Felfela Restaurant, Cairo

Located in downtown Cairo, steps from Talaat Harb Street, Felfela is Cairo's most famous restaurant for traditional Egyptian cuisine. The large dining room is cavernous and divided into several areas, each of which is decorated with old world antiques. Due to its fame and ability to accommodate large groups, Felfela is popular among tourists. However, it is also popular among the Cairene population. It is well worth a visit for a safe introduction to authentic Egyptian cuisine.

Favorite Dish: Koshari and Om Ali (for dessert).

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A great old restaurant, with good service and very good food.
The interior/decor is difficult to describe, but needs to be experienced!
Some great local food and also vegeterian options.
Remember that taxes of about 22% gets added to the bill.

Favorite Dish: Kofta

I thought it was only an ordinary take away cafe in Giza. After reading the tips from other members, I found out that Felfela is a chain restaurant actually. Anyway, the one I am going to write is Felfela cafe, JUST FOR TAKE AWAY, in Giza near the pyramids. I and my friend took the step pyramids, Giza tour and shopping, and sound and the light show within a day so eating our lunch in a restaurant could waste our time in Giza. Drop by in Felfela cafe to take your food and eat your lunch in the car when you go to the pyramids. Eating in the car will be ok for most of the tour cars. There will be many people in that cafe. You just go to the cashier first and ask her/his advices for your meal, they can speak English well. Pay your meal, collect your coupon, and give your it to the attendants, on the sides of the cashier. Your meal will be ready within a minute. It is located on the main road and having limited parking area. Well, it is only a fast food take away cafe, you can not accept more. Anyway, the taste is good and you could spend more time in the pyramids instead of the restaurant.:-))

Favorite Dish: Try shawarma chicken, a sandwich with marinated chicken grill filling. Shishtawouk is a good choice for a heavier meal. There is a big pancake with the honey on top. I forget what the name is.

We late-lunched at Felfela off or Tahir square at 15 Sharia Hoda Shaarawi. Simple and tasty middle-eastern vegetarian faire. (mid-eastern salads, beans, falafel ). Disappointing that in the Egyptian cuisine, humus is not a special salad. The lentil soup was a treat with a subtlety of spices and accompanying fresh lemon (actually lime). Four of us ate for EP 100 including tax and added-in tip.

For more information and links, check my website:
http://www.cairotour.org/eating.htm

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Very clean. No Egyptian bottom afterwards. Good choice of Egyptian and other foods average price around 80p per meal. I bought 3 main courses, 3 sweets and 3 drinks and the whole bill came to about LE800 (about £7.90).

Favorite Dish: Fillet steak. Ask for it well done though just to be on the safe side.

Listed as one of the "Must Do's" in Cairo by Frommers, Felfela restaurant is one of those places you either hate or love...judging by past reviews on VT and other similar sights.

We found it delicious, enjoyable, great ambiance and overall, a wonderful way to sample some local food with the aide of very helpful staff who tediously explained to us and aided with recomendations.
We would make this a must go in any future trips to Egypt.

Having gone during Rhamadan, the place was quiet and service was impeccable, I don't know if this contributed to our experience or not.

Favorite Dish: The food is all served at once, and I admit, can be overwhelming when you first see the numerous dishes arrive!
Have no fear, you'll get through them all and only after you've had a chance to take it all in, do ou realize it is pre-portioned according to number in your party! We each had "just enough" for a sampling of each item!

We particularly enjoyed the tahini, the lamb kabobs and the felafels were EXCELLENT! Hot, delicious and fresh with fresh herbs, they melted in our mouths.
The Fava beans were also eqaully wonderful as was the lentil paste with lemon.

We enjoyed non-alcoholic beer and sodas for drinks.

Meal was included as part of our "tour" but have it understood that it is quite affordable and reasonable to eat here.

We would happily recomend this place to our clients/friends when visiting Cairo.

This restaurant chain seems to pride itself in its decor. Both the ones I tried near the Giza pyramids and the one in central Cairo just of Midan Talaat Haarb have their own special safari/rainforest decor. They don't stinge on it either, so the resulting ambience is quite unique and pleasant.

For a quiet evening without leaving central Cairo, consider the one off Talat Haarb street. Tables are spaced far apart, and there's a hush all over the place.

Favorite Dish: Try the ice cream dessert that comes with rice pudding. It's a magical concoction on a hot day!

Has an extensive selection of everything Egyptian and desserts such as rice pudding. The larger joints also have clear English menus. Pay first at the counter and present the bill by the food collection counter to get your meal. Cheap but relatively efficient, though it can be overwhelmed during peak times due to its popularity with the locals as well.

Also ate twice at Felfela's proper restaurant joints, and the decor is a great plus. Charge quite a bit more due to taxes, so opt for fastfood if you need to save.

French fries also bear the greatest resemblance to those seen in western countries, so good for those feeling homesick.

A meal would only cost about LE 5.

Favorite Dish: Chicken shawarma is great! It's the way they grill it and the flavourings... just GREAT.

But you can't go wrong with most of the dishes like kebab and kofta.