Felfela Alaa el-Din Restaurant, commonly known as Felfela, is a quiet haven from the bustle and chaos of downtown Cairo. Opened in 1959, Felfela is well-known for serving good Egyptian food at very reasonable prices.

As you step off the busy street, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The eclectic décor, which includes vines hanging from a trellis, photos of President Carter’s visit, an aviary, fish tank, an old-fashioned radio, and oriental carafes, evokes Cairo of the 1950s. It’s unusual, but it’s charming and the whole place feels like an oasis of calm from the streets of Cairo.

There are few places in downtown Cairo where you can order alcohol, and Felfela is a great place to enjoy a late afternoon beer after a work day. Although the beer was expensive (37LE for a Heineken), it was also served with a complementary side dish of bread and fava bean dip flavoured with parsley, garlic and onion.

The menu includes pasta, pizza, beef and chicken sandwiches, but it’s best to order Egyptian specialties such as koshary (a pasta, rice and lentil dish served with a tomato sauce), foul (fava beans) and taameya (Egyptian falafel).

We ordered stuffed vine leaves (25LE), a Mediterranean dish also common in Egypt, as an entrée. The flavour was really good, and it was served on a bed of tomatoes and onions. Our main dish was kebab and kofta (60LE), which was served with rice. The lamb kofta was a bit fatty, but the chicken kebab was good.

The service was prompt and efficient, and waiters wearing dress attire with bow ties added to the classy atmosphere of the restaurant. If you are in downtown Cairo and looking for some good Egyptian food, we would recommend Felfela.