Caffeinated in Cairo: A SceneEats Guide to the Best Coffee in the City

Anyone who has lived in our beloved C-town for, say, more than three days has likely established, after precipitous interactions with the sheer speed of the city, that one could not go through life in Cairo without the use of stimulators. And by stimulators we mean caffeine. 

We may be world champions of settling for less, but the one thing the Cairene cannot settle for is a subpar cup of coffee, which is why we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of 29 caffeine dealerships across the city. Here is your guide to the coolest coffees in Cairo for city gworl escapades (macchiato in one hand and Austen in the other).

30 NORTH

Branches all over Cairo

The award-winning coffee house keeping Cairenes caffeinated all the way from history-crazed GEM peeps to Square One gals just came out with a spring blend to put you in bloom.

Nespresso

Delivers all over Cairo

Because real cool cats don’t have to leave the house to get caffeinated, you can now get your Nespresso caps delivered to your doorstep at near-instant delivery with the Botit app (available on iOS).

Del Sol Cafe

Palm Hills, 6th of October City

Home of the mystic cool kid, Del Sol serves up the most exotic South American blends with a a smidge of sunshine on top.

Sip

Branches all over Cairo

So good you have to abandon the usual slurp for a softer Sip, Sip crafts noteworthy roasts that perfectly accent longed-for conversations.

Beymen Café

Four Seasons Nile Plaza

Beymen’s leisurely atmosphere and chic décor, paired with impeccable Four Seasons hospitality will make it so that you can’t help but chill out - for hours on end - with a cup of coffee in your hands.

Seven Fortunes

Branches all over Cairo

This Dubai-founded hot spot’s beans are a hug on our worst days, verified by Time, CNN, Forbes and us of course.

Holm

Zamalek

Not just any neighbourhood café, but the neighbourhood café of dubbed cool kid neighbourhood Zamalek where you can look conveniently candid on emerald green chairs for a quick gram shoot – macchiato in hand.

Bascota

Garden 8, New Cairo

Bascota not only scratches your interior design itch with an earthy Mediterranean aesthetic, it also brings light to the lives of its farmers.

Brunch & Cake

Lake House the Club, New Cairo

Besides their all-day dining dexterity, Spanish spot Brunch & Cake laces the delicacy of their bakes and cakes with rose-infused caffeine fixes.

Cafe Riche

Downtown Cairo

Because stories told at cafes are the loudest (and juiciest), a trip to one of Cairo’s oldest cafes is the history fix every hopelessly romantic history nerd needs every once in a while. In times like that Café Riche, having been pioneered by the likes of Umm Kalthoum, is the place to be. 

Á l’Americaine

Downtown Cairo

Fostering the air of a bustling coffee shop you would hold lunchtime meetings at in 1970s America, Á l’Americaine is one of the rare historical spots upholding its reputation to this day.

El-Fishawy

Khan El-Khalili

As dear as we hold pink coffees and pistachio-infused concoctions to our hearts, there is an ever-present yearning in the heart of the cool girl for a classic Turkish to side cross-legged debates, and El-Fishawy is just the (historic) spot for that.

Blooms & Beans

Arkan Plaza, Sheikh Zayed

The flower girl of Cairo coffees, Blooms & Beans transports you on the caffeinated botanical trip of your cottagecore dreams, making it particularly perfect for first dates.

Specialty Būn

Arkan Plaza, Sheikh Zayed

A concept dreamt up and roasted by the Cairo Coffee Collective, Specialty Būn expertly espresso-s and filters an impressive array of blends, from Columbian microlots to roasts that waft an aromatic view of Egyptian heritage.

Social Specialty Coffee

Branches all over Cairo

Social is both the artisanal place and welcoming state to be in when in need of a lavender latte to complement your bestie’s rose counterpart, Danishes included.

CAF

Branches all over Cairo

A brand that takes coffee as seriously as you take your caffeine addiction, CAF entertains everything from sugary lattes to jolting high-maintenance Dutch brews.

Brown Nose Coffee

5A by the Waterway, New Cairo

From Ethiopian Arabica with floral blueberry notes, to nutty Brazilian beans with hints of dark chocolate, Brown Nose curates a unique range of roasts to suit every coffee connoisseur.

El Qahwa Khan

Oraby St., Maadi Green

Maadi’s Qahwa Khan carries the spirit of your Arabian coffee well into the rustic ambience and Islamic design tiling of the café.

Nomadic

Thawra St., Korba

Nestled in a quiet street off of the bustling Thawra, Nomadic pairs aromatic cold brews with tahini molasses cakes.

Bouchee

Baghdad St., Korba

This homegrown bakery accentuates the notes of your flat white with the help of pistachio mille-feuille tarts.

929

Baghdad St., Korba

Serving caffeinated goodness in artisanal terrazzo cups, Korba’s infamous 929 offers a serene low-tabled environment (ditch your laptop and planner, please) where you can focus fully on delectable brews.

Dancing Goat Roasters

Branches all over Cairo

This coffee house has us sacrificing our beans for the sake of exquisite brews that we’re sure are the result of some level of godly interference.

20 Grams

Garden 8, New Cairo

Gulf born and raised, 20 Grams crafts experimental caffeinated concoctions from amber to Hala berry lattes.

Hi Monkey

Delivers all over Cairo

Big believers in the finer things in life, Hi Monkey brews artisanal luxury brews in elusive glass bottles delivered to your doorstep to scaffold your high.

Naf

Branches all over Cairo

Masters of the espresso to the point of boredom, Naf have travelled light years beyond the lattes and mochas to craft various eccentric coffee desserts.

Mulliri

Mivida, New Cairo

All the way from the land of mountains and saints, Mulliri is the Albanian speciality coffee house siding our Kouign-Amann-encrusted mornings with coffee from Mother Teresa’s kitchen - the kind that puts miracles in motion.

Ilo

Patio Food Court, New Cairo

Brewed with passion to light up your day, Ilo’s V60 is the perfect side (let’s face it; coffee is the main) to rolling croissant wheels.

Koffee Kulture

Arkan Plaza 2, Sheikh Zayed

Confession time: we’re part of the KKK – the Koffee Kulture Klan. Canned caffeine somehow hits harder and, paired with a classic NY-style bagel, becomes the work buddy of our dreams. 

Ei8ht Ounce Coffee

The Street by Qubix, CFCM

Because the power of coffee is not to be underestimated, Ei8ht Ounce makes sure to craft top-notch vanilla maple lattes that guarantee grandeur.