Naguib Mahfouz: Egyptian food inside Khan El Khalili

One of the most traditional and touristic restaurants in Cairo is the famous Naguib Mahfouz. The place is located inside Khan El-Khalili, the biggest bazaar of Cairo, visited by millions of tourists. The restaurant serves traditional Egyptian food, including plates for lunch and breakfast.

Naguib Mahfouz coffee shop and Khan El-Khalili restaurant

Naguib Mahfouz is a coffee shop named as a tribute to the Nobel prize-winner Egyptian novelist. Running by the same owners in the same place is the restaurant called Khan El-Khalili, as the market. The Naguib Mahfouz coffee shop serves drinks and also snacks. Khan El Khalili restaurant has a menu with oriental plates.

Both can be accessed through the same door. Opened in 1989, the place keeps the arabesque décor and all traditional and luxury Arab styles. All design takes you back to the Fatimid Caliphate era. From the paintings and the furniture to the uniform of the staff.

Pictures of the interior of the restaurant. The golden tables contrast with the dark wood of the chairs. On the wall, patterned sofas and cushions also serve as seats. The wood and stone wall has ornate mirrors. The floor has tiles that make up a pattern in black, white and gold. — Internal view of the restaurant. We read a sign that photos aren’t allowed after we took several pictures. We don’t know why and nobody told us otherwise. However, we couldn’t fail to register the beautiful decoration of the place.

Internal view of the restaurant. We read a sign that photos aren’t allowed after we took several pictures. We don’t know why and nobody told us otherwise. However, we couldn’t fail to register the beautiful decoration of the place.

On the menu, you will find the most traditional Egyptian food. Including really local plates like Koshari, but for much more expensive prices than outside. That being said, the cleanness and service are also higher quality than you’ll find in most of the nearby restaurants. We chose two dishes: Shish Tawook and Veal.

Picture of two plates on the golden table. The plates have barbecued meat and vegetables. Fries and bread are also on the table. Two juices of mango are served on glasses.

The food in Khan El Khalili:

The meat plates come with your choice of side dish, which can be french fries or rice. We choose the Shish Tawook and Veal, which also come with grilled vegetables. The rice portion was really disappointing. For sure I would recommend the fries if you don’t want to leave the restaurant hungry.

Anyway, the taste was great. The food was well done, with emphasis on the chicken grilled and spices, and also the mango juice, which was super fresh. The restaurant serves its plates with traditional Egyptian bread. One more reason to choose fries and not rice, so you can do an Egyptian sandwich.

Plate with french fries, chicken cubes and grilled vegetables. In the background, Arab settlements. — Shish Tawook plate on the left and Veal on the right.

Dish with cubes of veal, grilled peppers and tomatoes. A mango juice in the background. — Shish Tawook plate on the left and Veal on the right.

In the end, the total of our order was:

Shish Tawook: 170 EGP
Veal: 230 EGP
2 Mango juices: 120 EGP

With services and charges, we paid a total of 663,94 EGP. I would say that this is a restaurant for one time only. It’s much more made for tourists than locals. The decoration and the location are really nice, but deftly you can find the same quality of food in other places for cheaper prices.