Thursday March 28th, 2024
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Best Venues That Opened in Cairo in 2014

No one should ever complain that there's nothing to do here...

Staff Writer

Olivo

From the brains behind Bar D'O, Olivo opened as Cairo's first ever pizzeria and bar oozing fun and sophistication, combining the gourmet food of Milan with the ultra-cool vibe of Manhattan. The cosy venue makes possibly the best Pizza in Cairo, no thanks to their traditional brick oven and chef, both imported from Italy. It has a fully stocked bar, and Japanese Pop art decorating the walls that change every month. Perfect for first dates, shela gatherings, and lonely nights with a whiskey in hand.

20 Taha Hussein Street, inside the New President Hotel

Despite still being in the process of construction, luxury shopping complex Galleria 40 plays host to some stunning scenery including their innovative and gorgeous 'Green Wall' as well as gourmet restaurant Ovio. The restaurant is a study in sleek-meets-industrial décor; black marble, glass and stainless steel abound. With everything from Veal Milanese to Papilotte of Salmon on offer, it has a distinctly European gourmet stamp yet sources from independent farms and suppliers, such as Makar Farms. The mall is also the very first green commercial building in our environmentally-unfriendly country and is set to house some mega designer stores from designer stores, from Versace to Moschino in 2015.
 
 

Plot 40, 26th July Street, Sixth of October

Riverside

This ultra-modern yet decidely quaint venue burst onto the scene in February this year, injecting a bit of dazzle back into the nightlife scene which has swayed very much to the urban and underground direction of late. Instead, the boutique hotel's bustling restobar has become a hub for the more sophisticated soirees in the city, becoming the go-to spot for a late dinner and a few drinks on weekdays, and a place to see and be seen on weekends. Their live music nights have become a hit with those who prefer the more refined things in life, as their international gourmet menu begs to be accompanied by a little finger snapping and toe tapping, while their venture into Deep House club nights recently has proved successful with the younger crowds. 

16 Montazah Street, Zamalek

Barbacoa

Maadi's latest Mexican sensation is Barbacoa. Posole, Fried fish tacos, chimichangas, steak quesadillas... all the authentic delights you could ever dream on at this full-on food fiesta. The restaurant is funky, bright and colorful and covered in plenty of the right kind of paraphernalia from sombreros to bull's heads with cool Latin alternative music (think mariachi ambient House) playing in the background adding to the vibe. The head chef is Alejandra Santos, fresh off her win on the second season of ‘Cocineros al Límite’ (Chef’s Limit), a sort of Masterchef South America.

Road 10, Maadi, Adjacent to Metro Supermarket

The Tap

No venue has conjured up the the same ecstatic energy as Maadi's new favourite watering hole this year. The British themed gastropub's decor stands out with rustic its red brick walls tagged with eye catching graffiti to portraits of cats and dogs dressed in imperial uniforms hanging over stylishly comfy booths. They have managed to lift the curse once attached to the space after a string of failed projects, using it's strange lay-out wisely, segmenting section between pub-style wooden benches, high tables, and a stage area that hosts an eclectic line up of Rock acts, stand up comedians and DJs as well as their now-infamous Monday Jam sessions. A few extra little touches make this a place to stay, like the massive Tap keg that comes to your table and a plethora of retro style arcade games, not to mention the always delicious cuisine. We recommend the wings or ribs.

17 Road 257, Maadi

Kafein

Downtown's newest haute hipster hot spot, Kafein, blends fuse a nice caffeine hit with a dollop of art and culture. Situated along Sharif Street the cafe features one of the capital's widest selections of coffees and regularly plays host to local artist exhibitions, film workshops and a lot of intellectual conversation over shisha.

28 Sharif Street, Abdeen

The Garden

Heliopolis finally found somewhere to party it up this year with the opening of The Garden in Korba. With its sprawling garden, rustic decor both indoor and out, and bountiful menu, it has come to be a place for weekend fist pumping with their selection of Cairo's best local spinners as well as perfect for an afternoon beer and burger.

25 Al Ahram Street, Heliopolis.

Arts Mart Gallery

Despite running online for quite sometime now as one of the Middle East's largest online art retailers, shining a spotlight on Egypt's fantastic local talent, this year they opened up their revolutionary physical space in 6th October. The massive warehouse-style building has the capacity to play host art installations, workshops, audio-visual art, studios and exhibit their more than 2,000 pieces currently in stock. They also hope to remove the pretentiousness attached to gallery browsing, ensuring the gallery always has a comfy atmosphere that allows new buyers to not be intimidated. 

22km, Cairo/Alex Desert Road

The Lemon Tree & Co

Cairo was introduced to the most Instagrammable venue ever this year with the effortlessly fluffy and quirky Lemon Tree. The space is wall to wall pastel colors, vegetation and rustic cool and treads the line perfectly between fine dining and night out. 

Imperial Boat, Saray El Gezirah St., Zamalek

TIU

The most talked about opening of the year saw party organising legends of it's former venue Tamarai and ByGanz team up for the shiny new super club that has all of Egypt's old money coming out to play once again. One big multi-leveled multi-faceted rooftop space inspired by the journey of a diamond that hosts the party to be at every week.

Nile City Towers, 2005 B, Corniche El Nil, Beaulac 

Room

Cairo is a city that is dying for alternative art spaces; the talent is there, they just need somewhere to express themselves and the more the merrier. Places like Room are a godsend giving dancers, experimental musicians and artists a place to create, collaborate and do their thing usually over a freshly brewed cup of coffee. The most interesting aspect of Room is it's venues heritage, the basement at 10 Tolombat Street, Garden City, used to be a war room and the building, nicknamed "Number 10" was the British Army headquarters during World War II.

10, Tolombat Steet, Garden City. 

Saachi

Cairo has long been asking for a fine dining establishment that concentrates on just that... dining. With an aim of providing a neighbourhood go-to dinner place that serves world class international cuisine and in an elegant European atmosphere with the buzz of conversation over wine and gourmet culinary plates, Saachi opened up early in the year and succeeded. Korba is thankful.

3 Cleopatra Street, Korba, Heliopolis

Eat & Barrel

Whilst rustic eateries such as The Lemon Tree have a more feminine feel, Eat & Barrel is brash, bold and masculine side to dining. It's branding is centered around their stunning interiors that feature barrel high-tables, chains, ropes and worn out industrial fixtures. The venue is huge, taking up the whole top floor space of the Sunset boat (yes, the one next to the Nacelle parties) and has probably the best Nile views you will find at any Corniche establishment and we can't wait for spring where the wind shields will come off to really enjoy it. Eat & Barrel can also lay claim to the best steak in Cairo at the moment. We recommend you check out their Friday Brunch & Barrel set menu with open beer and wine for 200 LE.

139 El Nil Street, Giza.