Mazeej, is a jewellery-box of a hotel hidden down a dark street in Downtown Cairo. Once you’ve stepped through the majestic ancient doors you’ll feel like you’ve entered into a minimalist but luxurious Oriental world, the setting for a 50s spy novel perhaps, where a mix of the old and the new come together. The rooftop bar and restaurant is the place to go for impeccable cocktails, where a melee of local hipsters converge nightly

This funky concept store in Downtown Cairo is quietly reinterpreting retail. 6901 opened its doors during Cairo Design Week in 2025. Founded by the man behind Maison69, it feels less like a shop and more like a sequence of spaces to flip between – part shop, part restaurant, part venue. Inside, traditional tailoring sits alongside contemporary cuts, Egyptian plates and stuffed sandwiches are served up canteen-style and new tracks spin out from a vinyl station.

Abou Tarek has a humble exterior, but it has fast become the most famous Koshary restaurant in downtown Cairo. Hearty and delicious this Egyptian staple, consisting of pasta, fried rice and lentils topped with tomato, chickpeas, and onions, is the perfect pick-me-up. And, demonstrative of some good fast-food!

Cafe Riche, has been a meeting place/bar in downtown Cairo for bohemians, intellectuals and revolutionaries since it opened in 1908. It has lost none of its allure and still feels beautifully seedy and louche. This is the place to go if you want to take the city’s temperature. Smoking (like everywhere in Cairo) is allowed indoors, which is why locals congregate to chew the fat, gossip and enjoy life, music and opinions on full blast.