Egypt's bowl of everything

Name: Koshari Cairo
Address: Downtown Cairo Koshari Counter
Telephone: +00 000 000 0061
Price range: €€

A table here is never finished. Plates keep arriving until someone gives in.

Cold mezze · Hot mezze · From the fire Cold mezze · Hot mezze · From the fire

Six layers, in this order

Tap to take the bowl apart. Put it back together and you have the only dish Egypt agrees on.

Rice1
Short grain, cooked with a little vermicelli browned in ghee. This is the floor of the bowl.
Lentils2
Brown lentils, cooked separately so they hold. Mixed through the rice, never on top of it.
Pasta3
Small macaroni. Yes, both. This is not the mistake you think it is.
Chickpeas4
A handful, warm. The only layer anyone is allowed to ask for extra of.
Tomato sauce5
Sharp with vinegar and cumin. Poured, not stirred, so the layers stay legible.
Fried onions6
The whole point. Fried until nearly too dark, which is exactly dark enough.

Cold mezze

Hot mezze

From the fire

A table here is never finished. Plates keep arriving until someone gives in.

Everything cold is made in the morning, everything hot when you order it, and the bread does not stop coming.

Found it by accident on a walk home and have been back twice since. If the Falafel is on when you go, order it before you read the rest of the menu. A small menu, done properly, which is the right way round.
Emma V.5 weeks ago
We had ninety minutes before a train and said so at the door; they made it work. The Shish Taouk was worth the wait, and there was a wait. There is no shortage of places to eat in Downtown Cairo Koshari Counter and most are not this.
Nikos P.2 months ago
First proper meal out since the baby arrived, so the bar was high. Even my daughter, who eats almost nothing, cleared the Lamb Meshwi. It is the first place I have gone back to twice in a month in years.
Ida M.3 months ago

In the room

A table here is never finished. Plates keep arriving until someone gives in.

Everything cold is made in the morning, everything hot when you order it, and the bread does not stop coming.

"Through the week"

"Finding us"

Downtown Cairo Koshari Counter · Tue-Sun 12:00-15:00, 18:00-23:00

One size of bowl. Two if you are honest with yourself.