Eat · Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili
El Fishawy café (Khan el-Khalili)
The old bazaar café for mint tea and shisha: a rest node in the evening; check the price before you order.
- One of Cairo's oldest coffeehouses
- Mirrored walls and old photographs
- Open into the small hours
- Order: Tea, coffee, sheesha
- Tables and stools
- Walk-in window: 17:00–22:00
- Queue risk: late night
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
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Map & directions
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Plan
Open now, when you can walk in, what to order
Go now?
Open?
Hours not published
Easiest walk-in
17:00–22:00
Reservations
Walk-in, no reservation
Per person
EGP 40–702026 estimate · check
Walk-in windows
A walk-in lunch is only planned as primary when your arrival lands outside the “impossible” window.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
How to order, tip and pay, allergies, and booking
Tipping
Service is usually on the bill already; unlike in the US, don't add 15–20% on top.
Allergies and diets
- AskVegetarian · Easy — tea, coffee and karkade are all plant-based; snacks vary. · say: “أنا نباتي (ana nabaati)”
- Not on fileNo sugar · Straightforward for tea and coffee; confirm for any pre-mixed drink. · say: “من غير سكر (min gheir sukkar)”
Paying
- Ask the price before you order anything without a visible menu price; confirm whether a service charge is added to the bill.
Booking
- Booking
- Walk-in, no reservation
- Reservations
- Not taken
- Note
- Walk-in; not confirmed.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where this place is, how to get there, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
How to order here, in full
How to order here
The order of play at the counter or table, what to say, how much to order and how to pay.
No shared language? Point at the dish or a photo of it. For a printed menu, translate a photo of it.
What to say
| In English | Say or show | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| How much is this? | بكام ده؟ | bikam da |
| No sugar, please | من غير سكر | min gheir sukkar |
| The bill, please | الحساب لو سمحت | el-hesab law samaht |
| Hello | أهلاً | ahlan |
| Thank you | شكراً | shukran |
Extras, condiments and what costs extra
- Coal refills for sheesha: Often charged per refill — Ask the price of a refill before nodding yes to another one.
- Nuts or snacks placed on the table unasked: Charged if opened — Push them back politely if you did not order them.
- Bread and a small side (tahini, pickles) often arrive unasked and are usually free — but confirm if unsure, especially at tourist-facing places.
Paying and tipping
Service is usually on the bill already; unlike in the US, don't add 15–20% on top.
- Ask the price before you order anything without a visible menu price; confirm whether a service charge is added to the bill.
- Tipping: Small tips are expected widely — for a bag carried, a toilet attendant, a site guard who points something out. It is a normal part of daily transactions, not begging.
At the table
- Eat where the pot or the grill has fast turnover; a queue of locals is a good sign, not a bad one.
- Ask the price of anything without a printed menu before you order, especially at tourist-area cafés near major sights.
Paying, diet and allergies
Diet and allergies
Yes means there is something for you; ask means possible with care; no means go elsewhere.
- Vegetarianask
Easy — tea, coffee and karkade are all plant-based; snacks vary.
Show: أنا نباتي (ana nabaati)
- No sugarnot on file
Straightforward for tea and coffee; confirm for any pre-mixed drink.
Show: من غير سكر (min gheir sukkar)
Who it suits, booking and the kitchen
Show the kitchen
Tap a need to get a large screen you can hold up to staff. The wording is the guide’s; a helper who reads the language should confirm it if your allergy is serious.
Comfort, facts and cons
Hygiene and comfort
- Seating
- Tables and stools
- Kids
- kids' menu: no · stroller: poor · Fine for older children for a short stop; smoke and crowds make it less suited to babies
- Access
- step-free: partial · Street-level seating spills into the lane; narrow aisles between tables
Hygiene
- Shared sheesha mouthpieces are usually disposable plastic tips, replaced per customer — confirm a fresh tip is used.
- Busy, smoky and crowded in the evening; if you are sensitive to smoke, sit near an open lane rather than deep inside.
Facts
- Reservations
- Not taken — Walk-in; not confirmed.
- Capabilities
- food · seated_rest
- Diet
- vegetarian: unknown · gluten free: unknown · halal: unknown
- Getting there
- Inside the Khan el-Khalili lanes (field-verify) · ~3 min walk
Cons
- Smoky and busy in the evening.
- Tea and shisha are priced separately: ask first.
Dish glossary
| On the menu | What it is | Order it how |
|---|---|---|
| شاي بالنعناع (shai bi na'na) | Black tea with fresh mint. | The default order; ask for extra mint if you want it stronger. |
| شيشة (sheesha) | Water pipe, flavoured tobacco. | Priced per pipe, often per hour of coal refills — ask before your first refill. |
| قهوة تركي (ahwa turki) | Turkish-style coffee, thick and settled at the bottom of the cup. | Say 'sokkar wasat' (medium sugar) or 'sokkar ziyada' (extra sweet) or 'saada' (no sugar) when ordering. |
| كركديه (karkade) | Hibiscus tea, hot or iced. | A good caffeine-free alternative to coffee or black tea. |
Price check
- locals pay
- A tea or coffee alone is about EGP 40–70 (2026 estimate); locals rarely order sheesha here at tourist prices.
- tourist price
- Tea plus a sheesha commonly runs EGP 100–200 total; not a scam at a landmark café, but ask the price of the pipe and any coal refill before it starts.
- rule
- Ask the price before you order anything without a visible menu price; confirm whether a service charge is added to the bill.
| Extra on the table | Typical charge | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Coal refills for sheesha | Often charged per refill | Ask the price of a refill before nodding yes to another one. |
| Nuts or snacks placed on the table unasked | Charged if opened | Push them back politely if you did not order them. |
Deep dive
Questions, alternatives, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Do I need to order sheesha?
No, tea or coffee alone is fine and normal.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is it touristy?
Yes, it is on every guidebook's list, but locals still use it too — go for the atmosphere, not for a quiet local secret.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Can I pay by card?
Plan on cash in Egyptian pounds; card acceptance has not been confirmed by Voykit.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
If it is closed or full
All places to eat in Cairo, with filters →
Used as a seated rest node in Cairo in 4 days.
Sources
- secondaryWikivoyage — Cairo (drink)
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Source: Price per person
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Prices are 2026 estimates from the menu or the price line on file. Check on the day.
Source: Opening hours
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Source: Best time
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The easiest walk-in window or the quietest hour in this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.