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Did you know Egypt invented falafel? Well, the scrumptious grassy green fava bean varietal that is. Tasty food is one of the great surprises of visiting the country and if you’re bold enough to independently travel in Egypt— you’re bold enough to dive into the street food scene. Here is the traditional Egyptian food you must try during your trip through the cradle of civilization.
*cue drool-worthy food photos*
17 Traditional Dishes to Try in Egypt
This is my list of favorite traditional Egyptian food & where you’ll find the best versions. Add these to your google maps asap. Actually…don’t worry, I’ll do it for you at the end.
Consider Joining The Best Street Food Tour in Cairo: A Chef’s Tour
We often had trouble finding more than falafel and pita when we aimlessly wandered around by ourselves. Don’t get me wrong…both are delicious. But this tour helps you to really uncover the foodie scene within the city from the eyes of your local guide. The best part? You’ll also come away with loads of information about the city as a whole and get to taste culturally important dishes and learn the significance behind them. And everything is absolutely delicious.
1. Koshari at Abu Tarek (Cairo)
Koshari or Koshary is the national dish of Egypt and is especially celebrated in Cairo. It’s a comforting pile of warm pasta, lentils, rice, fried onion strands, vinegar, tomato sauce, and spicy sauce. If you’ve done any research on Egypt you’ve probably heard of Abu Tarek. This multi-level fluorescent palace is renowned for making the best Koshari, in fact alongside tasty rice pudding, it’s all they do. They also hold the world record for the largest Koshari ever created. Don’t worry that’s not the one you’ll be eating.
Abu Tarek Hacks: Takeout is cheaper than dine-in & don’t worry the sauces are separate so it travels well. Also, be sure to get extra onions. They are fried and delicious.
2. Stuffed Pigeon
Yes, like the ones kind bench people feed rice too. This is one of those “once in a lifetime experience” eats rather than something that’s incredibly tasty. Because it’s just ok. Basically, like a small chicken stuffed to the beak with sweet heavily-spiced rice.
3. Kofta at Al Sayeda Zainab Restaurant (Luxor)
This might be my favorite meal in Arabic countries. Kofta is a traditional meatball often shaped on a iron skewer and roasted over an open flame. These particular Kofta were deliciously spiced, high-quality meat, and super affordable. Definitely give it a try.
Runner up: Muhammad’s in Luxor near the Valley of the Kings. This was more expensive and slightly different preparation. The meat balls were melt in your mouth soft and simmering in a lovely sauce.
4. Molokheya (Luxor)
This viscous vibrant green soup is typically poured over grilled chicken and rice. It’s vegetal and delicious. It’s also a rare good-for-you dish in Egypt.
5. Luquimat on TV street in Luxor
This freshly fried honey-drenched dough balls are worth flying across the world to Egypt for. You can also get them chocolate or sugar covered.
TV Street in Luxor: This is a great place to get some traditional Egyptian eats in Luxor after dark. There’s lots of fresh fruit juice and shawarma.
6. Fresh-Pressed Sugar Cane Juice
I’ve had this faintly green grassy juice all over Thailand & Southeast Asia but Egypt does it better. It’s less earthy and more refreshing. And they bother filtering out impurities and dirt flecks. Locate fresh juice shacks by the hanging fruit displayed in the window or large sugar cane stalks ready to be pressed.
Juice Hack: A small sugarcane juice is usually 5 Egyptian Pounds. The fresh guava is another Egyptian favorite.
7. Traditional Nubian Tagine (Aswan)
Unlike the Moroccan Tagine, Egyptian Tagine is just food cooked in any old clay pot in the fire. Nubians are big proponents of the cooking method. My two favorites are Camel meat Tagine at King Jamaicas on Elephantine Island (My favorite meal in all of Egypt) and this isolated traditional restaurant (named Camb on map) at the foot of the Sahara desert. Chicken is best here. Also, in all cases these Tagines are more than enough for two.
Interested in trying camel milk? Head to Daraw camel market and ask around. The best days to go are Tuesday/Wednesdays. This is really cool and underrated attraction in Egypt.
