Cortigiano, Cairo

This Italian style restaurant is part of a chain which has branches all over Cairo. We visited the branch in Nasr City and found it to be a most enjoyable experience.

The entrance is up a number of covered steps decorated with white fairy lights and, once inside, you find yourself in a large but cosy looking dining room. It’s very Italian looking, but this is then belied by the almost completely local customer base and the fact that no alcohol at all is sold here. The decor is very much dark wood and heavy beamed ceilings, with pretty green plants and various items of memorabilia hanging on the walls.

The menu is also Italian but my host waved this aside and made a special order. First of all baskets of crusty Italian bread and others of garlic bread were presented. This was followed by this wonderful fish soup that the Egyptians so adore – this one full of chunks of white fish, prawns, clams and squid. Mop up the milky white broth with your bread and be careful as the broth runs down your chin – it’s hard to avoid. After that we had a giant seafood salad to share between three. It was artistically presented on a large serving platter with circles of cucumber, tomato, grated cheese, grated carrot, egg, olives, prawns,slivers of smoked salmon, and tuna. It was impossible to finish all this glorious food, yet we managed to make room for home made ice cream with flavours of choc chip, mango, and toffee.

The lack of alcohol didn’t bother me, though it might disappoint some. The food would certainly bring me back.

Great food and there's always too much,
and it is soooo rich......pass me the anti-acids.
Scoff the garlic bread , and try to choose between the pasta, the pizza and the meat dishes.

There is a no smoking area at the back. The whole restaurant is decorated with old objects- musical instruments, sewing machines, utensils and pictures.
It has great atmosphere.

Favorite Dish: Chicken with mushroom sauce or .... I could go on and on.

This is an upper end of the price list floating restaurant. Lunch trips usually begin at 2pm or 2.30 and last two hours [half hour each way heading south; then half hour each way heading north].
The decor is 'Ancient Egyptian' but the food is Middle Eastern.
It is a relaxing way of seeing Cairo from the river.
There is usually a singer/musician performing while you eat your way through a variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, salads, vegetables and stews. And the desserts include Um Ali, ice cream, gateaux, fruit.

Favorite Dish: I can't get enough of any of it , but I'll opt for
Um Ali because it is just so delicious, especially topped with ice cream..

Cortigiano (not sure about the spelling) located in Misr Al Jadida. A very popular excellent Italian restuarant. One thing I noticed in Egypt is that restuarants does not have a specific timings. Anytime you go in the restuarant you'll findf people sitting in especially during holidays.