Some of us just don’t want to leave home. But we don’t want to stay home.
To break that indecisiveness of “do I fight traffic to get to downtown, or, conversely, have iftar at home again...” try out these spots in your Heliopolis neighbourhood.
Just like anywhere during Ramadan, we suggest you make a reservation.
Every week Ahram Online will focus on a Cairo neighbourhood that has a nice café culture: the first series was on Zamalek and the following will be on Maadi and Mohandessin. If you have any suggestions and the menu to go along with it, send it to artedalia.egypt[@]gmail.com.
Massala, Rooftop restaurant
Karvin Hotel
11 Mohamed Ebeid St
El-Saba’a el Emarat Square, Heliopolis
Tel.: 26906453
Each Egyptian menu is LE 90, All Inclusive 12% Service Charge + 10% Sales Tax
Although this is an Indian restaurant, they offer an Egyptian Ramadan Menu as well as an Indian Ramadan Menu (sounds flexible to me)
Each Egyptian Menu offers:
Choice of 2 salads: Yoghurt, Babaghanoug, Cole Slaw or Tommeya
Choice of 1 appetizer: Dolmades or Sambousek
Sides: Oriental, continental and Indian breads
Choice of 1 soup: Sharia, Veggie, Lissan Asfour
Choice of 1 dessert: Kheer (Indian Basmati Rice Pudding) Indian carrot dessert with vanilla ice cream, Om Ali or assorted “oriental” pastries
Drinks: Khoshaf, Apricot or Tamr Hindi Juice, and post-meal mint tea or coffee
Menu A:
Main: Mixed Grill
Minced Meat Macaroni with Parmesan & Torly (baked veggies in tomato sauce)
Menu B:
Grilled chicken with herbs, khalta Rice, bamya (okra), meat tajin
Menu C:
Escalope pane, sharia rice, meat and potato tajin
Indian Menu: LE 100 All Inclusive 12% Service Charge + 10% Sales Tax
Fresh Mango Juice
Salads: cucumber, boondi raita, assorted pickled veggies
Appetizers: sambousek, piaji, aloo mattar tikki
Breads: Nan (plain or garlic), tawa paratha, tandoori roti
Rice: basmati pea pillau
Main dish: shish kebab, chicken malai kebab, boneless buttered chicken, yellow lentils
Dessert, choose from: gulab jamun, fresh fruit salad, gajar
El Sit Hosneya (Lady Hosneya)
Airport Rd. on corner with Oruba Street
Inside Oasis D' Heliopolis, behind Caltex Gas Station
The Oasis is an under-a-thatched-roof food court, where you can even order sushi and Asian food along with your iftar meal. Although it's a bit far out, you aren't encased in a building, and the low couches give a relaxed feel. Karaoke is a highlight of the night sometimes, so call ahead of time.
All menus offer:
Qmr el deen (Apricot drink), dates with milk
Menu 1: LE 135, Prices do not include 12% service charge
Soup: Cream of Chicken Soup
Salads: tomato and cucumber salad, yoghurt dip, pickled veggies, qateyf cream-stuffed sweet pastry
Main dish: Veal and okra tajin
Fetah (rice, minced meat, eggplant dish) a la Sit Hosneyya
Assorted dolmades
Chicken stuffed with rice and nuts, French fries
Dessert: “oriental” sweets
Menu 2: LE 185, Prices do not include 12% service charge
Soup: lissan asfour
Mezza: tomato and cucumber salad, yoghurt dip, babaghanoug, qateyf cream-stuffed sweet pastry
Main dish: veal and lissan asfour tajin, zucchini tajin with béchamel sauce, dolmades
Main: Mixed meat grill, rice with nuts and spices
Dessert: Rice pudding with nuts
Menu 3
Drinks: traditional Ramadan drinks and dates with milk
Soup: pea soup
Mezza: tomato and cucumber salad, tahine, yoghurt dip, babaghanoug, chicken liver
Side dish: veal and okra tajin, fetah (rice, minced meat, eggplant dish) a la Sit Hosneyya, assorted dolmades
Main dish: Leg of veal with pine nuts, plum sauce, rice and gravy
Dessert: sweet pumpkin dessert
Sonesta Hotel
3 El Tayaran St, right off of Salah Salem Rd
Nasr City/Heliopolis
Tel.:22641111
Sonesta offers five iftar menu sets ranging from LE135-195, as well as an open buffet. Their pool, sheltered from the streets by the hotel itself is a great backdrop. Tack on the service and taxes to the tag, though!
Open buffet: LE150, 12% service charge and taxes apply
Cold mezzas: cold cuts, dolmades, boussara, kobeba, rokkak pie stuffed with minced meat
Soup (select one): Lentil, tomato, mushroom, vermicelli or veggie soup
Vegetables (two items daily): potato tajin with either molokheyya, spinach, okra, mousaka, maklouba, torly (baked mixed veggies in red sauce)
Grilled selection (two items daily): kebab, kofta, shish tawouk, veal kebab
Main dish (three items daily): fried seabass, lamb rice dish, chicken rice dish with yoghurt, baked chicken with garlic lemon, kofta, daoud pasha, kebab, lamb kebsa, chicken with herbs and potatos, chicken abazeya, chicken sharkasya
Sides: Firik, rice with spices, sautéed veggies, foul, lasagne
Desserts: assorted “oriental” sweets, konafa, basbousa, katayef, baklava, lokomates, mahlabeyya, rice pudding, Om Ali and dry fruit salad
Post-meal drink: tea with mint
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