Koshary Abou Tarek

Both landmarks are a few minutes away on foot. The restaurant fills a four-storey building, and the dining floors get crowded at lunchtime with office workers, families and visitors. Upstairs is where a seat is usually easier to find.

Youssef Zaky, known as Abou Tarek, sold koshari from a cart around Downtown, a trade he took over from his father and grandfather. Egyptian Streets dates his start to 1963. He later rented a shop on the same street, which grew into the present building, and his original cart is on display outside.

Koshari layers rice, lentils, chickpeas and pasta and tops them with crisp fried onions. It comes with tomato sauce, chilli sauce and garlic vinegar, which you add yourself. Both the vinegar and the chilli are strong, so add them a little at a time. Takeaway is available.

A bowl cost about EGP 20 to 30 in 2022, and prices have risen with inflation since. One listing gives opening hours of 07:00 to 23:00 daily; confirm locally. There are no reservations, and a meal here takes well under an hour.

Abou Tarek has since grown into a chain with branches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and the Champollion Street building remains the largest. Fried bread crumbs, 'aish mouhammas, are served alongside as a crunchy extra. UNESCO has added koshari to its intangible cultural heritage list, and news reporters covering the decision went to this dining room to talk to the lunch crowd.

Sources: Egyptian Streets, 2022; The Sun (AFP), koshary on UNESCO list. Facts checked November 2026.