Maadi is home to quite a few restaurants and cafes (Road 9 is just about ready to burst at the seams with them), but how many of them can you actually have a laid-back beer or a glass of wine at while having lunch or dinner?
So if you’ve had a long day at work and want to eat, unwind and avoid chaotic cafes or seedy bars, these Maadi destinations are for you.
1. Estro
Cuisine: Italian
Also known as the ‘Sicilian Rooftop’, this restobar is found on the 9th floor of the Royal Maadi Hotel on Road 18. Opened by the same owners of Frank &Co, Maadi’s favorite tapas bar (below), Estro delivers the same quality but this time in the form of Italian favorites.
Local tip: go right before sunset, the views are awesome. Reservations needed.
2. Bua Khao (now called Sala Thai)
Cuisine: Thai
Owned and spearheaded by a Thai family for the past 20 years, this award-winning little restaurant is hidden off of one of the many midans of Maadi. Bua Khao’s menu is large but not too large, with straightforward and sensible Thai dish descriptions instead of the generic “fish soup” menu entries found in many of Cairo’s other Asian restaurants. Beer and wine are served as well.
As of 2023 they changed their name to ‘Sala Thai’ (although everything else remained the same), but they’ll always be Bua Khao to us <3
3. Frank & Co
Cuisine: International
As mentioned above, Frank & Co has the same owners as Estro, so it makes sense that they’re right next to each other on Road 18 (albeit Frank & Co is street level while Estro is a rooftop). Frank & Co opened a few years back as a much-needed tapas bar in Maadi, and has both indoor and outdoor seating.
4. Joy Luck
Cuisine: Chinese
Maadi is the epicenter for little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants, and Joy Luck has been a favorite for many a year now. It’s not fancy or even ambient in the slightest, but it’s where you go when you want your fill of dumplings, noodles, and other Chinese menu classics. They don’t openly serve beer but you can ask, and you can also bring your own.
Local tip: Joy Luck is small and the tables fill up fast, so try to avoid weekend nights if you don’t want to wait for a table.
5. Kokio
Cuisine: Korean
Ah, Kokio, the king of fried chicken (sorry KFC). This little Korean restaurant is known by all those Maadi-savvy (and chicken-savvy) for having literally some of the best fried chicken in the country. They have original, spicy, soy (flavored with onion, garlic and crushed red pepper), garlic fried, onion fried, and you can order half a chicken or full chicken (or chicken tenders). You can also wash down all that fried goodness with beer.
6. Villa Belle Epoque
Cuisine: International
This converted villa-turned-boutique hotel is hidden down one of Maadi’s little leafy streets, making it the perfect spot for dinner and drinks away from crowds. Villa Belle Epoque’s restaurant serves its meals next to their small pool, surrounded by trees and flowers.
They have an extensive food menu, but don’t serve alcohol. You are however allowed to bring your own liquor bottles or wine with you, which they’ll then serve you.
7. Tawlet Yvonne
Cuisine: Lebanese
In a corner courtyard nestled away from the honks of the streets is Tawlet Yvonne, a little restaurant and cafe that celebrates home-cooked Lebanese food. They have an extensive menu of Lebanese classics, as well as shisha and local Egyptian wine, beer and arak.
8. Bistro Paris
Cuisine: French/international
Above Tawlet Yvonne and Caribou Coffee on the same leafy street in Maadi is Bistro Paris, a restobar with a small but to the point menu, as well as local wine, beer and cocktails. Undoubtedly Bistro Paris’ claim to fame is its outdoor balcony, which is open as early as 9 am every morning if you want a shady outdoor spot to have breakfast, or somewhere ambient to have dinner & drinks at night.
9. Lan Yuan
Cuisine: Chinese
Lan Yuan has been open for the past 25 years at least, so what does that tell you about its staying power? It’s small and cozy and has all the Chinese staples you’d expect, for reasonable prices as well — and the food is good. They also have a full (local) bar so while some people go for dinner and a drink, some just go for a quiet drink.
10. Gaya
Cuisine: Korean
Gaya is known for being one of the best Korean restaurants in Cairo as a whole, not just Maadi. They’ve been open for over 20 years, and have a massive menu of Korean dishes (unlike Kokio which just sticks mainly to Korean fried chicken). Gaya also has a ‘grill on the table’ option, where you can cook up your bulgogi (grilled beef) or other meats of your choice yourself. Beer is served.
11. Sakura Sushi
Cuisine: Japanese
A tiny place in Degla serving up all your sushi cravings — and if you have a friend who isn’t the fondest of sushi, they also have teppanyaki, rice, noodle dishes and soups. And like the rest of the restaurants on this list, beer is served. Closed on Sundays.
12. Swiss Cottage
Cuisine: Swiss
Swiss Cottage is a Maadi staple during winter and the Christmas season when they deck themselves out in holiday cheer. But their fondue, raclette, and ‘cook your own meat’ are just as good year-round. They don’t serve alcohol themselves but you can bring your own bottle and pay a corkage fee. Reservations recommended because the restaurant only has a few tables and fills up during dinner.
You might also like: 10 Best Breakfast, Brunch and Bakeries in Maadi
