Egypt captivates travelers with its ancient pyramids, majestic Nile River, and vibrant culture spanning over 5,000 years. From the iconic Sphinx and Valley of the Kings to bustling Cairo bazaars and Red Sea coral reefs, Egypt offers an unforgettable journey through history and natural beauty.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Egypt through its food.
Cairo Street Food Safari
A guided walking tour through Downtown Cairo and Islamic Cairo sampling Egypt's most beloved street foods — ful medames, ta'ameya falafel, koshari, hawawshi, and konafa pastry. The tour visits vendors that have been operating for generations.
Includes: Sample 8–10 iconic Egyptian street foods including ful medames, ta'ameya falafel, koshari, hawawshi, and konafa · Walk through Downtown Cairo and Islamic Cairo with an English-speaking guide knowledgeable in food history · Visit multi-generational vendors whose recipes and locations have remained unchanged for decades · Receive a cold karkade hibiscus drink and a take-home recipe booklet included in the tour price
Khan el-Khalili Spice and Food Market Tour
Explore the spice alleyways and food stalls of Cairo's medieval bazaar with a guide who explains the uses of Egyptian spices, dried herbs, and unique ingredients. Includes visits to historic tea houses and a koshari restaurant for lunch.
Includes: Explore the spice alleys of Khan el-Khalili, one of the world's oldest continuously operating bazaars · Taste and identify Egyptian pantry staples including dried karkade, nigella sativa, and molokhia · Sit down for a full koshari lunch at a long-running local restaurant inside the bazaar · End the tour with mint tea at El-Fishawy coffeehouse, a 250-year-old Cairo institution
Zamalek Gourmet Evening Tour
An evening culinary tour through Cairo's most cosmopolitan island neighborhood, visiting artisan bakeries, upscale mezze restaurants, and rooftop cocktail bars. Explores the fusion of Egyptian tradition with contemporary Cairo's food scene.
Includes: Visit four curated Zamalek venues — artisan bakery, mezze restaurant, pastry shop, and rooftop bar · Taste modern Egyptian mezze including charcoal-roasted baba ghanoush and herb-stuffed vine leaves · Sample classic Egyptian sweets: konafa, basbousa semolina cake, and Om Ali rice pudding · Finish at a Nile-view rooftop bar with a welcome cocktail and panoramic Cairo skyline views
Nile Felucca Iftar or Dinner Cruise
A private traditional Egyptian felucca decorated with lanterns serves a traditional Egyptian dinner on the Nile at sunset. The menu features mezze, kofta, grilled chicken, and Om Ali dessert while Nubian music plays softly in the background.
Includes: Dine on a private lantern-lit felucca on the Nile at sunset, decorated with traditional fabrics and lanterns · Three-course Egyptian dinner: cold mezze, grilled kofta and chicken, and warm Om Ali pudding · Live Nubian music performed aboard throughout the two-hour cruise · Operates as an iftar experience at Ramadan sunset or as a romantic evening dinner year-round
Alexandria Seafood and History Tour
A full-day trip from Cairo combining a visit to the Qaitbay Citadel with lunch at one of Alexandria's legendary fish restaurants on the corniche. Includes visits to the local fish market and afternoon pastry stops at the historic Trianon Patisserie.
Includes: Travel from Cairo to Alexandria by first-class train and visit the 15th-century Qaitbay Citadel overlooking the Mediterranean · Choose fresh catch at Alexandria's harbor fish market and have it prepared at a corniche restaurant · Lunch at one of Alexandria's legendary seafood restaurants using the city's unique choose-and-cook market model · Afternoon pastry tasting at Trianon Patisserie, an Alexandrian institution founded in 1905 · Full-day guided experience including train tickets, entrance fees, fish lunch, and all city transfers
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Egypt's food scene.
Street food tours
Cairo's street food tours cover ful medames carts, ta'ameya stalls, koshari shops, liver sandwiches, and late-night koshk milk drink stands. Best areas are Downtown Cairo and Islamic Cairo
Market tours
The Khan el-Khalili and Ataba markets reward food-focused visits for spices, dried fruits, local cheeses, and street snacks. Aswan's souq is renowned for Nubian spice blends and dried hibiscus
Restaurant tours
Multi-course restaurant experiences at Cairo restaurants like Abou El Sid, Felfela, and Zooba provide introductions to elevated Egyptian cuisine in atmospheric settings
Specialty tours
Konafa and kunafa pastry workshops in Islamic Cairo, umm ali pudding cooking classes, and Egyptian tea ceremony experiences are available through specialist tour operators
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Egypt home with you.
Cairo Home Cooking Experience
Join an Egyptian home cook in her apartment kitchen in Dokki for a hands-on lesson preparing ful medames, ta'ameya, stuffed vine leaves, and Om Ali rice pudding. Ends with eating everything you cooked together.
Egyptian Cuisine Masterclass at Sofitel
The Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah's executive chef leads a masterclass covering the fundamentals of Egyptian cuisine including mezze preparation, tagine cooking, and Egyptian pastry making in a professional hotel kitchen.
Nubian Cooking Class in Aswan
Learn to cook traditional Nubian dishes including spiced fish grilled on desert sand, Nubian lentil soup, and sesame-based sweets with a Nubian family in their colorful riverside home in the villages west of Aswan.
DIY self-guided food tour
Cairo's self-guided food tour begins in Downtown Cairo and loops through Islamic Cairo, providing a comprehensive introduction to Egyptian food culture in half a day
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Stop 1: Koshary Abou Tarek (16 Maarouf Street, Downtown) — Egypt's most famous koshari restaurant open since 1950, three floors of the classic lentil-rice-pasta dish
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Stop 2: El-Abd Bakery (Talaat Harb Street) — Pick up fresh Egyptian feteer pastry and cream-filled konafa for breakfast
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Stop 3: El-Fishawy Coffeehouse (Khan el-Khalili) — Cairo's most atmospheric historic cafe, mint tea and shisha in a 1773-era coffeehouse
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Stop 4: Hadj Abdel Fattah ful and ta'ameya cart (near Al-Azhar) — The neighborhood's most-loved morning falafel stall
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Stop 5: Zoba (multiple Downtown locations) — Modern Egyptian street food restaurant for karkade juice and modern takes on traditional sandwiches
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Egyptian street food is remarkably cheap — a full koshari meal costs EGP 30-50 ($1-1.70) at authentic local shops
Ramadan is the best time for food tourism — the iftar tables set out after sunset offer extraordinary variety of special dishes unavailable year-round
The freshest fish in Cairo is at the Nile Corniche fish restaurants in Giza — choose your live fish from the tank and have it grilled on the spot
Aswan's Nubian cuisine is distinct from Cairo's — look for kamounia (offal in cumin sauce) and Nubian spiced lentil soup
Karkade (hibiscus flower tea) is drunk hot or cold throughout Egypt — the dried flowers sold in Aswan's souq are the freshest in the country
El-Fishawy in Khan el-Khalili has been serving mint tea continuously since 1773 — it never closes, even during Ramadan
Konafa (shredded wheat filled with cream or nuts, drenched in syrup) is Egypt's most beloved dessert — the finest versions are found in specialist konafa shops in Zamalek and Heliopolis