8. Beef Shawarma at Kazaz (Cairo)
I don’t know how I’ve made it this far down this list without mentioning Shawarma. This is the iconic Egyptian lunch. It’s available on every street in every city but this place is the best. It’s also very close to your hostel if you’re following my Egypt itinerary. If you don’t know what shawarma is…look for the giant spits of rotating meat. You can get chicken or beef in a pita wrap or on a fresh toasted roll. Typically, drenched in garlic sauce.
Hot tip: Across the street is another equally good shawarma Lebanese style. Al Hamra Street Restaurant. If you go at night you’ll have to wait 30 minutes and fight a huge crowd but the beef sausage shawarma is worth it.
9. Fava Bean Falafel
A traditional Egyptian food breakfast is always falafel. So much so, that you’ll probably get sick of it. Egypt’s falafel is made from a fava mixture rather than the traditional chickpea and fried to perfection. You can eat it plain, dipped in hummus, tucked into a pita with chips, fries, eggplant, or salad and topped with garlic sauce.
One of my favorite falafels was on the East Bank of Luxor near the Luxor Temple and another on the streets of Old Cairo. But neither compare to the tasty stuffed falafels of Hashem or the sandwiches at Al Quds in neighboring Jordan. Maybe I like the chickpea kind.
Ordering Hack: My favorite version of the falafel sandwiches were topped with Mousaka (Eggplant) & fries for texture. If you’re eating at a sketchy place skip the salad. But we never had a problem with food poisoning.
10. Ful from Colorful Street Carts
This is the most identifiable street cart in Egypt. Painted bright psychedelic colors these stands are always busy and serve up ful— a breakfast bean purée often eaten with fresh goat cheese, pita, and of course, falafel.
Speaking of Goat Cheese: I stayed at this the Old Nile Hotel, a lovely guesthouse in Luxor— on the West Bank of course. And they made the best goat cheese I’ve ever had for breakfast!! You get a whole array of dishes including eggs, fresh bread, goat cheese, ful, and tomato/cucumber for 50 Egyptian each morning. A room is also only 200 Egyptian so very affordable. I would skip the dinner though it’s pricy and not nearly as good.
11. Street Pizza (Cairo)
Numerous in Old Cairo, you can find these pita pizzas all over Cairo. For 5 Egyptian pounds, they are a filling snack. The Ancient Souk market in Aswan makes a variety that looks more like a folded roti with pizza topping inside.
12. Abd Desserts (Cairo)
This isn’t so much about one traditional Egyptian food item as it is visiting this crazy dessert institution. It’s always busy and makes fancy desserts, donuts, and amazing ice cream. I liked the donuts and ice cream better than the cakes.
13. Abo Nasser Crepe (Alexandria)
This entire corner is owned by the same company. You can get shawarma, Koshari, or these unique cheese-topped savory crepes filled with pizza-like ingredients and your choice of grilled or fried chicken.
It’s all good.
14. Brains & Liver at El Nasr (Cairo)
Get ready to really step out of your comfort zone. Egyptians love liver. You’ll see it everywhere and it’s the most common meat for random street sandwiches. El Nasr was highly recommended to us by a local for those of you who are exceptionally adventurous.
15. Egg Wrapped in Potato.
Take a hard boiled egg, mush potato around it, and fry it. Then put it in a pita like a falafel. I don’t have a favorite place for this one. It’s just worth trying.
16. Hawawashi
This is kinda like a small pastry sandwich with minced meat. It’s commonly sold all over the street in Egypt and one of the most popular traditional Egyptian foods for lunch.
17. Halal Macdonald’s
Hear me out. I’m firmly against everything Macdonald’s is about and rarely eat any kind of American fast food while traveling BUT in Egypt (and lots of other Arabic countries) Macdonald’s is the core of the social scene. Maybe it’s not traditional Egyptian food, but it’s a cultural experience for sure. And the meat is halal! Which makes it sit less like a brick in your stomach. The Big Macs were exceptional. And you can try green Fanta!
Egyptians love soda. Much of the world loves soda actually. But I developed a habit of guzzling 3 or 4 flavored Schweppes daily. My favorite is the pineapple or the lemon/mint flavor.
Map of my Favorite Traditional Egyptian Food
Obviously, there is a ton of traditional Egyptian food that didn’t make this list. Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite menu item or place that you think I should add to the list.
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