tea – no teabag, but lots of mint leaves in the bottom of the glass. With the addition of a couple of sugars, it was a very refreshing drink.

Upon leaving, I was asked for 15 EGP for my mint tea. I agreed to pay 10 EGP (approx. 1 GBP), which was still significantly more than I expect the locals were paying.

A typical Egyptian café serving refreshing mint tea. You’ll find many such places in Cairo. Be sure to visit one!

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I enjoy this local fast food chain very much. The rpcies are very reasonable. Soup = 3 EGP, Juice = 4 EGP, Sphagetti with meat sauce = 4.5 EGP, main course 15 EGP up, salad = 4 EGP, a pastry/cake = 3 EGP. A full course meal cost about 25 EGP per person, including service tax. It is air-condition and the services are very efficient. There are several outlets in Cairo. I went to this fast food chain for dinner and afternoon tea. See other pic for the front entrance.

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I enjoy coffee and tea break in the morning and afternoon. I also enjoy good pastry or cake to go with the drink. Here I am in Groppi, which is located in the city centre. The coffee was so good and the Danish is tasty. Total costs13 EGP (including service tax). See more pics for bakery and outside.

Our quest for the perfect cup of coffee came to an end when we least expected it. While we were visiting the citadel we saw the heavenly sign: caffè Illy, which is a well known Italian coffee brand. Sightseeing stopped: a real cup was needed!

Favorite Dish: We followed the sign and found the cafe on the terrace of the police museum. The waitresses were wearing "oriental" dresses, and were definitely wearing far too much make-up. It smelled like a tourist trap, and it was... but the coffee was heavenly - and the pudding-like dessert (see photo) wasn't bad at all.

To escape the hustle and bustle of Cairo, have a drink in one of the many coffee houses. Cold drinks are also available and you can be sure that they'll be well chilled because restaurants receive frequent ice deliveries - as in the picture.
If you go to a coffee house near Khan Al-Khalili you won't miss out on the bargains because street sellers will circulate the tables - they are easy to ignore if you want to, so don't think you will be pestered.

There are a wide variety of little cafes tucked away here and there.

Favorite Dish: As you would expect the coffee is excellent but very strong! Cafe owners are good fun and come up with some good suggestions and things to try... mind you the sugary lettuce juice has a taste that may be acquired rather than found straight away. Finally, the must do - go for the hubbly bubbly :) .. shisha actually. Loads of the cafes have shisha pipes (big, big ones!) and you can sit there and smoke apple, cinammon, strawberry etc flavours. This is largely entertainment value with some giggly side effects - great fun and you should get some pictures out of it.